At the Boot Room Pub, Martin Tyler's commentary fought to be heard above the noise:
"What a goal! What an absolutely sublime individual goal! This is what separates good players from genuine superstars—when the team is stuck in the mud, only true excellence can provide the breakthrough!
When Liverpool needed someone to unlock the game, Julien has delivered with a moment of individual magic that changes everything. The elastico past Lallana, the Marseille turn leaving Clyne bamboozled, then that perfectly weighted combination with Gerrard before the impudent chip over Boruc—this is world-class football!
This ability to create something from nothing in stalemate situations defines the difference between excellent players and genuine match-winners. Liverpool were going nowhere until Julien produced this moment of inspiration.
The goal's value extends far beyond breaking the deadlock—it's an injection of pure adrenaline into Liverpool's veins, awakening the belief that had been drowning in the first half.
More importantly, it sends a message to every team in the Premier League: Liverpool possesses a weapon capable of deciding matches through individual brilliance alone, regardless of tactical constraints..."
The commentary resounded through the Boot Room Pub's speakers, but the regulars weren't listening, they were living it.
"JULIEN! JULIEN! JULIEN!" Ted's voice cracked from high volume, his beard was trembling with emotion as he thrust both arms towards sky. "Did you see that skill? That's not coaching, that's not tactics—that's pure fucking talent!"
Others roared agreement, pints sloshing onto tables in the chaos.
"Sweet Jesus, that kid..." George wiped his eyes and said with emotion. "He was born for Anfield. Born for the shirt."
"Elastico into a Marseille turn! An eighteen-year-old pulling that off in the Premier League!" someone shouted. "This boy's the real deal! We've struck gold!"
Ted pointed at everyone in the pub with wild gestures, "I'll bet anyone here—this kid brings us the title! Takes us back to the top of Europe! Who's brave enough to take my money?!"
Laughter resounded through the crowd: "We're all backing you, you daft bastard!"
The camera found Julien's face in close-up, arms still spread wide, rain and sweat mixing on his features, looking for all the world like he owned that pitch and everyone on it.
The pub fell into a different kind of silence, reverential rather than tense. They were witnessing something they'd remember forever, a moment when hope transformed from desperate wish into tangible possibility.
George slowly raised his glass: "To Julien. To Liverpool's future."
"To the future!" The response came as one voice while glasses meeting in the air, beer foam catching the television's light.
In that moment, every drop of alcohol in the Boot Room Pub seemed to be celebrating the young man who was rewriting Liverpool's destiny one brilliant goal at a time.
Back at Anfield
The supporters' celebrations continued undiminished, wave after wave of noise was crashing over the pitch. The accumulated tension and dread from the first half found release in this explosion of joy.
The weather seemed to mirror the transformation, sun breaking through heavy clouds, rain giving way to light, despair replaced by possibility.
But on the touchline, while Rodgers joined his staff in celebration, Mauricio Pochettino stood with hands jammed in his pockets, knuckles white from the pressure of his grip.
He stared at Julien with his jaw clenched so tight his teeth might crack.
This was what genius looked like; the ability to achieve what others couldn't, to manifest impossibility into reality through sheer individual quality.
De Rocca wasn't just talented. He transcended talent, operated on a level Pochettino had seen only in the handful absolute elite.
But what frustrated Pochettino even more than the goal itself was Kanté. He'd personally flown to France last season to scout this shy midfielder, studied him widely, filed detailed reports that still sat in his desk drawer. Now he had to watch that precious gem shine for his opposition.
The post-rain sunlight felt harsh against his eyes.
On the pitch, Liverpool's players had finally extracted themselves from the pile-on, jogging back toward the center circle with the pressure valve released. Their body language exuded new confidence.
Southampton's players showed expressions of resignation. The goal had been pure individual quality, sometimes there's simply no answer for that level of performance.
They'd known Julien was special coming into this match. Anyone who could score two hat-tricks against the defending champions was obviously elite. But experiencing his ability firsthand, being thoroughly dismantled by his technique and vision and execution—that drove home the reality in ways statistics never could.
Lallana stood with hands on hips, mind replaying that elastico. He'd barely registered the movement before Julien was gone, leaving him grasping at air.
In the Stands
Abdullah Al-Thani grabbed David Dein's arm, his grip trembling with excitement: "Did you see that, David? That boy is a diamond in the desert! We need to surround him with the perfect setting! Buy whoever we need—I want Julien playing in an environment where he can express his genius fully! Your job is making sure he's comfortable, supported, thriving!"
Dein nodded, flushed with shared enthusiasm.
Abdullah continued while his voice rose with excitement, "I don't want to hear about obstacles or complications. Tell me who to buy, and we buy them. Winter window, summer window, whenever. We're building a team worthy of that young man's talent! Do you understand?"
He pointed toward Julien, now being mobbed by teammates again as another surge of appreciation swept through the crowd.
"He is our king, David. Julien the Conqueror. And we will build him a kingdom."
Dein's eyes shone with ambition, "Understood completely, sir."
Creating a kingdom, a dynasty. The phrase was resounded in the air between them with promise and possibility.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle restarted play, but the match's complexion had deeply changed. When Liverpool supporters had begun imagining this victory extending into a rout, Pochettino's adjustments started to take effect.
He'd reassigned Wanyama to shadow Gerrard like a second skin, instructing Lallana to drop deeper alongside Schneiderlin to form a double-pivot shield. When Julien received possession on the left now, Southampton's shape compressed into a tight 4-4-2 diamond, the two defensive lines separated by less than ten meters.
The tactical response worked immediately. In the sixty-seventh minute, Julien tried to recreate his goal-scoring sequence, but after beating Lallana initially, he found himself swarmed by three defenders. Lovren's tackle was perfectly timed, clearing the danger.
By the eighty-first minute, even Gerrard had been reduced to errors. Another misplaced pass gifted possession to Osvaldo, who drove toward goal with menacing intent until Škrtel, risking a second yellow card, made a last-ditch challenge to avert disaster.
When the fourth official raised the board showing three minutes of added time, Liverpool's final attack ended with Gerrard blazing a long-range effort over the crossbar.
The final whistle blew seconds later.
1-0. The scoreline held.
Anfield's floodlights lit stands full of supporters whose expressions were mixed relief with lingering concern. They'd won, that mattered most but the match had exposed uncomfortable truths about Liverpool's limitations.
This night had proven two things simultaneously: Julien was indeed a match-winning superweapon capable of deciding tight games through his own individual clutch factor, but Liverpool remained several pieces short of genuine title contention.
Still, for most supporters walking out into the Liverpool night, three points and top spot in the table were enough. Questions about the future could wait. Tonight, they celebrated.
At the post-match press conference, beyond questions about the match itself and Liverpool's various errors, Rodgers faced queries about Wayne Rooney's promise to exact revenge at Old Trafford in the upcoming League Cup fixture.
The question stemmed from events two hours earlier; the Manchester Derby had ended in humiliation for United.
The 165th Manchester Derby in all competitions (United leading 68-50-46 overall, 59-49-40 in league matches) had produced a statement result for the Sky Blues. After Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement and Roberto Mancini's dismissal, new managers David Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini's first Derby meeting had become a massacre: 4-1 to City.
Moyes' post-match comments had been appropriately humble: "We weren't good enough. City were better, sharper from the start, quicker in their movement. They deserved their win, and I have to be honest about that."
Then he'd addressed the upcoming League Cup encounter with Liverpool, his tone hardened here, "Losing any match is difficult, but Derby defeats create additional pressure because you want to perform for your supporters. Especially considering our 0-6 defeat at Anfield early in the season—that result should have been our wake-up call. Facing them again on Wednesday, we have no excuse to disappoint our fans again.
"Our supporters were magnificent today despite the result. Whether it's a Derby or any other match, you never want to accept defeat. You prepare for the next match and fight to win it. We owe everyone a response, not just to escape this current slump, but to erase the embarrassment of that Anfield humiliation."
Rooney, who'd scored United's only goal, carried even more venom regarding the upcoming fixture: "Losing to City 4-1 feels terrible—any defeat does, but especially one this heavy. The manner of our goals conceded was awful: one just before halftime, then two quick ones after the restart that completely buried us. My goal? Too little, too late, meaningless.
Scoring is always good, but not when it counts for nothing. Points are what matter, and we got none.
Wednesday's match against Liverpool comes at the perfect time—early in the season when we faced them at Anfield, I was injured, couldn't even make the squad. I had to watch from the stands as we lost 6-0, completely helpless. That feeling of powerlessness, of being unable to contribute, was worse than today's Derby defeat.
This time I'll be on the pitch, and I intend to help the team reclaim what we lost. We've grown since then. Whether in Manchester, Liverpool, or anywhere else in the world, losing a Derby always hurts deeply—I've experienced both sides of that equation as player and supporter.
The silver lining is that Liverpool's match comes Wednesday, which is exactly what we need right now, not just to erase today's loss from our minds, but to avenge that 6-0 humiliation. We owe our supporters and ourselves that response."
Rodgers' reply was similarly restrained but quite firm, "I respect David Moyes and Manchester United's attitude, that's normal competitive mentality, especially for fixtures like these. No team wins based on past results. You only win through what you do on the day—every pass, every tackle, every shot.
I'm confident David will have his team prepared, just as we'll have ours ready. As for 'humiliation' or 'revenge,' those emotions add intensity to matches, certainly, but ultimately results are decided by tactical execution and concentration in crucial moments, not anger or pride.
We're prepared for a battle. That's all I'll say."
The response was tactful, restrained.
But when Gerrard faced the same question, Liverpool's captain showed no such restraint.
"We have only one goal: to conquer Old Trafford."
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