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DEC 26 BOLTON (PREM) - HOME DAVE USHER
Liverpool: Chris Kirkland; Jon Otsemobor, Igor Biscan, Sami Hyypia, John Arne Riise; Danny Murphy, Didi Hamann, Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer (Anthony Le Tallec); Florent Sinama-Pongolle (E**** H*****), Harry Kewell (El Hadji Diouf):
SCORER(S) SAMI HYYPIA, FLORENT SINAMA-PONGOLLE, VLADIMIR SMICER
HALF TIME 1-0
VENUE ANFIELD
DATE FRI 26 DEC 2003
STAR MAN VLADIMIR SMICER
There was at last some festive cheer for under fire reds boss Gerard Houllier, as a hat-trick of headers from Hyypia, Sinama-Pongolle and Smicer helped the reds to a convincing win over Bolton at Anfield.
The visitors inability to defend crosses would prove to be their undoing, as their normally solid rearguard was found badly wanting against a Liverpool side who welcomed back Harry Kewell from injury and paired him in attack with the lively Sinama-Pongolle.
The reds needed a much improved performance from their last home display, and they got it. It wasn't vintage, but it was better, and they deserved the win. Things could have been different had floppy haired Spaniard Ivan Campo not missed a free header in front of the Kop when there was only one goal separating the sides, but he missed and Liverpool deserved the points.
Bolton went into this game in a great run of form, and had of course won at Anfield earlier in the month. But they were missing their best centre half in Bruno N'Gotty, and his absence would prove to be very significant.
It's not a coincidence that all three Liverpool goals were headers from crosses. Bolton had Simon Charlton playing centre half, and had no-one capable of picking up Hyypia from set-pieces.
The reds had gone close from a couple of corners early on, and it was not much of a shock that the opening goal came via that route. Hyypia had been the best player on the field in the opening half hour, and fully deserved his goal. It was a great goal too, as he rose to power home a right wing corner from Gerrard.
Sinama should have made it two, but his finish was disappointing after Smicer's wonderful through ball had sent him racing clear through the centre. The reds had been in control without ever really dominating, but Bolton were stung into action by the goal and should have equalised through Campo.
Liverpool had made a mess out of the several opportunities they'd had to clear the ball, and when eventually Gardner swung the ball onto the head of Campo a goal seemed certain. The chubby Spaniard made good contact on his header, directing the ball back the way it came and giving Kirkland no chance, but luckily for us the ball went wide.
It was a huge let off, and was probably the turning point of this game. Had Bolton equalised, the crowd would have become very edgy and the players confidence would have suffered. Campo's reaction when the ball sailed wide said it all. He knew he'd blown a great chance for his side to get something from this game.
The second half had barely started when Liverpool went two up, and effectively won the game in the process. Smicer led a counter attack and fed Riise on the left. The Norwegian's deflected cross found the head of Sinama, who buried it in style to claim his second Liverpool goal, and first at the Kop end.
The French teenager can look a bit raw at times, but he makes things happen and is difficult for defenders to deal with. He had another excellent game today.
That goal ended the game as a contest, as Bolton boss Sam Allardyce gave this one up and began looking to Wanderers' next game in a couple of days. Okocha, Djorkaeff and Campo were all brought off, with Pederson, Ba and some Greek bloke who's name I can't pronounce coming on in their place. That triple substitution was not designed to get them back into this game though, it was clearly a case of resting star players for their next match.
Bolton had written this game off, and the opportunity was there for the reds to significantly boost their goal difference. Smicer added a third with a well placed header from Murphy's free-kick, and it looked like more would follow.
Sadly Houllier withdrew the effervescent Pongolle and the tiring Kewell, sending on the £21m duo of Diouf and H***** to replace them up front. I don't blame Houllier for doing that, as we have a game at Man City on Sunday so it made sense. But it did mean that the attacking threat posed by the reds was significantly reduced.
Bolton scored a consolation goal through Pederson, after more hesitancy in the reds' defence had allowed him two bites at the cherry. It was too late for the goal to prove costly, but it was sloppy and took some of the shine of the victory.
Overall it was a decent performance, no more no less. It was good to have Kewell back, although understandably he looked a bit rusty. Hyypia was excellent, Riise played well and Otsemobor was once again very assured in everything he did.
I went for Smicer as the star man, although it could easily have been Hyypia. But Vladi scored one, made one and was involved in almost every good move we put together. After what happened to him at the Southampton game, he bounced back well from it and deserved the warm ovation he got when he was replaced by Le Tallec late on.
This win gets the reds back on track, but it will mean nothing if they can't go to City this weekend and collect another three points. Houllier may feel that this win will ease the pressure on him, but it will take a lot more than this to win back the faith he's lost amongst large sections of the crowd. It's a start though.
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