The masks were ready, the T-shirts were on sale again outside the ground and Liverpool prepared to make up for lost time with Luis Suárez on completion of his nine-match ban from the Football Association for improper conduct and racially abusing Patrice Evra. Then the team-sheets landed and shifted the focus from the rehabilitation of the Uruguay international to that of Andy Carroll. He is seizing the chance if not the chances that came his way against Tottenham Hotspur.
It did not take long for Suárez to find controversy in a hard-fought but otherwise forgettable draw at Anfield – four minutes after his arrival as a substitute to be precise, when he kicked Scott Parker in the stomach to earn a booking for a foul that seemed clumsy not malicious but provoked a rebuke from Wayne Rooney on Twitter. Saturday at Old Trafford should be fun. He also left Kenny Dalglish ruing his side's profligacy once more when, late on, he headed Liverpool's best opening into the grateful arms of Brad Friedel.
Suárez's first appearance since Boxing Day was guaranteed to take the spotlight and he did not disappoint even in his brief time on the field. But nor should it disguise another encouraging contribution from the striker who arrived at Anfield on the same day last January, the £35m Carroll, and who, performance-wise at least, has to repair his reputation from a much lower starting point. He too shared the misery of wasting a fine opening to seal victory when he blazed over from Martin Kelly's cross with the bottom corner gaping. He also turned a difficult header just over as an uneventful contest came to life late on. His all-round display, however, augurs well for Dalglish as he pursues the Carling Cup, FA Cup and Champions League qualification.
There was more movement from Carroll, right, throughout, more aggression, clearer illustrations that he has a left foot that complements his obvious prowess in the air and, in the 28 minutes they were on the pitch together, signs of a productive understanding between the former Newcastle United and Ajax strikers bought for a combined £57.8m 13 months ago.
Dalglish cited a lack of match sharpness as the reason for starting Suárez on the bench but the Uruguay international also had to earn the right to dislodge a team-mate and none of Carroll, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy had offered that route back. Even so, it would have come as a major relief to Carroll to retain the faith of his manager and it was an important call from Dalglish.
Being a young, strapping centre-forward, and one said to have a laissez-faire approach, does not make Carroll immune from a damaging loss of confidence, as his performances had shown before the influential display in the FA Cup win over Manchester United. No amount of public praise from Dalglish, the latest coming after revelations Liverpool had inquired about swapping the England international for Carlos Tevez, can compare with being asked to lead the line against title-chasing opposition. This was Carroll's third consecutive start in the Liverpool team, equalling the best run he has been given all season. He needs far more before a considered judgment can be delivered.
It assisted Carroll's response to complaints over a lack of movement to have Steven Gerrard moved out of central midfield and deployed behind him. The adjustment almost paid dividends in Liverpool's first attack when the home captain pierced the Tottenham defence, rekindling memories of the fruitful supply line he once provided for Fernando Torres, and Carroll peeled away from the recalled Michael Dawson. It required a perfectly executed challenge to prevent the striker testing Friedel.
The early combination proved a false dawn for Carroll and Liverpool who, for all their promise around the Spurs' area, did not escape behind Dawson and the commanding Ledley King that easily again until the final moments. Carroll won a healthy share of headers against the Tottenham central defence but the runners were better marshalled than by Patrice Evra in United's recent visit to Anfield. Kuyt escaped from Benoît Assou-Ekotto once to a flick-on from Carroll and set up a thwarted shooting opportunity from Charlie Adam as a result before the inevitable substitution arrived. Liverpool were in need of ingenuity to supplement the centre-forward's impressive work-rate and the wait was finally over in the 66th minute for Anfield and Suárez. He returned to a strikeforce that, belatedly, is showing it can share the burden.
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