Very disappointing result. I could whinge about Crouch being manhandled in the box and possibly deserving of a penalty on at least 1-2 occasions and I disagree that Defoe's no-goal was the right call, but at the end of the day we totally lacked drive from the midfield and really created very few legitimate chances.
My fear is that we are wholly dependent on Aaron Lennon's pace. He makes our strikers look good and the rest of the midfield starts to work. He gives us width and speed and with him injured, we look very flat indeed. We've been humbled in 4 out of the 5 games against the Big 4 this season and with the exception of the opening day against Liverpool, have not scored a goal or looked like winning at all.
I think the reality is that we are a genuine top 6 side that is lacking the creative CM alongside Palacios as well as a bit more depth in central defense in order to potentially progress into the Top 4. Unfortunately Man City will be the ones to take advantage of Liverpool's season of discontent, or ironically Liverpool themselves might be the ones to do it!!
