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2011 in Sport.

2011 in Sport.
With the the year now over it now seems like an appropriate time to look back at all the biggest and best sporting events of 2011.


The Ashes
Strictly speaking most of the Ashes series in Australia was in 2010 however England clinched a 3-1 win with the last test starting in January of 2011. It was the first time in 24 years that England had retained the Ashes and it was also the first time ever that a touring side has won three Tests all by an innings during a single series. Alastair Cook was named Man of the Series after scoring 766 runs for England. England then went on to defeat Sri Lanka before whitewashing the number one test side, India, 4-0 which meant they took over the number one spot making 2011 a very successful year for them.


Superbowl
The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in front of over 100,000 people at the Cowboys stadium in Texas. The Packers took an early lead and didn't look back as they won convincingly 31-25. The Green Bay Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was voted the MVP after he passed 304 yards in the game including 3 touch downs.


6 Nations Rugby
England won the tournament but a valiant display by Ireland prevented the Grand Slam. England got off to a winning start beating a good Welsh team in Wales and continued on good form to beat Italy and Scotland but their biggest test came when they played France. In what turned out to be a great game England beat France, many peoples favorites for the tournament alongside England, which left them with just Ireland to beat in order to win the Grand Slam. Ireland had nothing left to play for (except pride) while England went in to the game knowing they had already won the 6 Nations Title however a blistering performance from Ireland meant that there would be no Grand Slam for England as they beat the Champions 28-9.


Football - FA Cup 
Manchester City beat Stoke City as the Sheikh owners started to see their first returns on their rather large investment. The game finished 1-0 to City, Manchester that is not Stoke, with Yaya Toure scoring the only goal of the game after 74 minutes. The 88,000 strong crowd was there in full voice especially as this was Stoke's first ever FA Cup Final and Manchester City hadn't won it since 1969. The ever controversial Mario Balotelli then swore live on ITV which was just another thing that made him stand out off the pitch.


Football - Champions League
Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1 in the final at Wembley in front of over 87,000 fans. Pedro, Messi and David Villa scored the Barca goals which meant they won it for a fourth time. They dominated the game and had over 65% of the possession, which is rare in a cup final, however this Barcelona team was a very rare thing indeed. Messi took most of the headlines, deservedly so, but when you looked at the entire team there was quality in every position and the way in which they played the game was something of a spectacle that could only be marveled at. 


Wimbledon
Petra Kvitova won the womens Championship beating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4. The Czech became the first left handed female to win the tournament since Martina Navratilova in 1990. This was also the first time all of the 8 quarter finalists had been from Europe since way back in 1913.
Meanwhile in the men's competition Novak Djokovic claimed his first Wimbledon title after defeating Rafa Nadal in the final and also took his Number 1 Ranking in the process. The Serbian triumphed 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 which meant that Nadal had lost for the first time in a Grand Slam Final since 2007. Djokovic celebrated in an unusual fashion by grabbing a few blades of grass from the hallowed Wimbledon Center Court and he then preceded to eat them just like he'd eaten up his Spanish opponent. Djokovic then continued to make 2011 his year in Tennis after he beat Nadal again in the US Open Final in what turned out to be one of the best Tennis matches of the year.


Tour De France
Often listed as one of the toughest races there is, this years race didn't disappoint. Cadel Evans won the main race clinching the yellow jersey from the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, and the leader for most of the race Thomas Voeckler. Meanwhile in the points race Mark Cavendish won the green jersey after having won 5 stages this year which also made him the first Brit to win a jersey since 1984 and took his career stage wins in the Tour de France tally to 20.


Rugby World Cup
New Zealand made the most of home advantage to deservedly win the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1987. They beat France in the inaugural RWC Final 24 years ago however this time, in a reenactment of this first final, the score line couldn't have been much any closer. The All Blacks won 8-7 with their fourth choice kicker Steven Donald kicking the winning points due to a number of injuries throughout the tournament. The Kiwi's had started out the tournament the best and had stayed the most consistent throughout so deserved the victory however Wales were controversially 'cheated' out of a place in the final due to the sending off of their captain in the semi final against France.
Meanwhile England made more headlines off the pitch than they did on it due to nights out which included Dwarf tossing and Jelly Wrestling and Mike Tindall, having just married into the royal family, was caught getting rather close with an ex. The headlines weren't restricted to just nights out as the players who needed to be in peak physical shape went bungee jumping and white water rafting before Manu Tuilagi (England's best player) was held by police after jumping off a ferry and swimming back to shore.


That concludes the round up of my Sporting Highlights of 2011. With the events in the next year including the London Olympics and Euro2012 as well as most of the ones mentioned above I'll be seeing you throughout the year for what looks to be one of the best Sporting Years ever.

Djokovic stuns Nadal in epic final.

Novak Djokovic became only the 6th man to ever win three of the four grand slam titles in the same year when he overcame Rafa Nadal in one of the best games of tennis this decade. The number 1 and 2 ranked players in the world justified their rankings right from the start as the big shots came from both men but they also coped admirably with the task of returning such good shots, which resulted in long rallies.

It was the defending champion Nadal who got the first break of the match to go 0-2 up and he looked confident, at that point, of defending his title. Djokovic however had other ideas and broke straight back. After the first two games the Serbian then won the next 6 games in a row, including 3 breaks, to take the first set 6-2 with some breathtaking shots leaving Nadal pondering what he could do to try and stop the onslaught.

Despite Nadal's best efforts Djokovic stretched his
winning run and claimed his first US Open title.

The second set started much the same as the first with Nadal taking the early break of serve but again the Spaniard was helpless to stop Djokovic breaking back. Nadal improved in the second set but was still left with the seemingly impossible task of working out how to beat the Serbian and Djokovic took another break off Nadal following a double fault, then served out for the set to take it 6-4.

Djokovic got the first break of serve in the third set in what was only the third game of the set and it really did look ominous for Nadal. Credit to the Spaniard that he fought back and forced Djokovic into a mistake and he broke straight back. Another 2 breaks followed with yet more brilliant rallies and both players giving everything. Djokovic looked tired the longer it went on and Nadal seemed to have raised his game because of this but this in turn made Djokovic dig even deeper. Nadal had break point to make it 3-5 when the magic moment of the game occurred, a 31 shot epic rally in which there was at least 10 shots that would have been winners in any other game but the returning from both players showed their never say die attitude. Djokovic hit the eventual winner with a backhand down the line then held his serve to take it to 4-4. Both players held serve again following some more brilliant shots before Djokovic broke Nadal again and was then serving for the match. Either the pressure got to him or he was tiring following the lengthy first few sets and he allowed Nadal to take it to a tie breaker. Nadal has a much better record in tie breaks and the fact that he'd just prolonged the match spared him on to a 7-3 win in the tie break.


After the first three sets taking over 3 and a half hours it was clear it was taking it's toll on the Serbian. During the change over Djokovic got the trainer on for treatment to his back and it looked like Nadal would be back in the ascendancy and take it to 5 sets. Djokovic fought hard to hold his first game then took a medical timeout for his back again which clearly worked for him. Having already had his second wind he then must have been onto his third wind when he broke Nadal then held his serve for a 3-0 lead in the fourth set. It was at this point that Nadal knew that he was beaten and while he tried his best not to show it, he could only win one game in the last set. The Spaniard still hit some great shots and made Djokovic work hard for the win but it seemed that whatever Nadal threw at him, he was always going to win his first US Open title.

Can anyone find a proven way to beat Djokovic who has lost only two of his 66 matches in 2011? Nadal, who was bidding to win his 11th Grand Slam title, has now lost all six of his meetings with Djokovic in 2011 but the Spaniard has vowed to come back fighting and if he does and the result is anywhere near as good as this match then we're in for a treat.

Rugby World Cup 2011 - New Zealand vs Tonga

After an awesome opening ceremony involving fireworks, a giant replica trophy and a mass Haka to mention just a few it was then time for the first game of the tournament. With the teams out on the pitch Tonga performed their version of the Haka, The Sipi Tau, first before the All Blacks did the Haka.
Back to the game and it was Tonga who kicked off but it was New Zealand who had the better of the opening encounters with the attacks coming down one flank then the other, the ease of which they could switch the ball all the way across the field looked ominous for Tonga and the result of the pressure was a lead for New Zealand when Dan Carter kicked an easy penalty. It didn't take long for New Zealand to increase their lead when after just 10 minutes Carter again started the move by feeding his centres and Sonny Bill Williams drove forward, the ball was then spread wide where the Tongans were outnumbered and it left full back Dagg to finish the first try of the 2011 World Cup. Surprisingly Carter missed the conversion so the lead stayed at 8-0. Morath then had the chance to cut the deficit but the Tongan kicker missed out when a difficult kick went just wide.
Another free flowing move from the All Blacks resulted in another try when a number of good passes and offloads in the tackle gave Kahui the chance to cross the line. This time Carter didn't miss the kick and it all looked too easy for the home team. They continued their dominance and had a try ruled out for crossing but the ease of which they cut through the Tongans was ominous.

Sonny Bill Williams stood out as the All Blacks got off
to a winning start against Tonga.

The New Zealand back line then showed their quality again as Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams combined with great offloads and Dagg was there again to go over in the corner to get his second and New Zealand's third try of the game. Carter then converted the hardest of his kicks so far to extend the lead. The next try was just as good from the All Blacks as long passes pulled the ball out to the right this time where Dagg got past one then drew in the tackle and offloaded superbly out the back of his hand to Kahui 30 metres out and the winger sprinted past two defenders to score his second of the game. Carter kicked again to take the lead to 29-0 coming up to half time. The Tongans did however get their first points of the World Cup with the last touch of the first half when Morath kicked a penalty following an error by New Zealand scrum half Cowan to take the score to 29-3.
The start of the second half started a lot tighter than the first but there was still lots to enjoy. Both sides seemed to make a lot more turnovers and a few uncharacteristic errors from the All Blacks meant that the Tongans gained in confidence and their defence did well in holding off wave after wave of All Black attacks until the knock on gifted them back the ball. New Zealand finaly thought they had broken the defence again when substitute scrum half Weepu dived in at the corner but the video replay showed a last ditch Tongan tackle forced him into touch.
The first try of the second half finally came for the All Blacks as Weepu fed Kahui who chipped over the defence and then chased to get on the end of it before flicking a pass inside to Kaino who scored next to the posts. Carter then missed the easiest of easy kicks but the lead still stood at 34-3. Tonga turned the ball over after a great tackle by Taumalolo on Carter and then held on to possession for the next 10 minutes getting closer and closer to the try line with New Zealand conceding a couple of penalties and disrupting a large number of scrums within the last 5m.When the scrums finally ended another series of drives resulted in a a well deserved try for Tonga when a pick an go saw Taumalolo, who had started the move, cross the line. The conversion was kicked and Tonga took the lead in the second half despite still losing 34-10. The try was only the second try Tonga have ever scored against New Zealand and also the first time they've got into double figures but it seemed to raise New Zealand again as another series of offloads and intricate passes created a gap that Nonu ran into and the centre ran in under the posts to seal the win.
While the final score was still emphatic at 41-10 Tonga will be happy with their second half performance and if New Zealand play like they did in the first half then it's hard to see anyone beating them.

New Zealand (29) 41

• Tries: Dagg 2, Kahui 2, Kaino, Nonu
 
• Cons: Carter 3, Slade
 
• Pens: Carter

Tonga (3) 10

• Try: Taumalolo
 
• Con: Morath
 
• Pen: Morath

Maxi Hat-trick Ends Birmingham Hoodoo

Liverpool went into the game against Birmingham on a run of draws in the league that stretches 7 games, knowing one more draw would have equalled the record  for the most consecutive draws in the Premier League. Following the last minute draw against Arsenal there was two changes for Liverpool with Robinson replacing Aurelio as he did at the Emirates and Maxi coming in to replace Carroll who has a knee problem.


It wasn't long before Liverpool took the lead as Spearing unleashed a shot from 25 yards which goalkeeper Ben Foster allowed to slip from his grasp to the onrushing Maxi Rodriguez, who slid the ball under the keeper who was just getting back to his feet. Liverpool doubled their lead on 23 minutes as Kuyt played in Suarez but the Uruguayan saw his attempt blocked by Foster who then collided with one of his defenders but the ball fell just behind Kuyt and the Dutchman turned well and placed the ball right in the corner to continue his great run of goals since Kenny took charge. Foster then had to go off after the collision however even with 2 keepers on Birmingham wouldn't have been able to do much to stop Liverpool's third. Suarez was played in down the right and the Birmingham defence tried to appeal for offside however it was in vain at the full back on the other side kept him on side. Suarez then delivered a perfect cross towards the back post for Maxi who volleyed home with ease. Birmingham hadn't offered much all game however their defence also looked shaky and this was proven when Maxi hit a tame shot but the ball was cleared straight back out to him and this time he made a much better effort of it and completed his hat trick in style. There was even time for Cole to come off the bench with 5 minutes to go and the first time he got the ball he cut inside and fired a low shot towards the goal that somehow crept through the keeper to give Liverpool a comfortable 5-0 win.


Liverpool's youngsters once again showed they have what it takes to play at the top level even though they weren't really tested by a lacklustre Birmingham side who aren't that far from the relegation places so should have had something to fight for. There was even time for Shelvey to step in at left back when Robinson went off and he played confidently even though out of position but this confidence will have come straight from Dalglish. The confidence all of the team has now is one of the main positives since Kenny took charge and the feeling that on their day they can beat anyone allows them to play much better football and get much better results. There is also confidence off field as a new £25million a year contract has been agreed with Boston based sports manufactures Warrior which will hopefully finance a few new signings to allow Liverpool to challenge for the title next year.  


Back to this season and with Spurs only managing a draw against West Brom the gap to 5th and a Europa League place is now only 3 points away for Kenny Dalglish's men however the North London club still have a game in hand. The two clubs still have to play each other and Tottenham also have to play Man City and an on form Chelsea so Liverpool will feel they can definitely still make it to the Europa League place.
Next up for the reds is Newcastle at home on Sunday.

Late Penalty Show at The Emirates

Kenny Dalglish named an unchanged Liverpool side for the trip to Arsenal following a great win at home to Man City on Monday night. This meant that 18 year old John Flanagan retained his place at right back in a reds defence that was seriously weakened by injuries even before Sundays game. When the game started, Liverpool's seemingly never ending bad luck with injuries continued as an injury prone Aurelio limped off in the first half yet again, this time after just 17 minutes. This then opened the door for another of Liverpool's impressive youth as a 17 year old Jack Robinson came on. Robinson has already played once for the reds before, when he became the youngest ever Liverpool player at the end of last season in a game against already relegated Hull however after impressing in the reserves this season, he allowed Kenny to show once again that he has no problem in switching players between the two. Robinson and Flanagan both impressed again and didn't allow the talented Walcott, Nasri, Arshavin, Van Persie et al get the better of them and showed confidence and composure despite the lack of experience.
This confidence comes mainly from Dalglish picking them to step up to the first team but also from the motivation he gives them. This motivation was clear to see when Robinson was called to come on. It could be seen that Dalglish was joking and laughing with Robinson and little things like that can lift a lot of pressure and calm a lot of nerves for a youngster especially when he will have been expecting to spend the game on the bench. Another player who has really benefited from the confidence boost given by a run of games is Jay Spearing. The little midfield terrier had a great game against Arsenal and along with Lucas (who also had a great game) they didn't allow Fabregas and Wilshere any time on the ball and they easily stopped them taking any control of the game as they usually do. Fabregas and Wilshere who are regarded as two of the best midfielders in the league, have a habit of dominating games on their own but to the credit of Lucas and Spearing it was the Liverpool duo that dominated and this was very important to protect the makeshift defence behind them.

In terms of the first half Liverpool were clearly on the back foot and Arsenal had large periods of possession however the patched up defence held firm and only really looked like being penetrated from set-pieces. Liverpool were denied a good shout for a penalty when Spearing was brought down, Diaby headed just wide and Koscielny hit the bar but that was it as far as real chances came in the first half. The second half brought yet another defensive injury for Liverpool as Carragher was knocked out by a collision with Flanagan which resulted in a long delay. Again the way Dalglish handled the situation by calling the youngster over was admirable. Had he just been left standing and watching as his captain and mentor over the past 2 games received oxygen and was put on a spinal board, who knows what would have been going through his head knowing it was a collision with him that caused it. By calling him over and reassuring him that it couldn't be helped Dalglish proved his man management skills.
Liverpool's weakened defence got weaker however there was another worry at the other end as Carroll seemed to go over on his ankle and injure his knee at the same time. It wasn't that bad for the reds however as another youngster, Shelvey, came on. This seemed to have changed the mentality of Suarez who found more success up front with Kuyt. Suarez forced a good save from Szczesny however Van Persie also forced Reina into a even better save. The game continued and 8 minuted of added time were put up by the officials following Carra's injury. In the 97th minute Spearing tangled with Fabregas in the box and referee Mariner pointed to the spot. It was the only mistake Spearing had made all game but when Van Persie put it away well in the 98th minute it seemed over for Liverpool. Kuyt hit a shot straight from the kick off that nearly caught out Szczesny and also proved that Liverpool hadn't given up. They kept the fight going and Shelvey managed to force the ball to Lucas on the edge of the box. Song took a swipe at Lucas and he fell into the box causing claims for a penalty but Mariner made the right decision to award a free kick. Suarez took the kick and it hit the wall which had moved forward a good few yards. The ball bounced out wide towards Lucas and Eboue bundled him over which resulted in another penalty. Kuyt stepped up to take it and showed a lot of composure to slot it past Szczesny in the 102nd minute. While Spearing was well deserving of the man of the match award I would give it to Lucas who showed the same tenacious attitude and also won the free kick and penalty for the equaliser.

The draw was the right result and a fair result however it doesn't really help either team in their league positions. Kenny Dalglish then had a run in with Wenger after their thoughts differed about the penalty and the Scot told the Frenchman where to go. People may say that Liverpool have gifted the title to Man Utd however they only got 3 points from Liverpool this season while Arsenal got 2 points so only if the title is won by 1 point will I agree with that statement. Things definitely look good for Liverpool with the youth coming through however the injuries are a worry but there doesn't seem to be much to play for as the gap seems to big to bridge considering Spurs have 2 games in hand. One thing is certain however, if the never say die attitude from this game is anything to go by then 4th place wont be given up on.
Next up is Birmingham at home on Saturday.

Carroll Brace Stuns City

With not much to play for this season and a lot of injury problems Liverpool went into the game against Man City as clear underdogs. The big surprise before the game was the selection of John Flanagan with Kenny Dalglish picking the 18 year old picked for his first team debut in light of the number of defenders Liverpool had injured. Another surprise was in the City team as all of their first team where named despite talk of the manager resting them for the F.A. cup semi final this coming week. While the F.A. cup may be their best chance of a trophy this season they still have aspirations of getting into the Champions League next year so this was still a must win game for Mancini's men.

Liverpool started the game the brighter as after just 4 minutes Carroll knocked it down to Suarez who found Kuyt but the Dutchman's shot went over the bar. Just 2 minutes later Liverpool created another good chance as this time Carroll played a through ball which Suarez got on the end of and the Uruguayan was only denied by a great save from Joe Hart who pushed the ball on to the post. Liverpool did get a deserved break through after 12 minutes however, as a speculative shot from Meireles bounced back off Company and on to the left foot of Andy Carroll 25 yards out. The £35 million man then started to justify some of the price with a perfectly hit low shot which caught Hart off guard. Some raised questions about the keeper as the ball wasn't that far away from him however the power and pace of the shot and the speed of which the Liverpool number 9 decided to take the shot where easily enough to beat most keepers.
Liverpool continued to apply the pressure and didn't look to sit back on the lead and after 33 minutes a sustained onslaught on the City goal was rewarded with a second goal. Meireles had a shot blocked and the rebound came to Suarez whose shot deflected out to Kuyt. Kuyt put a cross in to the back post where Carroll headed it back and then Meireles and Spearing combined to set up Aurelio but again his shot was blocked. This time the ball rolled across the area 12 yards out and Dirk Kuyt allowed it across him, opening his body at the same time, before stroking a right footed shot into the bottom left corner. The amount of Liverpool players in the box and the desire of them all to be the first the ball was what made the goal and this typifies the spirit of Liverpool under Dalglish.
The second goal was always going to be vital as it took a bit of the pressure off but what came just 2 minutes later was a bonus as Meireles crossed towards Andy Carroll on the penalty spot and the big Geordie striker did what most  Liverpool fans would have expected him to do and he nodded the ball in to the far corner of the goal. If there was a type of goal that you'd expect Carroll to score then this was it however his first goal proved that there is more to his game than just heading the ball.
In terms of the rest of the game both sides seemed to have accepted the result however if there was to be another goal Liverpool always looked the most likely to get it. Suarez was a constant threat and created a number of chances on his own however he was overshadowed by his fellow strike partner for the man of the match. Flanagan was another contender for the award as he bullied Milner, Balotelli and Sliva out of the game and didn't show any signs of his inexperience but Kuyt also impressed and his work rate really helped out Flanagan at right back which is vital to help him settle in. Things definitely look good for Liverpool in terms of the Youth and Academy players that are coming up through the ranks and it only gives the other players in the Youth team confidence when they see the run of games that the likes of Spearing, Kelly, Shelvey and now Flanagan are getting in the first team.
While the result doesn't move Liverpool up in the table it closed the gap on 5th place Spurs however the North London club still have a game in hand. Next up for Liverpool is Arsenal away on Sunday were they will hope to correct that inconsistent away form.