Scousbtmroevdes Momentum

THIRTY years ago, when I was a starry-eyed teenager, I got an old Betamax video – if you remember them – of Liverpool beating

Nottingham Forest 5-0 at Anfield.

It was a tape of the perfect attacking performance, of a team who didn’t put a foot wrong for 90 minutes.

John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge absolutely mesmerised

Forest that night.

But if I was trying to market football as perfection, I would be knocking out DVDS of Liverpool’s performance against Roma.

For 75 minutes everything about it – the atmosphere, intensity, passion and sheer quality of the football – was unbelievable.

Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were out of this world and Jordan Henderson’s performance in midfield was magnificent.

I would only question why Jurgen Klopp took Salah off with 15 minutes left. From that moment the dynamic changed.

It was as if Roma were scared stiff when Salah was on the pitch, but once he was out of the way they felt it was safe to come out and play.

ALL is not lost for Arsenal in the Europa League – despite the devastating setback of conceding a daft equaliser to Atletico Madrid’s 10 men.

Thursday night’s semi-final, first leg was the story of the Gunners’ fortunes in Europe over the last 10 years in miniature.

They were brilliant for 45 minutes, but a lack of leadership on the pitch and a soft centre at the back cost them dearly.

But if Arsene Wenger needs a blueprint for winning the second leg, he should ask Antonio Conte for a copy of the DVD from Chelsea’s 2-1 win there in the Champions League last September.