TERRACE TALK: Liverpool - Sakho lucky not to be taken to cleaners by Kane

Boxing’s got the right idea. When the contest is clearly over, throw the towel in and let the vanquished go home to lick their wounds.

I was watching Villa-Chelsea before our game and thought “what IS the point of all this?” The broadcaster actually called it “the battle of fallen idols” just to rub everyone’s nose in it.

Not that Liverpool fans can get snarky; that was a very close match with Spurs, who in turn got pummelled good style by Dortmund, so do the math as our US friends say.

The international break was brightened by a decent game between Germany and England, with an added bonus of a transfer link with Mario Gotze. It appears not to be a smokescreen to hide news of how we got fleeced by Barcelona over Suarez. This one’s actually got legs, but don’t be surprised if departing doofus Ian Ayre screws it up one last time.

Before the Spurs game, Klopp lamented how he didn’t really like talking about how well they and Leicester were doing. He may need to get used to that during his time here, but at least he never went to Anfield for over a decade to watch teams that made the title their own personal property.

With that background, even now I can never get used to teams coming to Anfield in springtime having more skin in the game than we do. Especially Spurs, who have an awful record here.

For some off-colour reason people seem to reference the Titanic going down whenever they want to explain how bad Tottenham have been, like before 1913 they couldn’t stop winning at Anfield.

Even now, when table and form dictate they should get all the points they never really looked like doing so. True, Sakho had one of those horrendous games when all the nasty things media experts say about him seem true.

Remember this was the same player who towered over all at Old Trafford. I do match ratings for another media outlet and no-one ever gets 10/10 — except Sakho that night.

He was all over the place against Kane though and just lucky he wasn’t taken apart. He has plenty to thank Dejan Lovren for. The Croatian’s gone from Rodgers’ Write-off to Klopp’s Something-that begins with-K-that-sounds-good in a matter of months.

Even in a shaky first half, Liverpool had the better chances. Sturridge still isn’t quite himself. Or maybe he is, and that mad 18 months after Chelsea cut him loose because they thought he wasn’t up to it was actually the illusory bit?

Coutinho’s still brilliant, which only makes us worry all the more about how long he’ll stick around. Maybe all that Gotze stuff is so we can pretend we mean business and hang onto whatever talent’s already here. Not that one wants to use a rat/sinking ship analogy for footballers but our modern record for hanging onto quality is wretched.

Anyway, Spurs were the latest team in the top half that we’ve given a good game. Some, like City and United, we’ve given a hammering. It’s when we think we just have to turn up for the points that there’s trouble.

Liverpool teams have had this misplaced arrogance for as long as I can remember. Maybe only in Rafa’s time did they ever really give opposition due respect. Maybe too much, as they threw the league away by drawing too often at home against teams like Hull, Fulham, West Ham etc.

So the trip to Dortmund is upon us. They’ll probably be the best team we’ve faced all season, which doesn’t say much in this topsy-turvy year. Perversely, that might give us a better chance of beating them. That has now been written and cannot be unwritten — 4-0 it is then.

Afterwards, we can get on with twiddling our thumbs and hanging on in quiet desperation as we wait for another pitiful season to end.

It’s the English way, after all.