Heidi's blog Liverpool v Leeds United 1/1/26
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Liverpool v Leeds United 1st January 2026 at Anfield
Having shown what we could do when we played Liverpool recently at Elland Road, I had said before the game that they are just another team, it’s just another game and we need to battle for 90 minutes. Once again, I feel I got my judgement spot on. If you go to places like Anfield thinking that you don’t stand a chance of getting anything out of the game, then you won’t. It was a hard battle today but getting that valuable point away from home was all that counts.
Happy New Year to everyone and hopefully there weren’t too many sore heads this morning. Luckily, I’m tee total now having given up alcohol more than 40 years ago and I can’t say I’ve missed it. I couldn’t take it as more often than not I was ill, once turning up at Elland Road on New Year’s Day and was instantly sick once I got off the coach. Not a pretty sight. I also see the football stone cold sober! After finishing my Sunderland blog late at night, suddenly all the strength drained out of me and my self-belief and confidence also disappeared. Cancelling my late husband’s phone contract two days ago turned out to be harder than I thought as I cried buckets afterwards. It took me until late yesterday to come round after having the stuffing knocked out of me so I’m going into the New Year with a positive mental attitude which will help. Good luck to all those who are going through their own battles.
As I was heading to the cordoned off turnstile queue once we got to Anfield, one of our fans with a walking stick shouted out about having to walk all the way to the end of the queue. An older Liverpool fan started mocking him and I turned around and said to him that it is an issue, especially when you cannot walk so think about it. With that he walked off without saying another word. It was a lot friendlier welcome from the stewards than the one we had a few years ago where I was told I couldn’t even bring my medication in with me! The head steward that day wasn’t a very nice person. Those today couldn’t have been nicer, especially when it was pointed out to them that the front row seats behind the wheelchair bays were too tight for anyone to sit down comfortably on them.
Team: Perri, Ampadu, Struijk, Bornauw, Justin, Gudmundsson, Aaronson, Nmecha, Stach, Bijol, Gruev.
Subs: Okafor for Aaronson (70), Calvert-Lewin for Nmecha (70), Bogle for Bornauw (injured 83), Tanaka for Gruev (90).
Subs not used: Darlow, Harrison, Byram, Piroe, Gnonto.
Leeds drew the game 0-0.
Attendance: 60,343, 3,058 Leeds fans.
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh.
Booked: Ampadu, Bijol.
Farke had made some changes to the side which I thought would hopefully work in our favour as it wouldn’t be what Liverpool was expecting. We started off brightly before Liverpool started to attack us more. We were playing very deep which was the one thing I didn’t want us to do, as we were inviting Liverpool to attack us especially when they were at home. My heart was in my mouth no end of times as it was too close for comfort with one from Perri not catching the ball putting us under extreme pressure. To me, it was important to get something out of the game. A bad clearance by their keeper saw Ampadu hit a long low shot but the keeper got back to make the save. Liverpool attacked again and although their player headed the ball at Perri’s head he didn’t know much about it. I don’t think it would have counted if it had gone into the net as he was offside.
The second half saw Liverpool take a long range shot that Perri parried and the ball bounced into the air. As Ampadu came to control it and get the ball away, the referee blew for a free kick to them and booked Ampadu for handball meaning he is banned for the man u game on Sunday. After some great work from Gudmundsson, his cross into the middle was met by Calvert-Lewin putting the ball into the net from a Bornauw assist. It would have been great carrying on with a record scoring for him, but the celebrations were short lived as the linesman put his flag up for offside. Leeds continued to attack with some impressive work from Okafor and Gruev as Liverpool cleared the ball. As the minutes ran down the referee played over the six minutes of injury time but thankfully, he eventually blew the whistle for us to get a valuable point away at Anfield. It took a battling performance but as I said before the game, fighting until the end of the game means you stand a chance of getting something out of it.
I heard some of our fans say how disappointed they were with the atmosphere there. After the impressive “You’ll never walk alone” at the start of the game it was very poor from the Liverpool fans, nothing like it was in the 70s that’s for sure. I went on the Kop once when it was standing only at one of our games there. We’d gone in their supporter’s club before the game as we met up with John Green, I think his name was and he’d said to go in there with them. My friend Carole and I made Scotland flags at the time, and he’d bought one from us. I was fine until he told those around us, we were Leeds fans!! To be honest it was probably safer in there than the Anfield Road End as there were running battles in there all game, but I was so scared then that I was glad we didn’t score a goal.
Thanks to those of you who bought Billy Bremner badges from me today and I will have them at the man u game on Sunday. If you have ordered one from me, I will be in the Holbeck Club first, then the Peacock and in the Kop during the game. I can always be found at the front of the stand before the game either at the North East Corner or next to the West Stand. I can always meet up at Billy’s statue after the game. There are spares available and all profits will go to his statue in his hometown of Raploch, Stirling. The link to the online raffle tickets is https://www.followmeandleedsunited.co.u ... ember-2025 which is drawn at the beginning of February. See you then, LUFC – Marching on Together!
https://www.followmeandleedsunited.co.uk/
Sponsored by Clearwell Pest Control
https://www.clearwellpestcontrol.com/
Having shown what we could do when we played Liverpool recently at Elland Road, I had said before the game that they are just another team, it’s just another game and we need to battle for 90 minutes. Once again, I feel I got my judgement spot on. If you go to places like Anfield thinking that you don’t stand a chance of getting anything out of the game, then you won’t. It was a hard battle today but getting that valuable point away from home was all that counts.
Happy New Year to everyone and hopefully there weren’t too many sore heads this morning. Luckily, I’m tee total now having given up alcohol more than 40 years ago and I can’t say I’ve missed it. I couldn’t take it as more often than not I was ill, once turning up at Elland Road on New Year’s Day and was instantly sick once I got off the coach. Not a pretty sight. I also see the football stone cold sober! After finishing my Sunderland blog late at night, suddenly all the strength drained out of me and my self-belief and confidence also disappeared. Cancelling my late husband’s phone contract two days ago turned out to be harder than I thought as I cried buckets afterwards. It took me until late yesterday to come round after having the stuffing knocked out of me so I’m going into the New Year with a positive mental attitude which will help. Good luck to all those who are going through their own battles.
As I was heading to the cordoned off turnstile queue once we got to Anfield, one of our fans with a walking stick shouted out about having to walk all the way to the end of the queue. An older Liverpool fan started mocking him and I turned around and said to him that it is an issue, especially when you cannot walk so think about it. With that he walked off without saying another word. It was a lot friendlier welcome from the stewards than the one we had a few years ago where I was told I couldn’t even bring my medication in with me! The head steward that day wasn’t a very nice person. Those today couldn’t have been nicer, especially when it was pointed out to them that the front row seats behind the wheelchair bays were too tight for anyone to sit down comfortably on them.
Team: Perri, Ampadu, Struijk, Bornauw, Justin, Gudmundsson, Aaronson, Nmecha, Stach, Bijol, Gruev.
Subs: Okafor for Aaronson (70), Calvert-Lewin for Nmecha (70), Bogle for Bornauw (injured 83), Tanaka for Gruev (90).
Subs not used: Darlow, Harrison, Byram, Piroe, Gnonto.
Leeds drew the game 0-0.
Attendance: 60,343, 3,058 Leeds fans.
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh.
Booked: Ampadu, Bijol.
Farke had made some changes to the side which I thought would hopefully work in our favour as it wouldn’t be what Liverpool was expecting. We started off brightly before Liverpool started to attack us more. We were playing very deep which was the one thing I didn’t want us to do, as we were inviting Liverpool to attack us especially when they were at home. My heart was in my mouth no end of times as it was too close for comfort with one from Perri not catching the ball putting us under extreme pressure. To me, it was important to get something out of the game. A bad clearance by their keeper saw Ampadu hit a long low shot but the keeper got back to make the save. Liverpool attacked again and although their player headed the ball at Perri’s head he didn’t know much about it. I don’t think it would have counted if it had gone into the net as he was offside.
The second half saw Liverpool take a long range shot that Perri parried and the ball bounced into the air. As Ampadu came to control it and get the ball away, the referee blew for a free kick to them and booked Ampadu for handball meaning he is banned for the man u game on Sunday. After some great work from Gudmundsson, his cross into the middle was met by Calvert-Lewin putting the ball into the net from a Bornauw assist. It would have been great carrying on with a record scoring for him, but the celebrations were short lived as the linesman put his flag up for offside. Leeds continued to attack with some impressive work from Okafor and Gruev as Liverpool cleared the ball. As the minutes ran down the referee played over the six minutes of injury time but thankfully, he eventually blew the whistle for us to get a valuable point away at Anfield. It took a battling performance but as I said before the game, fighting until the end of the game means you stand a chance of getting something out of it.
I heard some of our fans say how disappointed they were with the atmosphere there. After the impressive “You’ll never walk alone” at the start of the game it was very poor from the Liverpool fans, nothing like it was in the 70s that’s for sure. I went on the Kop once when it was standing only at one of our games there. We’d gone in their supporter’s club before the game as we met up with John Green, I think his name was and he’d said to go in there with them. My friend Carole and I made Scotland flags at the time, and he’d bought one from us. I was fine until he told those around us, we were Leeds fans!! To be honest it was probably safer in there than the Anfield Road End as there were running battles in there all game, but I was so scared then that I was glad we didn’t score a goal.
Thanks to those of you who bought Billy Bremner badges from me today and I will have them at the man u game on Sunday. If you have ordered one from me, I will be in the Holbeck Club first, then the Peacock and in the Kop during the game. I can always be found at the front of the stand before the game either at the North East Corner or next to the West Stand. I can always meet up at Billy’s statue after the game. There are spares available and all profits will go to his statue in his hometown of Raploch, Stirling. The link to the online raffle tickets is https://www.followmeandleedsunited.co.u ... ember-2025 which is drawn at the beginning of February. See you then, LUFC – Marching on Together!
https://www.followmeandleedsunited.co.uk/
Sponsored by Clearwell Pest Control
https://www.clearwellpestcontrol.com/