A TRICKY hurdle away at high-flying Preston in the FA Cup was never going to be an easy game.
And so it proved as Liverpool eventually dispatched a resilient Preston with a professionalism that was not in their locker a couple of years ago.

Newcastle must be sick of the sight of us.
Come rain or shine, good or indifferent form, Anfield or St James Park, we always give the Toon boys a good whipping.
And with Chelsea being pegged back by Fulham, it's fantastic going into the New Year with a three point lead at the top of the Premiership.

ON ANY other day, securing a point at the Emirates against an Arsenal side who have already disposed of Man Utd and Chelsea would have been considered a good result.
Except this time, the 1-1 draw felt us wanting a whole lot more.
It was hard not to think that Sunday's point apiece was a chance lost to make a huge statement of intent on the Premiership race.

WELL, if we don't win our first title for 19 years when May comes upon us, we can point to where we let it all slip away.
Drawing at home to Stoke is an irritant, doing the same against Fulham and then West Ham is bordering on the criminal.
To then go and fail to beat Hull at Anfield, as good as the Tigers are, is nigh on suicide.
Saturday was different to the two previous stalemate displays at Anfield as Liverpool played pretty well on this occasion and we had the pressure and chances to put Hull away three times over.
Still, the other big three are doing their best to do us huge favours every time we slip up at home.
Who would have thought that none of the top four, Villa excluded, would have won over the weekend?

I'm going to say it, yes I really am.
Lucas Leiva was excellent last night. Man of the match.
I'll go further. Ryan Babel was very promising too.
Jeez. I've done it. I need to go and lie down now.

CAN WE play every game away from home please?
The relief was palpable at Saturday teatime after Liverpool finally notched up three points in a Premiership game to reaffirm our title credentials.
And after two consecutive, nervy and error-strewn performances at home to Fulham and West Ham, I'm bet the players were glad to get away from the frustrated Anfield arena for a weekend.
Still, it still wasn't exactly vintage Reds was it?

DROPPING two points at home to Stoke could be considered unfortunate.
Repeating the feat at home to Fulham would be viewed as worrying. Doing the same against West Ham, and failing to score again into the bargain, is tantamount to a criminal offence.
If we fail to notch up number 19 this season, it's these matches that'll show us where we let it wastefully slip away.

IT'S OFFICIAL. Liverpool are in a bad spell at the moment.
Thankfully, that bad spell is twinned with a professionalism and ability to get results which is just about keeping us on track.
There's no doubt, however, that the unjustified loss to Spurs in the league did more mental damage than we imagined.

THEY always said Houllier had a stubborn struck in him.
As 90 minutes frustrating slipped by on Saturday, it was hard not to conclude that Benitez was displaying a similar trait.

OUT with the amateurs, in with the professionals.
After Wednesday nights dire showing, the proper employees at our club showed how to control and win a game of football.
What could have been an arkward trip up the M62 ended up a fairly comfortable afternoon for the first teamers.