Yesterday’s match between Liverpool and Arsenal really did ‘have it all’. It had football, not a big surprise, it had goals, it had Arsenal disappointment, and we all love that, it had on-field violence, and best of all, quite uniquely, it had off-field violence between a referee and a player. Oh, you think, that happens all the time, some overly-tattooed, steroided thug who earns 70 grand a week pushing around a poor, humble assistant ref. But this was different. The assistant ref elbowed Andy Robertson in the face. After the match. It was brilliant. The ref then realised what he’d done, pulled out a red card and showed it to himself. Ok, that’s what should have happened. But as no-one saw it and there were only 78 cameras on around Anfield, it was only a matter of time until it was ‘found’. Was it ‘intentional’? If someone’s grabbing you from behind, the natural ‘escape’ is to throw your elbows blindly about. But if he looked, took aim at the Scotsman’s chin and ‘fired!’, then its different. Possibly better.

I’m not one to play ‘the blame game’. Arsenal lost, having been a seemingly comfortable 2-nil up, because they lost the plot. But IF I was pointing any fingers… IF I was, then all ten would be in Granit Xhaka’s face. We’d all thought the Swiss person had overcome his famous temper, having been a model of restraint and gentleman-ness for a year or so. But then… then… a horrible tackle on Trent A-A resulted in a fracas and both received yellow cards.

But that event awoke the sleeping beast.

They crowd at Anfield had gone very quiet, as it appeared that their team were simply shit. In the Cop you could hear a zombie knife drop. But then suddenly, 50,000 Scousers all had a focus for their constant state of misery and entitlement-deprivation: Granit Xhaka! And there was no question that it was his action which provoked them into action which spurred on their team because the match simply changed at that precise moment over to Liverpool’s favour. Arsenal were very lucky, both to avoid conceding more and for having a goalkeeper who prevented them from losing twice more.

Players without discipline are a liability to the teams they’re fighting (literally) for. Don’t they get that? Could be a sending off, or, as yesterday, it riled up the opposing crowd. Message to Xhaka: don’t be a tosser.

Happy Bank Holiday Monday. If Jesus was alive today (kind’a literally, rather than… sort of, that other way) He’d drive an electric car.

A xxxx