equal measure to the side’s morale and tactical deployment, there’s no taking away from the effort and quality Liverpool put on display in the opening 30 minutes of the match before the Egyptian King went down. Madrid may have had bigger names in midfield, but Liverpool had greater intensity and the front six put real pressure on the Madrid midfield and created a number of half-chances that may have ended in goals on a luckier day.

In many ways, the opening half-hour was somewhat reminiscent to the City game at Anfield – minus the goals, of course. Real had the better possession stats, but the Reds had the better possession movement. The midfield – particularly Milner, cut passing lanes and didn’t give Madrid many options in terms of whereone and, as I go, keep adding to it. Most people don't have $1 million, not the small people. It seems like they're trying to eliminate the small people."

It's certainly a struggle for the small operators. Jamie Lowell was once the majority stakeholder in Third Coast Compassion Center in Ypsilanti. It was the first licensed facility to open its doors in the state, which gives the place some bragging rights. However, the struggle to stay open in a hostile state legal environment over the years has led to new developments — one of them being that things have evolved to where Lowell has only a minority stake in Third Coast of Ypsilanti. But at least he's still in the game. A lot of people who tried to be