Anfield Red

It may have been obvious prior to Saturday’s emphatic derby victory over Everton, but now it’s really official: Liverpool are riding a wave of momentum not seen since last season’s dramatic run at Manchester United and the Premier League title.

And it couldn’t come at a better time.

Whilst it would be easy to bang on about the 10-man victory over our Merseyside rivals, Liverpool really do need to keep their wits about them as they move into what Rafa is calling the most crucial part of the season. As many of you know, Saturday’s match marked the tip of a three-headed monster of Premier League matches for the Reds.

Up next? Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday, followed by Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium in a fortnight. There’s no doubting these two matches could make or break Liverpool’s recent run of good fortunes.

Take at least four points from the next two league matches and we could be looking at a furious finish to what was strongly considered a wash of a season just a couple weeks ago. A defeat in either match, however, could lead to a loss of confidence at the wrong time.

If anything, Liverpool just need to remember that pressing against a team like Arsenal, a wounded club at the moment following Sunday’s thrashing at the hands of Chelsea, would be ill-advised. The same could be said for Manchester City. But if there’s one team that’s been known for the dramatics this year when their backs were against the wall, it’s this club.

You needn’t look any farther than the United match from this year when the club trounced an unsuspecting Fergie without Steven Gerrard in the fold. This time around the two critical clashes will include Gerrard, but not Torres. Regardless, if they play like they have the last couple of matches, I don’t think there’s any reason not to believe they come away with anything less than four points.

Steven Gerrard understands the importance of the matches and the need to get something from both.

“We know there is a long way to go and we want to make sure we are in the top four at the end of the season,” Gerrard said.

“It’s performances like this that will get you in there. We have got to try and keep this run going, as we can’t afford any slip-ups. There is pressure coming from Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

“There are a couple of very tough games coming up but if we can show what we have done in the last six games, I don’t see why we can’t maintain it.”

So here we go, lads. The most critical part of the league schedule is upon us and we’ve already managed to handle the first portion of the gauntlet. Let’s hope we keep the momentum going this week against Arsenal into the FA Cup break. Goodness knows we’ll need it when we play City in a fortnight.