THE highlights may have dwelled on the penalty claims spurned and the injury-time opportunity missed, but there were two other moments at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday that encapsulated Liverpool’s current state of mind.
Before kick-off, there was the sight of stand-in skipper Jamie Carragher calling for a group huddle. Then, as the visiting players walked off at half-time, they were greeted by a huge, visceral roar from the travelling fans.
The overriding message from both instances was the same. One of togetherness, one of defiance. And given the storm that continues to swirl viciously around Anfield, particularly after the meek FA Cup surrender to Reading, it’s precisely the kind of attitude required if Rafael Benitez’s side are to salvage their campaign.
Robert Huth’s dramatic last-gasp equaliser, some interesting officiating from referee Lee Mason and Dirk Kuyt’s injury-time miss combined to ensure such a gutsy approach did not glean three points from Stoke City at the weekend.
But for Fabio Aurelio, Liverpool must match that willingness to scrap as they aim to fight their way back into the Champions League qualification places.
“What happened at Stoke is typical of our luck right now,” admits the Brazilian. “When things aren’t going well, everything seems against you.
We have got to manage this (situation) at the moment. We have got to approach all our games like against Stoke. We had the right attitude. If we keep that up, we can start changing things.
“Before the Stoke game, we had won two league games and we are starting to build up a bit of momentum. In terms of our football, we haven’t played at our best. But compared to the Reading game, our attitude was much better.
“When the team is in this in kind of situation and things aren’t going in your favour, the first thing you have to show is character. We know as a team we can still get out of this situation, as long as we keep on fighting.”
Liverpool can close the gap on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur to a single point with victory over the Lilywhites at Anfield this evening. And while acknowledging a win would be worth only three points in the table, Aurelio accepts the confidence boost from such a result gives the game a much greater meaning.
“We are going to be going up against one of our direct opponents for fourth place,” he says. “Games against teams like that won’t specifically decide who finishes fourth but beating that type of opponent can give you more confidence, which is what we need now.
“If we can win, it can gives us a boost for the rest of the season and help us push harder in the coming games.”
