Liverpool 3 - Tottenham Hotspur 1

Premiership Match report

Tottenham were playing for a European place, Liverpool for pride and possibly to give the home fans a good sending off before the summer. At times the football from the reds was wonderfully flowing and to be fair Spurs offered little resistance in the early part of the game, considering they were still vying for a place in the newly formed Europa League. However one of the first chances came from Spurs as Ekotto struck a fierce shot at Reina, which was comfortably saved, but it gave Harry Redknapp’s men a small period of possession albeit with little to show for it. Torres then gave a display of his magic, receiving the ball virtually at the half way line he ran at the spurs side turning Jenas and Corluka, with such explosive pace, that one may have suspected he had a secret turbo charger hidden in his boots. Leaving both Spurs players looking like statues he screamed forward, unfortunately Jenas determined not to be shown up, regained ground and did enough to put Torres off and his scuffed shot was easily saved. The breakthrough came after a poor clearance by Ekotto on the edge of the Spurs penalty area, which Gerrard received and passed to Kuyt who was making a blistering run down the right wing. His perfect cross into the danger zone was met by Fernando Torres who despite being surrounded by three Tottenham players easily headed the ball past goal keeper Gomes. It hit the underside of the cross bar and in. It was his fiftieth goal for the Reds, achieving the landmark quicker then Dalglish, Rush, Aldridge, Fowler or Owen. It’s difficult not to imagine how the season would have turned out had a fit Torres been terrorising defences in every game. The goal seemed to begin the festivities with the fans, and they sang through the greatest hits: Torres, Rafa, Alonso, even Dalglish. But the biggest reception was for their soon to be departing Anfield legend: Sami Hyypia, playing his final match for the Reds.

Just before the end of the half, Spurs had their first real chance as Defoe clear on goal, left the Red backline and hoping for a flag, but offside he wasn’t. Pepe Reina ran to meet the pacey striker and must have looked like the towering ape goliath: Kong to the diminutive forward, whose attempt at a chip/shot was easily saved. The ease of how he beat the offside trap, should have set off the alarm bells, but it didn’t. Robbie Keane would profit from this later. The first half almost over gave Benayoun one last chance, but his fizzing shot didn’t dip enough to hit the target.

Liverpool have not lost a game at Anfield when they have scored first, during Benitez entire reign as manager and the statistic bode well for an attacking Liverpool. The second goal almost came as Gerrard made a surging run down the left wing flicking the ball towards Torres, but it was deflected out for a corner. Then Alonso tried two of his long range specials in quick succession, the second almost catching Gomes unawares. Through all this Tottenham almost had a breakthrough after a series of sloppy tackles gave them a free kick on the edge of the D. Bales kick was decent enough to beat the wall and Reina saved after initially spilling the shot. Liverpool now surged forward determined to score a second goal and it came after clever interplay between Gerrard, who passed to Benayoun who laid off towards Kuyt, whose shot was deflected off Hutton into the open net. It was almost three when Gerrard receiving the ball from midfield shot at goal but the angle was too acute. His shot passed Gomes, but hit the post. As the crowd demanded ‘Justice for the 96’, Gerrard almost came close again as his shot seared over the top of the goal. Then it became like goal practice as Riera’s shot scorched the post.

As the crowd persisted for Sami Hyypia to be introduced with chants of “Sami on!”, Robbie Keane found himself in acres of space and the Anfield back line wanting. The defenders looked for a flag that would never come and Keane shot the ball past Reina into the net. Keane’s goal signaled the end of Pepe Reina’s pursuit of the Golden Gloves for the fourth year running. Much to his credit, the Irish Striker, once a boy hood Liverpool fan, did not celebrate his strike. It was a gesture that brought appreciative applause from the Anfield crowd. Tottenham’s hopes that this would spark a comeback were short lived, when a defencive mix up left Gerrard with the ball who stabbed it through to a surging Benayoun. The Israeli slotted the ball low past Gomes’s right. The keeper got a little touch, but it wasn’t enough and the ball rolled into the net. It was almost four as Gerrard took a stinging free kick from 30 yards out which fizzed past the post. It was to be his last touch of the game, for an Anfield legend was about to make his final appearance. It brought the biggest reception from the Anfield crowd as the towering Finn came onto the pitch. The Hollywood ending almost came as he met an Aurelio corner, but his goal bound header was cleared by Gomes who sprawled the shot out of danger. It was the final chance of the game and a fitting end to Liverpool’s campaign and Sami Hyypia’s ten years service. Although no trophy was won, this season has brought a number of positives. It was Liverpool’s first unbeaten home programme for 21 years, with the team loosing only two matches away from home. Their 86 points tally is their highest in the Premier League, likewise their total of away wins is their highest in the Premier League and in March 2009, Reina then went on to become the quickest goalkeeper in Liverpool history to keep 100 clean sheets in all competitions. One feels that we are only a few short steps away from the biggest prize of all.

Match time and date: KO 16:00. 25 May 2009

Goals: Liverpool: Torres 31, Hutton 64 og, Benayoun 81. Tottenham Hotspur: Keane 77

Yellow cards: Tottenham Corluka.Referee: P Walton

Attendance: 43,937

Liverpool: (4-2-3-1): Reina; Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio; Alonso, Mascherano; Kuyt (Riera, 65), Gerrard (Hyypia, 86), Benayoun; Torres (Ngog, 78). Substitutes not used: Cavalieri (gk), Lucas, Insua, Degan.

Tottenham Hotspur: (4-1-3-2): Gomes; Hutton, Corluka, King, Assou-Ekotto; Zokora; Modric, Jenas (Bentley, 39), Bale (Bent, 78); Defoe (Pavlyuchenko, 69), Keane. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Gunter, Campbell, Chimbonda.

West Bromwich Albion 0 Liverpool 2

Here’s another great match report from The Main (Stand) Man. Alas he will not be reporting the Spurs game next week because he will be enjoying a much earned holiday!

Premiership Match report

So, in the aftermath of the result that everyone at Sky Sports had been hoping for, Liverpool travelled to the Hawthorns to face a team desperate to get at least a point to keep themselves in the hunt for survival. Rafa’s non-committal response when asked prior to the match whether he thought Manchester United had been the better team throughout the season was accompanied by a wry smile which could be roughly translated as “they haven’t won it, we’ve lost it”.

Choosing a strong side, although still without Alonso, Riera and Skrtel in the starting line-up, the intention was clear from the outset. Starts for Daniel Agger, Lucas Leiva and Emiliano Insua were accompanied by the news that Torres and Gerrard would continue their strong recent partnership.

The atmosphere within the ground reflected the importance of the result to both sides, with Liverpool looking for their highest Premier League tally since the competitions inception.

West Brom came out of the traps fast, forcing corners in the first five minutes. From the first of these, a flick on at the near post found its way to an unmarked Greening at the back. His first effort was superbly saved by Reina on the goal-line, and the Liverpool keeper rose quickly to again block Greening’s second effort. The pressure continued with a series of crosses in the first ten minutes that caused Reina and the Liverpool back line some concern.

Liverpool soon began to exert some influence over proceedings however, using the full width of the pitch without really penetrating. West Brom continued to be dangerous, however, playing the style of fluent football that has at least won them some friends amongst the neutrals this season. All of this, though, brought about no real opportunities for either side until the 23rd minute, when Kuyt was fouled by Greening high up the right flank. Gerrard’s curled cross wasn’t cleared by the Baggies defence and could have gone anywhere, but when the ball broke for Torres beyond the far post, the angle was too tight for any kind of decisive attempt on goal. Greening was then booked for a two-footed lunge on Lucas, which in all honesty could quite easily have resulted in red had the West Bromwich man not got anything on the ball.

In the 28th minute, however, the reds were able to force a breakthrough, and it was our newly crowned Football Writer’s Player of the Year who harried a mistake out of Martis in the West Bromwich defence. Stealing the ball from the off-balance defender, Gerrard ran clear on goal and had the presence of mind to lift the ball delicately over the oncoming Dean Kiely.

Again, though, the following ten minutes followed the game’s overall pattern, with both looking to create without really penetrating. The best effort came with 4 minutes left before the break, Torres rose well to flick on from Insua’s cross, forcing Kiely into a one-handed push over the bar. When Torres was cynically blocked by Olsson moments later, the defender was given a yellow card. From the resulting free-kick, Gerrard nudged the ball to Agger whose shot was well saved by Kiely, and Benayoun was given offside as he attempted to reach the rebound.

The half time whistle resounded with West Bromwich fans unhappy with some of the refereeing decision which they perceived to have gone against them unfairly. The officials had, however, been correct in most of their decisions, and in fact Liverpool could have been awarded a penalty when Olsson barged Steven Gerrard off the ball in the area.

The second half began much as the first had, with both sides looking to go forward but the defences coming out on top. With just a few minutes gone, though, Liverpool were forced into a change when Mascherano was injured when stretching to take the ball off Menzegues, but with a ready made replacement in Alonso on the bench, Liverpool’s system was unaffected by the change.

With Torres beginning to look more dangerous as the West Bromwich defence began to afford him more and more time on the ball, it began to look as though Liverpool would get the second to put another nail in the relegation coffin for the home side. Tony Mowbray’s team, though, did continue to try and force an equalizer but without an end product, an issue symptomatic of their return to the top flight this season. Having carved open the Liverpool defence on the hour mark, Menzegues slid the ball into the path of Fortune only for Lucas, who had played them onside, to get across with a last ditch tackle to put the striker off.

Just three minutes later and the game was effectively killed off, along with the Albion supporters hopes off having something to play for on the last day of the season. An incisive ball from Gerrard found Kuyt in yards of space in the middle of the opposition half. Choosing not to feed the ball to Fernando Torres, Kuyt instead took the ball forward himself and drilled an unstoppable shot low to Kiely’s left.

Lucas Leiva could have extended the lead further just a minute later, when he went round two challenges but could only stab the ball just wide of the post. Mowbray’s response was to bring Luke Moore on to provide new attacking options, and Ryan Babel replaced an unhappy looking Torres at the same time. Yossi Benayoun was then substituted, with David Ngog coming on to try and convince Rafa Benitez further of his potential.

The Baggies continued to advance in search of a lifeline, and following some untidy defending by Liverpool, Moore was able to bring the ball down in the box and his shot on the turn rebounded off the foot of the post. Shortly after, Fortune missed an open goal with a header from three yards and then found space at the back post from another cross. Carragher and Arbeloa managed to snuff out the danger but the pair responded with a heated exchange of words which their Liverpool team-mates had to defuse. Again the home side came forward, and a deflection from Koren’s shot fell kindly to Fortune behind the Liverpool line. His first time shot rifled into the back of the net, only for the forward to turn and see the linesman’s flag ruling out his effort.

Liverpool’s next attempt came following a neat step-over by Alonso from Dirk Kuyt’s centre. The ball fell to Babel at the far post, and the Dutchman really should have done better but fired his effort wide of the post with only the keeper to beat. Kiely then had to beat away a Kuyt effort as West Brom began to abandon their defensive responsibilities given their situation. A succession of corners failed to produce a lifeline, though, and Liverpool continued to look dangerous on the break.

As the clock ran down, the Albion fans chanted in support of both their team and their manager, despite the certainty of relegation now facing them. The full time whistle went to confirm their fate, and Liverpool moved past their previous highest points total with a game to spare. Hopefully they can complete the job against Spurs next week and confirm the second place finish.

Match time and date: KO 13:30. 17 May 2009

Goals: Gerrard 28, Kuyt 63.

Yellow cards: West Brom: Greening ,Olsson

Referee: M Atkinson

Attendance: 26138

West Bromwich Albion: Kiely, Zuiverloon, Martis (Borja Valero,56 ), Olsson,Donk, Brunt, Mulumbu (Moore, 68 ), Greening, Koren, Menseguez, Fortune. Subs not used: Carson, Filipe Teixeira, Meite, Simpson, Wood

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Agger, Carragher, Insua, Lucas, Mascherano, (Alonso,51 ),Kuyt, Gerrard, Benayoun (Ngog,73 ),Torres (Babel,68). Subs not used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Riera, Skrtel.

West Ham 0 – Liverpool 3

Once again we welcome the excellent match report from The Main (Stand) Man.

Premiership Match Report

An excellent performance that mirrored the scoreline from the previous week, and continued the superb goal-scoring form that, had it come a couple of months earlier, may have led to the title being headed up the East Lancs to Anfield.

The atmosphere at the ground reverberated around, with Liverpool’s travelling army keen to match the Hammers fans eager to urge their team towards Europe. It was not long, however, before the home fans were silenced by an excellent move that led to the first goal. With barely a minute on the clock, Torres found himself in yards of space just inside the opposition half. Spotting a run from Gerrard which left Lucas Neill rooted to the spot, Torres threaded an inch perfect ball through for the Liverpool skipper, leaving a relatively simple finish as he rounded Robert Green and slotted home comfortably.

This was to set the tone for the match, with Liverpool dominant throughout despite pockets of resistance from West Ham as they looked to get their passing game going. It was Liverpool, though, who scored the second as Gerrard saw his penalty saved but was able to capitalize on the rebound for simple tap in. The penalty came after Luis Boa Morte, disgruntled after not being awarded a just free-kick following a challenge by Javier Mascherano, followed Torres into the box and blatantly tugged his shirt. Torres was looking to latch onto a delightful chipped through ball from Yossi Benayoun, and given the extra cover arriving to stop Torres had he been allowed to continue, there was no need for Boa Morte’s transgression.

Shortly afterwards, David Di Michele should have got the home team back into the match following an awful error by Jamie Carragher. In his attempt to pass the ball back to Reina under pressure from the Italian, Carragher’s standing foot clipped the ball and knocked it to the side, allowing Di Michele to race through on goal. Upon arrival into the penalty box, however, he seemed unsure as to the best course of action and ended up stumbling over. Unbelievably, he then claimed that Reina had tripped him and turned round to appeal for a penalty from Alan Wiley, who promptly, and correctly, booked him for simulation.

Following the break, the match continued in much the same vein, with Liverpool providing the bulk of the attacking menace. Efforts from Kuyt, Torres and a lively Benayoun were unsuccessful, and it seemed a matter of time until the third goal came. However, it proved a long wait as Liverpool were unable to break down the Hammers defence again until 5 minutes from time. Following a West Ham corner, Gerrard won the ball half way inside his own half. After surging forward in typical style, he found Kuyt on the right wing in space, and his cross found Babel, a second half substitute for Torres. His header was well saved by Green but the rebound came straight back to him and he slammed past a stricken Green to complete the victory.

All in all, another satisfying victory for the Reds, who have proven to be a formidable force on the road this season. The lack of creativity at home during the awful spell following Christmas will ultimately prove to be our undoing this year, and Benitez needs to bring in players that can unlock opposition defences that come to Anfield simply to play for a point. This being said, the season should be seen as one of progression, and if two more wins come from our remaining games then 86 points is a respectable haul even if it does not return the title to its rightful home.

Match time and date: KO 17:30. 9 May 2009

Goals: Gerrard 2, 38, Babel 84.

Yellow cards: West Ham: Boa Morte, Kovac, Di Michele. Liverpool: Aurelio, Mascherano.

Referee: Alan Wiley

Attendance: 34,951

West Ham: Green, Neill, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Boa Morte (Payne 80), Noble, Kovac, Stanislas (Collison 59), Di Michele (Sears 70), Tristan.Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Lopez, Nsereko, Spector.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio (Insua 54), Benayoun (Dossena 82), Mascherano, Lucas, Gerrard, Kuyt, Torres (Babel 72).Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Ngog, Degen.

How the match has been reported in the papers:

The Telegraph: Liverpool back on top of Premier League

The Guardian: Steven Gerrard double gives Liverpool faint hope of title tilt

The Times: Steven Gerrard eases Liverpool back to the top

The Independent: Gerrard double keeps Liverpool in contention

Sky Sports News: Gerrard keeps up title tilt

Sunday Express: Gerrard’s red hot for Rafa

Daily Mail: Gerrard fights to finish but reds still need a miracle

Daily Mirror: Steven Gerrard puts Reds on the road back to top spot

Daily Star: Super Stevie double tops for Benitez

BBC Sport: West Ham 0-3 Liverpool

Liverpool Echo: West Ham 0 Liverpool FC 3 - final whistle match report

Thanks again Main (Stand) Man, we look forward to hearing more match reports!