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.

Suarez Seals Win Against Sunderland

Liverpool went in to today's game on the back of going out of the Europa League during the week but in the Premier League Liverpool where one of the top teams on recent form following their win against Man Utd. In terms of the line up Liverpool welcomed back Suarez who was cup tied for the Europa League and he started up front for the first time with Andy Carroll. Liverpool where still without the injured Gerrard, Kelly, Aurelio and Shelvey but Agger made his return after 4 week out. Sunderland had been having recent injury problems themselves but they had nearly a full squad to choose from as a number of players made returns to the squad after a period out.
Sunderland were the livelier of the teams in the opening 20 minutes, they were first to the second ball on many occasions as Liverpool took their time to get going but while they failed to conjure a threat in open play, Kenny Dalglish's men looked dangerous on set-pieces, especially with £35m giant striker Andy Carroll present up front. Liverpool had the best chances to take the lead with the former Newcastle man involved in a move with Suarez that resulted in a corner. Raul Meireles pinged the corner to the back post which the tall forward nodded back into the six-yard area for Dirk Kuyt. The Dutchman's shot was then well saved point-blank by Mignolet.
Sunderland then had to make two forced changes due to injuries and their luck got worse when Mensah's poor chest control allowed Spearing to steal before the Sunderland player brought him down. The referee pointed for a free-kick before changing his mind on the advice of his assistant on the touchline, much to the fury of Sunderland boss Steve Bruce. While the tackle started outside the box there was contact while Spearing was inside the area so it was clear to see what the linesman thought. Even with numerous replays in slow motion on the TV there was still debate about the decision but the officials only had one chance to see it and the decision had been made. Dirk Kuyt stepped up to place the ball to the left of Mignolet and give Liverpool the lead. Kuyt celebrated with Lucas who had another reason to celebrate this week due to the birth of his first son Pedro Lucas. The goal seemed to lift Liverpool and the reds came close to adding another when Luis Suarez's low half volley had to be palmed away by the Sunderland keeper.


Suarez celebrates his goal which sealed the game.

 The Uruguayan had better luck after the break, although his strike owed more to audacity than fortune. The midfielder was picked out by Kuyt's throw-in and after a one two with the Dutchman he then drove down the right and cut in along the goal line, bypassing a couple of defenders before thrashing the ball past the head of a crouching Mignolet from the tightest of angles for his second goal for Liverpool which no one can deny, had been coming. Sunderland had failed to trouble keeper Pepe Reina all game and Liverpool looked comfortable, but things got worse for Sunderland. They then lost Welbeck because of another injury and with the eight minutes of the match remaining, Sunderland's miserable day was compounded with the sending off of Mensah for pulling back Suarez who was through on goal. Liverpool have a slight worry as Suarez went off in the last few minutes holding his groin but with a break for internationals he should have time to recover.
Liverpool deserved the win and it lifts them to within 4 points of Spurs who are in the only Europa League place that will be available this year. While Liverpool can't be ruled out of grabbing that 5th spot I find myself thinking that it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if the reds didn't get in to Europe his season. While the prospect of playing in Europe is a great thing the amount of extra games and the interruption of the pre-season for qualifying games it brings with it have a negative effect on the league performance. I think a good rest over the summer a proper pre-season, less mid-week games and maybe a few new signings will allow Liverpool to really challenge for the league title next season.

Dirk Hatrick Defeats Mancs

Liverpool started the game as outsiders for even a point in the eyes of the bookies after a woeful defeat to West Ham last week but Manchester United also went in to the game after a defeat following their midweek loss to Chelsea. Kenny Dalglish made 2 changes to his team, both down the left, with Aurelio and Maxi coming in for Wilson and Kelly.
Liverpool Started the game the brighter as Kuyt and Suarez linked up well to create the first chance of the game after just 2 minutes and this seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game. Kuyt and Suarez formed a great partnership up front and this was helped by the excellent delivery from Gerrard, Lucas and Meireles in the midfield. United had their first chance as a shot from Berbatov found the outside of the post but that was it as far as they were concerned in the first half. Suarez then showed his class again as his easily got past Evra and ran down the right before a perfect cross to Meireles was headed towards Kuyt and the Dutchman was inches away from beating Van Der Sar in the United goal. Liverpool's movement and quick passing kept United on the back foot but when they did attack they couldn't find any way past Liverpool's back four. After only 23 minutes however, the very injury prone Fabio Aurelio was forced off with a hamstring injury and Liverpool had to rearrange their whole defence as Kyrgiakos came on Carragher moved to right back and Johnson went to the position he has been playing a lot recently at left back. It was no doubt a set back for Liverpool but they dealt extremely well with the change and managed to still keep the creativity going forwards.

Liverpool celebrate Kuyt's first goal.

On the 32nd minute Liverpool won a free kick which was deflected wide for a corner but from the resulting corner being cleared Lucas then Kuyt both won good headers and Kyrgiakos played a good ball into Suarez who once again showed his skill by turning past Rafael easily beating Carrick dribbling past Brown before putting the ball through Van Der Sar's legs and past Evra for Kuyt to tap in on the line to give Liverpool a very deserved lead. While Kuyt got the goal it was Suarez who made it with one of the best runs you will see and he made the United defence look like armatures. It wasn't long before Liverpool had doubled their lead as Kuyt got his second. Suarez was involved again as his cross towards Gerrard was met by Nani who headed it back across goal and into the danger area much to the delight of Kuyt who put a good header past his fellow countryman from just 5 yards out.
The next involvement for Nani was also one the Portuguese international will want to forget as a high tackle by Carragher caught him on the shin but in a style we have come to expect from Nani he rolled round a bit then jumped up to complain about it and hopped round after the ref, sparking a number of players to surround the ref, before another period of rolling round and complaining as he was then carried off on a stretcher. Rafael then went in high on Lucas who managed to jump over the tackle and another period of pushing and shoving from all players resulted in 2 more yellow cards and an unsavoury end to an otherwise great half of football.
In the second half it was Liverpool again who started the brighter as Gerrard had a shot blocked and a Suarez flick on allowed Meireles to nearly find his captain just a yard out but Van Der Sar intercepted the cross. Liverpool continued the good work and Kuyt won yet another header before then chasing the second ball winning it back and earning his side a free kick. Suarez kept up his involvement in all of the goals by taking the free kick and it was Kuyt's hard work and constant running that meant he was first to the ball once Van Der Sar spilled it and he got a very deserved hatrick. While it wasn't the most glamorous of hatricks and the total distance of all his goals wasn't much more than 7 yards I can't think of a more deserving player to get it. His constant work rate, desire and effort can't be faulted by anyone but he has come under a lot of criticism recently about his first touch and lack of skill. As a great admirer of Dirk I took great pleasure in reminding those few who had slated him of their comments and not surprisingly most had decided to keep quiet but for me his hatrick epitomised every part of his game. The hard work needed to get the goals was there again, the simplistic style of all the goals and the no nonsense finishing, all with his previously criticised first touch, was great to see.
The Liverpool fans then found time to sing a belated Happy Birthday to manager Kenny Dalglish who had turned 60 earlier in the week and the Liverpool manager couldn't have wished for a better present from his team. Another great positive for the Liverpool fans was that their most expensive player got the opportunity to make his debut coming on for the last 20 minutes. He nearly got on the score sheet with his first touch but it was a great game for him to get his first experience of playing in a Liverpool shirt.

Kuyt was the hero with a hatrick against Man Utd.

It was a much improved Liverpool performance and the sort that frustrates the Liverpool fans who know that their team can play like this but it's just the inconsistency against the smaller teams that frustrates them. United did manage to get a goal back to remove some of the gloss from an otherwise perfect day for Liverpool but it shows how much it affected the Liverpool fans by the fact that they didn't even drop a note in their singing when Hernandez scored in the 92nd minute. All in all it was a great day for Kuyt for Dalglish and for Liverpool. Suarez and Lucas deserve commendable mentions in fact the rest of the team also played brilliantly but there can only be one man of the match and that has to be Kuyt.

England 17-9 France

Both sides went in to the game with a 100% record in this seasons Six Nations but both knew that this wouldn't stay like this after the game. England took an early lead after winning the first line out and earning a penalty from a France scrum. Flood kicked it to give England a 3-0 lead after 4 minutes. France got straight back into the game as they won a penalty right under the posts after good work from France. England restored their 3 point lead after 12 minutes following a penalty for offside which was again kicked well by Flood and the same happened 5 minutes later as another offside allowed Flood to double England's lead. Just like after the first score France won themselves a penalty under the posts from the restart which Yachvili kicked again. After 21 minutes France won another penalty this time from an England scrum and this time Yachvili had his first test which he passed by kicking a 45 yard penalty to draw France level at 9-9.
The next 20 minutes of the half didn't bring any points but they did bring lots of good rugby with some silly mistakes from both sides meaning the the ball changed hands a lot and this made the game more entertaining. France probably had the better of it in terms of territory while England had the ball a bit more which again kept it even and made the game entertaining however numerous knock-ons due to a greasy ball meant that the game was a little bit disjointed. France had a chance to take the lead on the stroke of half time through a penalty however this time Yachvili's kick went just wide so the teams went in at half time at 9-9.

Foden celebrates the only try of the game.

The first chance of the second half came to England as Tom Palmer charged down a French kick and forced them back to their own try line where England won a scrum. From the resulting scrum England went right but when the ball came back left fullback Ben Foden went over in the corner for the games first try. Flood couldn't convert it but England now had a 5 point lead. Just moments later Flood and Youngs broke through and Ashton thought he'd gone on to score England's second try only for it to be pulled back for a forward pass in the build up but it was much better play from England.
Flood then got injured in a tackle that won England a penalty and his replacement was non other than Jonny Wilkinson who's first task was to slot a difficult 48 yard penalty to give England a 8 point lead. As England had done so much in the game they then gave away another penalty straight after scoring but Yachvili's kick rebounded off the upright and back in to play to keep England's 17-9 lead for the time being. France nearly got a try to get them back in the game just before the hour mark but a knock-on just on the try line prevented it and France yet again came away from a good attack with no points.
Mike Tindall then went over after good work from Wilkinson but the try was ruled out and a penalty was given to France as the ref judged that Tindall had been tackled and didn't release the ball. England then went back into the mistake riddled mood of the first half but to their relief so did France and as the clock ticked down England were happy to slow it down knowing that France needed to score twice. England saw out the game and won 17-9 to keep the hope of a Grand Slam alive but they know that the silly mistakes will have to be cut out if they are to keep up the run. For now at least it's 3 wins out of 3 for Martin Johnson's men.

Kuyt Goal Gets Reds Through

Following last weeks Stalemate in Prague Liverpool went in to the game knowing that any kind of win would send them through to the next round of the Europa League and a last 16 tie against either Lech Poznan or Braga. There was a few changes to the line up this week with Agger replacing Carragher, Poulsen coming in to the midfield, Joe Cole starting on the Left and Martin Kelly returning to the team at right back. With Gerrard still out injured and Carragher on the bench it meant that Reina was the captain for the night.
This week both sides tried to show more ambitition and desire to win however the game was still quite uneventfull but in comparison to the last match it was rather entertaining. Liverpool could have had a penalty early on when the ball his a Sparta player on the hand but the ref judged that it was unintentional and allowed play to go on. Liverpool then gave Sparta a number of chances following some poor defending and Reina saved two shots and watched another go over as the away team pressed for an away goal.

Kyrgiakos came close to giving the reds the lead just a few moments later as he got on the end of a Meireles corner but his good header toward the bottom left corner of the goal was well saved by Blazek in the Sparta goal. A very rare mistake from Pepe Reina nearly cost Liverpool a goal as he flapped at a cross from a free kick but Wilson was there at left back to head clear. Much of Liverpool's good play in the first half came down the right as Kelly looked to get forward all the time and Kuyt's work rate meant there was always support. Kelly found Meireles with a great cross but Liverpool's form player could only direct his shot over the bar. Kelly's next cross found Cole who for some reason headed it back where it came from instead of towards the goal. Cole had Liverpool's next chance as well when he cut in on his right foot but his shot was straight at Blazek who cleared the danger. Liverpool's best chance of the half then came when a 50 yard pass from Agger found Kuyt in behind the Sparta defense and he crossed in to Ngog who could only hit it straight at Blazek again. The rebound came out towards Cole but he pulled out as the Sparta keeper was approaching. Lucas then watched his long range shot fly just past the post before the teams went in still level at half time.

Kuyt scored the wining goal against Sparta Prague.

The second half started with a change for the reds as Carragher replaced Kelly at right back who had arguably been Liverpool's best player of the first half. Liverpool didn't threaten as much in the second half but also didn't come under as many threats from Sparta. Ngog missed a few more chances and Meireles saw a free kick hit the wall but it was a corner that provided the breakthrough. Kuyt pulled away from the keeper and directed a great little header in to the goal while running the opposite way. The Dutchman had been tireless throughout yet again and was deserving of his goal which meant the Kenny Dalglish now has a 100% home record in Europe. Cole had a late chance to seal the game but when he was played through one on one he allowed the defender to catch up then had to rush his shot which went wide.

Liverpool's attention now switches back to Premier League where they travel to Upton Park to face West Ham on Sunday. There was a few worries for Liverpool today as Kyrgiakos had to have stitches and Agger limped off but there should be cover available if needed for the trip to West Ham. Gerrard watched from the stands today but he will be hopefully ready to play some part and Andy Carroll is an outside chance for a place on the bench.

Stalemate in Prague

I haven't done a report on the last two Liverpool matches and this didn't really seem the best game to have done but I've done it now so...

Much of the pre-match build up had been about 16 year old Raheem Sterling who had earned himself a place in the squad after scoring 5 goals in Liverpool's 9-0 win in the F.A. Youth Cup. He will have gained vital experience from training with the first team and traveling to Prague with them but when the teams where announced it was clear it was just to be that as he wasn't even on the bench for them game. Kenny Dalglish made 3 changes to his Liverpool team that drew against Wigan. Suarez is ineligible in the Europa League as he has already played for Ajax in Europe this season. Ngog filled in up front and youngster Danny Wilson was given a chance at left back while Kyrgiakos replaced Skrtel in the centre of defence.
Liverpool started the game off by keeping the ball for all of the first 4 minutes, the home side only had 3 touches in this time in which Liverpool settled the nerves and made sure that everyone got a touch. Little happened going forward for the Reds (playing in White tonight) and the first real chance was for Sparta as Pepe Reina was forced into a good save down to his left. While Liverpool looked confident on the ball they really did lack the penetration going forward and always looked vulnerable to the counter attack.
Reina made another save and Kyrgiakos made a great block but still nothing going forward. Aurelio went off injured (again) after just 37minutes and Joe Cole came on and he instantly made an impact. His first touch set up Ngog but his shot was straight at the Sparta keeper. Cole then had another good run but this time there was no end product as Kuyt was dispossessed but at least they had created something. The next chance came from a corner as Ngog headed wide but Kuyt was just inches away from turning it on target which brought a rather uneventful half to an end.
The second half started the way the majority of the first had gone with not much really happening and the only real chance came when good work from Kuyt and Johnson resulted in a towards Ngog but the keeper beat him to the ball and that was as exciting as it got for the first 15 minutes of the half. Sparta then had a good chance as Kweuke beat Kyrgiakos to the ball and his header went just wide. The big Greek defender then made up for being beaten to the ball as he stopped a break when a couple of his team mates where out of position. Glen Johnson then saw a shot with the outside of his right foot go wide but then Liverpool again looked under pressure from a Sparta break.
Smoke from a flare then delayed the game for a few minutes but when it resumed it was only a brilliant save by Reina that denied Kweuke who was allowed to control the ball, turn and shoot from a corner kick. With no shots on target after 83 minutes the next thing that happened was a shock to most people. Ngog went off and Skrtel came on as Liverpool reverted to 3 at the back with Johnson and Wilson playing as wing backs. Johnson forced another corner but Liverpool's intent was clear after the substitution and the rest of the game was played out very much the same way as the previous 85 minutes of the game with not much of note happening. While the result isn't the worst as the reds will fancy their chances of winning at Anfield and progressing in the Europa League this season but to say that the overall game was poor is a huge understatement.
Danny Wilson played really well in an overall poor game but I think that Glen Johnson provided the only real creativity so he was my Man of the Match but if Liverpool want to win this tie then a much improved performance is needed in the home leg next week which may feature new signing Andy Carroll on the bench.

England Dominant as Flood and Ashton Shine.

England met Wales at the Millennium Stadium in the first game of the 2011 Six Nations and the passion and atmosphere was clearly on show straight form the start. Steven Jones took the first hit after less than a minute as both sides continued to show the passion from the national anthems but poor defending and silly mistakes gave away early penalties. Luckily for England Hook missed his penalty and a few minutes later Stephen Jones also missed.

Ashton celebrates extravagantly as he goes over for
England's first try.

When England did finally get some on the possession and made some good runs the final pass went wrong as Ashton and Foden had to try and get hold of poor passes. England then finally worked things the right way and Toby Flood found a huge gap in the Wales defence to set up Chris Ashton for the first score of the 2011 Six Nations and it was right under the posts so Flood easily converted to give England a 7-0 lead after 15 minutes. The scrum had been poor all game and the next score came from Wales conceding a penalty from the scrum which Flood easily converted to give England a 10 point lead. James Haskell then gave away yet another penalty after kicking the ball out the ruck and Jones didn't make the same mistake again as he got the first 3 points for Wales.

England then had a number of good runs with the ball and attack after attack was drawing them closer to the Wales try line but a turnover allowed a breakout to over the half way line and put themselves back under pressure. The home crowd roared and Wales mounted a charge on England who scrambled back in defense and it was only Deacon jumping over the ruck that stopped the attack. The foul resulted in a yellow card for the England number 4 and once the penalty was scored by Jones England had to try and survive for the next ten minutes a man down. England, as expected, tried to absorb the pressure and keep the ball. In an attempt to get the ball back Wales conceded a penalty and Flood restored England's 7 point lead. The next attack came from a great cross field kick which Stoddart got a hand to and the resultant scrum allowed England to run down the clock on the sin bin, without having conceded while a man down, and once they had seen out a final Welsh attack they got thought to half time 13-6 up.
The second half started much the same as the first with Wales having much of the ball and England giving away another penalty. It differed to the first half as Jones scored the kick to cut England's lead to just 4 points. England then started to build again and hands in the ruck by Mitchell resulted in a penalty and a yellow card and Flood hit another good kick to again restore England's 7 point lead. This time it was Wales who kept the ball patiently while a man down and they kept the ball for a long time despite a few loose passes and when they did lose the ball they kept England out but got lucky when a knock on just a few metres out meant they survived. A series of line outs then followed for England who kept the pressure on and when they finally got quick ball from the ruck the backs flew the ball through the hands out to the right for Ashton who got his second try of the game right in the corner. Flood hit yet another super kick to convert the try and gave England a 23-9 lead as Mitchell came back on.
Wales came straight back and they broke the England line, which wasn't straight, and Stoddart took a difficult pass and turned to get over the line to Wales hope. Jones converted well from a tight angle to cut the lead back to 7 points. A brutal few tackles from Wales resulted in three England players being left lying on the floor but they had a penalty for their troubles which Flood kicked to the corner. This was to be Flood's last contribution in which he had been the star man so far. His replacement was non other than Jonny Wilkinson who straight away put in three good tackles. Harpe then gave away another silly penalty and Wales reduced the lead further with Hook's kick but England where still 4 points up with 10 minutes to go.
England then had drive after drive stopped by Wales on their own try line as England wasted an opportunity to score vital points and Wales eventually got a penalty. England then got their own penalty and Wilkinson scored with ease to end ten consecutive points by Wales and restored a 7 point lead for the away team. England then held off Wales for the remaining few minutes and when Care kicked it to touch after the 80 mins England won the first game of the 2011 Six Nations 26-19 and now have three home games on the run and will be looking for a similar result in all of them with the toughest test looking likely to be against France.
Flood was man of the match after controlling the game kicking all of his kicks and setting up the first try and if he continues on this form then England will surely justify their tag as favourites for the overall win.

Super Suarez Stuns Stoke

Liverpool started the game with a number of changes the most notable of which was that Kyrgiakos came in to the centre of the defence which meant the Liverpool played three centre backs and stuck with Johnson at left back and Kelly at right back. Meireles was behind Kuyt up front and Gerrard Lucas and Aurelio completed the midfield. After a busy transfer deadline day Luis Suarez was on the bench and Andy Carroll greeted the crowd before the game but is still out for about another 3 weeks with a thigh strain.
The defensive formation wasn't expected by the Anfield faithful and for large periods of the first half it didn't look like it was working but the team worked hard together and as expected with five at the back they kept Stoke out as they too played a defensive game. Suarez then changed the game by heading out to warm up and this lifted the crowd and then a few quick fire headers firstly from Johnson and then from Kuyt followed. Begovic in the Stoke goal did well to stop them both and he also prevented Kuyt again as the Dutchman had a few more half chances in the first 45mins. 

The team celebrates after Meireles gave them the lead.



After the break Liverpool went straight back on to the attack and a good run from the back by Agger was stopped by former red Salif Diao and the following free kick lead to the first goal. Gerrard's cross/shot was deflected into the path of Kyrgiakos who calmly controlled the ball inside the area and touched it back to Meireles who lashed in his 3rd Liverpool goal in 4 games, much to the delight of the Liverpool fans. Another thing that was to the delight of the Liverpool fans was the sight of one of their new signings coming on and it didn't take Suarez long to make an impact. A Kuyt flick released Liverpool's new number seven on goal and Suarez rounded Begovic in the Stoke goal and rolled it goal wards for a 2-0 lead. Wilkinson got a boot to the striker's shot but he could only help it into the net off the post but it will be classed as a Suarez goal as it was on target and it's his first goal on a near perfect start for the £23million man. After the game manager Kenny Dalglish confirmed that Suarez hadn't even had a training session with the rest of the team but he had already shown some great links with Kuyt and Gerrard in particular and he always wanted the ball and kept moving. If this performance was any think to go by then Liverpool have got a very special talent and when Carroll recovers from injury there is the prospect of another great partnership.



Suarez celebrates after his debut goal.

The result kept the reds in 7th and made it three wins in three for Liverpool after the wins against Wolves away and against Fulham at home last week, and continued to show that they are on the way up. Next up for Liverpool is Chelsea away on Sunday in which all the players should be up for following a certain Spaniard's derogatory comments.





Suarez showed signs of real quality in his first game.



Deadline Day Drama

It's been a whirlwind few days for all Liverpool fans who have been following the transfer news and speculations but it all came to an end at 11pm on the 31st of January and no one could have predicted all the goings even just a month ago.

I'm going to start with the last deal to be concluded and that was Fernando Torres who moved to Chelsea for a figure believed to be £50million. Just 3 weeks ago Torres spoke publicly of his desire to play for Liverpool and that his passion for the club was the same as it was the day he came here. By handing in a transfer request with 3 days to go in the transfer window it either means that he always had no passion for Liverpool or he told us a pack of lies. He also spoke publicly in the summer of how Liverpool needed investment and how they needed to draw in big players. I think every Liverpool fan will agree that what he said that time was true but the surprise then is that just hours after Liverpool had a £23million bid for Suarez accepted by Ajax the transfer request came in.

If Torres had left during the summer I would have had no problem with it. The manager who had signed him and helped him settle in had been sacked, the owners were drawing money out of the club and sending it into a spiral of decline and other big players where leaving too. Why stay at a club that was on the way down? The difference now is that we have new owners, investment coming into the club, big name players arriving and the biggest legend of the club is the manager. All the things that I said would be reasons for him to go had changed and Liverpool are now on their way back up. I really don't understand why he has chosen now as the time to betray the very faithful Liverpool fans who had stuck with him through the thick and the thin.

Yes he did very well for us but he was trusted and loved by so many. You can't break the trust like that and still expect to be loved. He said he wants to have a good future at a club so leaves a club with new owners and a club about to be on the up and he goes to the team with the oldest average age in the league?

He said in an interview straight after the move that "it is important when you have the support of the people in the club, and the support of the fans who always showed respect to me when I came to Stamford Bridge and at Anfield." I find this offensive as he has always had the support of the fans. Even when he was playing badly and missing easy chances he still had the best support of all the players in the whole of Europe if not the world and he still had his name chanted. At Atletico he was loved as the home grown talent, and here he was loved by every Liverpool fan. He'd made himself one of the most loved in history and that's quite a feat but Chelsea will sing his name maybe once and then that will be it until they get given a plastic Torres flag to wave. He wont know how loved he was here until he sees their pathetic support. If he'd gone to Barca or another foreign team I wouldn't mind because we wont have to play against him and if he'd gone and kept his mouth shut I wouldn't have minded as much but the fact that his first statement was that he always wanted to play for a big club and that he is slagging Liverpool off so soon after the deal just proves what he's really interested in and why Liverpool will move on without him. Yes he was a truly brilliant player but his form in the last 18 months has been really poor and Liverpool have made nearly £30 million profit on Torres thanks to that highly inflated price so I think we've got the much better end of the deal by getting so much for a player who wanted to leave and didn't care about the club.

Part of the £50 million that was coming in from the Torres deal was already agreed before Torres betrayed Liverpool. A£23million fee was agreed for Luis Suarez and the prospect of seeing the two playing alongside each other was something that was a very short lived dream. Suarez was the leading goal scorer in the Dutch league and had scored 111 goals in 159 games for Ajax as well as having 10 goals in 30 games for Uruguay. The striker is not adverse to controversy however as he has just finished a 7 game ban for biting a PSV player on the shoulder during a game and he broke Ghana hearts during the World Cup as he stopped the ball on the line with his hands in the last minute, got sent off and then was seen celebrating when the penalty was missed and his Uruguay team won the game after a shoot out.

Carroll meets Dalglish at Melwood after his record transfer.

The rest of the money Liverpool brought in was spent on a young English talent as 22 year old Andy Carroll became the British record signing when he moved from Newcastle to Liverpool for £35million. While every Liverpool fan agrees that the price is far too high this is the price of modern football and you have to pay extra for home grown players, you also pay more on the last day of a transfer window and more is needed to draw a player from his home town club and even more is needed to secure someone who is a proven scorer yet still so young and with so many years ahead of him. Carroll is another player who has caused a lot of controversy after punching his ex-girlfriend and having his car burnt he was ordered to live with Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan where he allegedly had a "drug fueled orgy". Carroll is still only young and I have no doubt that Kenny will take him under his wing and he will learn from the very best and mature at Liverpool.

Things look much more positive from the new owners however they still haven't spent much as the £58million spent on Suarez and Carroll has been balanced by the £57million coming in from the sale of Torres and Babel. Many Liverpool fans will be looking forward to seeing the duo of Lou and Andy up front and it has the prospect of being the next Toshack and Keegan however we will have to wait a little longer yet as Carroll is still recovering from a thigh injury. Liverpool's next game is against Stoke at home but the game after that is Chelsea away and if the team needs any motivation they just need to look at the comments made by Torres and that should give them enough of a team talk and allow them to go out fired up and ready to show him what he's missing.

Determined Reds Grind Out Win

Liverpool prepare to attack from a corner in the second
half of a scrappy game against Fulham.

Liverpool started the game in 11th place after Saturdays 3-0 win over Wolves. For tonight's rearranged game against Fulham the reds welcomed back their captain Steven Gerrard following his three match suspension as he looked to complete his first full game under Kenny Dalglish's leadership. After the formation had worked so well last game there were many calls for the same again and the majority of the team played in the same positions with Gerrard replacing the injured Lucas in the centre on midfield. As the old saying goes if it ain't broke don't fix it. Rafa and Roy were both guilty of doing this and some of these needless changes contributed for them both leaving but it is important to have fresh players and the fresh legs of Gerrard in the middle looked to have made a difference in the early stages.

Liverpool looked to pepper the Fulham goal in the first half but a very well organised Fulham team kept lots of men behind the ball at all times and forced Liverpool to shoot from range. When the reds did get past the Fulham defense they still couldn't get past Stockdale in the Fulham goal. Gerrard had a shot saved and Stockdale also got a strong hand to a Meireles header to push it round the post. Torres then beat Stockdale but had his goal ruled out for offside which was clearly onside and the result was a number of chants from the Liverpool fans relating to the recent sexism scandal at Sky Sports. They sang "if you'd rather have a woman clap your hands" at the official. Glen Johnson was next to have a go when he cut inside from his now familiar left back position and got to the edge of the box before hitting a curling shot towards the top corner only for Stockdale to push it over the bar. Fulham then had their first chance when Andy Johnson beat Skrtel too easily and found Dembele in the box but his shot was straight at Pepe Reina who gathered the ball and started a counter attack.

In the second half Liverpool continued to press for a goal and Kuyt's hard work won the ball back for Torres who's right footed shot was deflected onto the post off Hangeland and the rebound came back off Pantsil who sliced a clearance before Stockdale fumbled it over the line and gave Liverpool a lucky but deserved lead. In a game in which the defences had had the better of it, Liverpool then took their turn to do a bit of defending and by allowing Fulham to attack they let them grow in confidence and this put the reds under more and more pressure. Reina was called into action to make a great save from point blank range from Dembele and Hangeland had a late header cleared off the line by Raul Meireles and Liverpool clung on to a hard fought win and a much needed 3 points which lifts them up to 7th in the table.

While the performance may not have been the best the result was the right one from a Liverpool point of view and back to back wins have been a rarity this season. A gritty display and some determination got the result and they need to remember that and try to replicate it next time they aren't playing as well rather than, as they have done many times this season, letting their heads go down. Next up for Liverpool is Stoke at home next Wednesday night where they will be looking to make it three in a row.

Sexist Slur from Sky Sports Presenters

Sian Massey did a great job in
her first Premier League game
but is the subject of a sexist slur.

Saturday saw a good game of football between Liverpool and Wolves with the reds winning 3-0. The game will be remembered for a great volley by Raul Meireles and a brace by Fernando Torres, the second of which came after a 30 pass move. Another reason the game should have been remembered was the introduction of only the second female assistant involved in a Premier League game. Sian Massey was the subject of much speculation and it must be said that everyone was wary of what could have been a major talking point had she made a mistake. This only built the pressure on the assistant and when it's hard enough to officiate your first game in the Premier League in the first place she did a good job. Yes I was amongst the very large majority who held their breath when Meireles ran through on goal before setting up Torres' first goal, but the official did her job and got the tight decision spot on, something that many of her male counterparts could do well to replicate. The assistant had a good game and like all good officials she was hardly noticeable and no mistakes were made despite the pre-match attention.
Since the game has finished it has come to light that two big Sky Sports presenters had a bit too much to say on the issue. Richard Keys and Andy Gray had a conversation recorded before the game that went like this:

Keys: “Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her.”
Gray: “Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women don’t know the offside rule.”
Keys: “’Course they don’t. I can guarantee you there will be a big one today. Kenny [Dalglish] will go potty. This is not the first time, is it? Didn’t we have one before?”
Keys: “The game’s gone mad. Did you hear charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Do me a favour love.”

Keys and Gray's sexist slur shows their views and will is may have been common to think like this many years ago time have changed and it is completely unacceptable, disrespectful and arrogant. I'd like to see Andy Gray or Richard Keys running the line in a premier league game and see how they get on. With over 20 years of Sky Sports experience, the fact that Richard Keys and Andy Gray are two of Sky Sports flagship presenters has to mean that they will always be watched/listened too but I'm not saying that if they weren't caught it would have been OK. The people defending them are saying that they didn't know that they where being recorded but the fact remains they still said those things and that appears to be their opinion. There is still yet to be an apology from either man apart from the now formality of a pre-fabricated Sky template apology stating how both men regret what happened. Sky have banned them from the show they made famous in Monday Night Football but I should hope that a longer ban in put in place and a proper apology is forthcoming however I'm glad that their reputations will forever remain tarnished.
Check out the recording here:

Huge Improvements as Kenny Gets First Win

Liverpool started the game with Kenny Dalglish making one change to the team that drew at home in the Merseyside derby. Christian Poulsen came in to replace Jay Spearing who was moved onto the bench. The Reds lined up with Kelly at right back Skrtel and Agger in the middle and Johnson (with his new hair cut) still at left back. Maxi was on the left of midfield, Lucas and Poulsen provided the holding roles and Kuyt was on the right leaving Meireles to play the free role in between the midfield and the lone striker of Fernando Torres. Pepe Reina retained the captaincy as Gerrard served his last game of his suspension.

The reds were determined to inflict revenge on Wolves who had beaten them at Anfield less than a month ago and Liverpool started as much the better side. The movement and passing lead to a flowing game that was periodically interrupted by the referee who seemed inclined to penalise every little thing and almost everything a Liverpool player did. The pitch wasn't the best and the ball seemed to stick on the muddy looking surface and that was just another thing that the Liverpool team had to overcome as it restricted their play however it was the same pitch for both sides. Poulsen had the first chance as Lucas set him up but his shot was blocked by Berra. Torres then had a chance as Meireles played him in and a great first touch brought it past Stearman and his low left footed shot was saved by Hennessey in the Wolves goal and the reds were unlucky that the ball bounced away from Kuyt and Maxi who chased in. While the reds looked creative with Lucas and Meireles dominating in midfield the shaky defence still seemed to be a problem. Skrtel made a number of strange clearances as he looked to be watching the players not the ball. The rest of the Liverpool defence also managed to give away a number of needless free kicks and kept themselves under pressure.

Liverpool had only won one away game so far this season and it was clear that this had to change. The main difference that could be seen today was that the passion and desire to win was there. When Liverpool have the desire and the work rate is there they can beat any team and Torres epitomised this ethic in a number of scuffles with Stearman. The reds then took the lead after 36 minutes when Poulsen played in Meireles and the Portuguese international showed his composure to roll it across to the unmarked Torres who couldn't miss from 10 yards out. Torres celebrated by picking the ball up and placing at Stearman's feet after the Wolves centre back had kicked and pulled at him all game. The Wolves defence appealed to the female assistant who was running the line but the replay showed that she had got the decision correct. The reds continued to dominate the game and went in to the break 1-0 up but had to rely on Pepe Reina as he blocked Milijas' shot from 6 yards out.

Meireles hit a superb volley for Liverpool's second goal.

Liverpool started the second half in the same form as the first and Meireles hit a superb first time volley from 25 yards out following Kuyt's knock back. The shot dropped sweetly onto his right foot and the ball flew into the top corner dipping as it went past a helpless Hennessey. This was the first time under Kenny Dalglish that the reds had got themselves a two goal lead and they then seemed to settle for the two goals as the drifted further and further back towards their own goal and looked to counter attack and catch Wolves on the break. Kuyt had a stretching attempt to poke it past the Wolves keeper, Maxi had a good attempt saved and Shelvey came on and nearly scored with his first touch but Wolves had more of the possession in the second half. Adam Hamill the former Liverpool youth team player, then also had a good chance on his first game for Wolves but miss-hit his shot.

When Liverpool did get the ball they made the most of it and in the last few minutes they kept the ball and put together a 30 pass move which culminated in Kuyt running into the box and cutting back inside and getting a bit of luck that they deserved when he got it past Stearman and rolled straight to Torres who smashed it into the roof of the net for his second.

The much improved performance lifts the reds up a few places and my man of the match was Raul Meireles who set up the first scored the second and play his best game for the reds. If Liverpool are really going to turn it round then more performances like today are certainly needed and this can start on Wednesday against Fulham.

Points Shared in Mersey Derby

 

Kuyt celebrates his goal which turned out to be the equaliser.

King Kenny returned to his throne at Anfield for the first time in 20 years in his new reign as Liverpool manager for the derby game. The atmosphere reflected this and for once there was optimism around the ground. The Liverpool team had two changes in it from the team that lost away to Blackpool, Maxi came in to replace Jovanovic and the most surprising change was that Jay Spearing came in to the middle in place of Poulsen. This meant that Kelly kept his place at right back and Johnson remained at left back. While Liverpool were still without Gerrard and Carragher (the first time they both hadn't played in a derby for nine years) but Everton also started without key players as Pienaar who was busy agreeing a move to Chelsea, Saha and Jagielka where injured and Cahill is still away with Australia.

Liverpool started the game as clearly the better side as they forced a number of saves from Howard the first of these after just 15 seconds, while looking quite creative at the same time. Everton on the other hand looked like they where going to try and defend the 0-0 for most if the first half and their only attacking play came from long balls from the back. Torres had the first real chance as Kuyt played him in and he beat Baines and Distin before curling a shot into the far post only for it to hit the post and unluckily bounce away from goal however the hard working Kuyt was chasing in and managed to get a touch but it deflected off Neville and over his own bar for a corner.
The reds where then deservedly in front after 28 minutes minutes though as Howard denied Kuyt twice when the dutch man first got a good header towards the bottom corner before he then hit a low shot from a tight angle and the rebound came back to Meireles who controlled it nicely before lashing it into the back of the net from the edge of the area for his first goal for Liverpool. A number of chances followed as Torres, Kuyt then Maxi all missed and the reds looked comfortably in control of the game all half and the blues didn't threaten apart from when Liverpool's nervous defence looked to give them too many free kicks and corners. The linesman down the main stand side had a poor game and seemed to get every decision wrong while the ref, who over ruled his assistant a few times got most of the decisions right in the first half.

Miereles celebrates scoring his
first goal for the Liverpool.

After half time the reds had to make an enforced change as Agger was replaced by Kyrgiakos and this somehow seemed to change the momentum of the game. Following the blues being wrongly awarded a corner as the ball was played off a blue shirt. Arteta took the corner and Distin, who had previously been marked by Agger, beat Skrtel to the ball and he headed it past Reina in the Liverpool goal to put them level less than a minute after the break. Things them got worse for Liverpool as following yet another long ball forward Anichebe looked to have jumped with his elbow and took out Kelly before getting to the ball. While the Liverpool right back lay motionless on the floor the ref allowed play to go on and Osman passed to Beckford who curled his shot past Reina before the Liverpool defence could get close. In that 6 minutes of football after the break they had seemingly thrown away all that they had done in the first half and lost all confidence and desire in the process. This handed Everton the upper hand for the first time in the game and Liverpool went back to their old selves again. They panicked when the opposition came forward and lacked confidence in their own ability when they had the ball themselves.

After not showing as much in the second half Liverpool managed to create another opportunity and when Howard brought Maxi down the reds where awarded a penalty. Everton may complain that Maxi was heading away from goal but it was still a clear foul inside the area and Dirk Kuyt stepped up to take it and slotted it into the bottom left hand corner for his 5th goal against Everton. Liverpool then looked to have regained some confidence but Everton were content with wasting all the time they could and settling for a draw. The reds then had other chances when Maxi was ruled offside and Torres had a shot charged down and the game ended in a draw.

While the blues celebrated the draw like they'd won the league the reds can take more positives from the game as they played much better, created many more chances and had more of the ball. This may not have been the result that they wanted but it's certainly a step in the right direction as the two teams both remained level on points. Dirk Kuyt was my man of the match for his constant hard work, his assist for the first goal and his calm and composed finish from the spot.

Next up for Everton is at home to West Ham and Liverpool are away to Wolves whom they lost to at home last month.