Liverpool recorded a 6-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Anfield on Thursday afternoon. Sadio Mane nudged the Reds into a 10th-minute lead, steering in from close range at the back post after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s initial shot had been saved. Naby Keita then doubled the advantage when he finished from Takumi Minamino’s ball into the six-yard box soon after, then the latter swept in from a Mane centre before the break. Joel Matip tapped in a fourth on 67 minutes, Ki-Jana Hoever curled into the top corner a minute later, and Leighton Clarkson completed the scoring with a wonderful late effort. With the Premier League restart just 10 days away – and a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton in the Merseyside derby first up – Jürgen Klopp’s squad took the opportunity to test themselves against Championship side Rovers to step up preparations. Liverpool went in front after 10 minutes of play at Anfield. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s drive was beaten away by Christian Walton; however, Mane was on hand to slot in the rebound. Minamino almost doubled their advantage soon after, but his snap-shot from Tosin Adarabioyo’s attempted clearance was smartly saved by the visiting ‘keeper. The Japan international was heavily involved again on 23 minutes, claiming an assist for the Reds’ second. Virgil van Dijk’s pass forward was chested off into the path of James Milner by Mane. The vice-captain then slid Minamino into space, who subsequently squared for Keita to stab in. please log in to view this image On the half-hour, Jordan Henderson sent a shot spinning wide of the far post after the hosts had regained possession high up the pitch and Oxlade-Chamberlain cut the ball back into his path. Minamino added his name to the scoresheet before the break when he swept across goal and into the corner from Mane’s low delivery from the left. Blackburn threatened before the whistle as Sam Gallagher looked to have gone through on goal. He was beaten to the ball by a sliding challenge by Alisson Becker, however. Liverpool made seven changes during the interval – and it was a new arrival that went closest to increasing the scoreline when Neco Williams crashed an effort against the outside of the post from Mane’s slick pass. Academy youngster Jake Cain then had a side-footer tipped behind, with Roberto Firmino’s header from the subsequent corner also saved by Walton. But the Reds did go further in front as they netted twice in the space of two minutes, with Matip first tapping in from Firmino’s glance across goal before Hoever slammed into the top corner with his left foot following a set-piece. Ben Brereton went close to pulling a goal back for Rovers, but slid an inch wide of substitute Caoimhin Kelleher’s post. The hosts added their sixth in the final minutes when Clarkson displayed incredible composure inside the box to create a shooting opportunity, which he finished with aplomb.
At the start of the lockdown a local(ish) farm offered deliveries of organic fruit and veg. organic milk and eggs. We've been getting one every few weeks and the difference in the taste is outstanding. Plums actually taste like plums and the new potatoes are something you just want to eat on their own without meat or gravy spoiling the flavour. We've been buying organic veg from the supermarket for a while but this farm produce is something else.
I hope that the local firms / producers who have become better known to the general public due to the virus keep some of this custom once things get back to normal .
We will keep the veg box going, providing they still offer the service. It's been a revelation. The flip side of this is that an artisan bakery in town that we'd never used but wanted to support when they offered home deliveries to keep themselves afloat, dropped us when the demand increased.
Unfortunately far too many businesses chase the quick pound . If nothing else this has highlighted the opportunities for businesses to diversify their client base and i think / hope has encouraged people to buy local / UK .
Supermarkets ushered the demise of many local businesses from butchers, bakers, fruit and veg shops even to small newsagents. These kinds of shops are no longer there to be rediscovered. I hope the enterprising producers of fresh goods like the farm we've been buying from extend their reach permanently once the virus situation is over. If they don't, I can see us driving out there to buy their produce just for the sheer lack of comparison taste wise.
Always use our local butcher, there are only 3 butchers left in Shrewsbury. The population is about 110k!
Our butcher retired and I honestly don't know what is in it's place now as I don't need to go to that stretch of shops anymore. Same happened with the fishmonger. There was something sort of primal (vegetarians look away now) about getting your meat and fish from butchers and fishmongers that doesn't exist in a supermarket.
The Penny Lane street signs have been defaced and the word 'racist' daubed next to them. Although there was a slave trader called James Penny, research is not conclusive that Penny Lane was named after him. The slavery museum are even taking his name off the list of slave traders. Some people are being far too reactionary and it does nothing to help the cause. I hope what's happening atm isn't heading towards anarchy. Do we go after the Beatles next for singing a song about a road that may or may not have been about a slave trader.
You'll probably find its more to do with the varieties of fruit and veg rather than it being organic.
I don't think so. There's a definite flavour enhancement from untreated veg just pulled up and eaten fresh.
The fruit is Mexico was unlike anything I've ever tasted in this country. It was ****ing exceptional.
I couldn't find an appropriate thread and don't want to start a political discussion, just thought it worth a little mention because it's Liverpool related. I'm happy for people to read it and not comment. It's a can of worms best left alone.
People just go where it's easiest, as you say, and also where the market goes (the economic market, not the actual food one), because of lockdown it became easier, safer to get your veg, meat etc from an indy supplier to your doorstep because of the massive queues and 'THE THREAT' at the chains, now it's getting back to how it was they'll just go back to the supermarkets. You'd think it would encourage people to change, in many ways, but I just don't see it. Retail is back after the weekend so they'll be blocking all the roads out of shopping centres, just like they did with IKEA and McDonalds, to get to Primark and Selfridges. I'll be in a forest walking probably, or still on my bike only with like an 80% higher risk of getting seriously injured or killed. Just somewhere that isn't ... that
I couldn't find any local online suppliers worth mentioning i.e. only nearby butcher when you looked closely was selling Irish Beef . for me many smaller shops are far less practicable on space , steps parking etc plus just the physical drain of going from shop to shop .
