Liverpool 1 Spurs 0 - Prem (Jan 14 2006)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL 1 Spurs 0

Report by Dave Usher at Anfield

Scorer(s) - Harry Kewell Half Time - 0-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Sat 14 Jan 2006 Star Man - Harry Kewell

 

 

 

 

They say good things come to those who wait. Well Liverpool fans have waited a hell of a long time for a goal from Harry Kewell at the Kop end. Just how long I don’t know, it’s one for the statto’s I suppose. We’re talking years rather than months though. When it finally came however, it was definitely one to remember.

It may prove to be as crucial as it was spectacular, as the mancs’ slip up earlier in the day gave the reds the opportunity to really apply some pressure to them ahead of next week’s clash at Old Trafford. At the moment second place has to be our target, but as long as we keep winning then Chelsea will have to keep looking over their shoulders. It ain’t over yet, but had we dropped two points here then an extremely difficult task would perhaps have become an impossible one.

The title race isn’t over, simplyh because we keep matching Chelsea point for point and we have to play them in a couple of weeks. The gap is big, but bigger gaps than that have been overcome in the past. We’ll probably have to win almost all of our remaining games and hope that Chelsea’s seemingly never ending stream of deflected goals eventually dries up.

All we can do is keep winning, and that’s exactly what we are doing. Spurs gave us a tougher game than most, and on the balance of play maybe merited a draw. Good sides win games like this though, and we are now a very, very good side. There are still some areas which can be improved, but we look as strong as anyone right now.

We didn’t play well against Spurs, but that’s 34 points from 36 now. It could have been different had Robbie Keane not missed a sitter early in the 2nd half, but then we missed chances too.

Rafa went with his ‘usual’ home side. The back four and keeper pick themselves at the moment, and with Luis Garcia sidelined the midfield four is also relatively straightforward. The only question seems to be who partners Crouch, and Morientes usually seems to get the nod at Anfield.

That meant Cisse and Flo were both left on the bench, which isn’t a bad thing as both tend to be most effective as impact subs (that maybe a bit harsh on Cisse though who has been in good form recently).

Spurs were very negative in the first half I thought. With a narrow midfield diamond which contained four central midfield players, their policy seemed to be more containment than anything else. Tainio’s sole purpose seemed to be to follow Alonso and keep him from getting on the ball, and it wasn’t until the Finn was replaced in the 2nd half that Xabi actually got a bit of room to play in.

The reds never got going properly in the first period, although chances did come and go. Crouch saw a diving header saved by Robinson following a pinpoint Gerrard cross, and Morientes had a good header come back off the bar following another delivery from the right (by Finnan this time I think).

For the most part though, the Spurs defence were quite comfortable. Not that our backline was being stretched too much. Spurs may have started with two up front, but that was the extent of their attacking ambition in the first half. With little support from a midfield pre-occupied with keeping Gerrard and Alonso under wraps, Spurs were pinning their hopes on Keane latching onto a flick from the troubloesome Mido.

The big Egyptian striker is a handful, and he won a fair few headers against Sami and Carra. The reds backline dealt with the threat very well however, with Hyypia once again in total command. The arrival of Agger may be seen by some as a threat to Sami’s Liverpool career. I see it as a way of prolonging it, as the only threat to Sami Hyypia’s place at the moment is burnout. When he’s fresh, he’s playing as well as he ever has. If Agger’s presence means Sami can occasionally put his feet up, it could add another two years to his shelf life.

If the first half had been dull, the second was much livelier. Spurs came out after the break with an attacking intent that definitely wasn’t there before. They started the second half very well, with Davids and Carrick controlling the midfield. Keane missed a sitter, and Spurs enjoyed plenty of possession, a lot of it in our half.

Rafa switched things around by moving Gerrard into the middle and pushing Sissoko out to the right. Momo had covered acres in the first half and had impressed in a defensive capacity, but we were not controlling the centre of the park and it wasn’t until Gerrard went in there than things improved.

Sissoko played his part in that, as even though he was on the right he still managed to have a big influence on the half. I thought he was superb, and got better and better as the game went on.

The same can be said for Kewell, who despite still not being 100% fit, seemed to get stronger and by the end was still looking fresh and sharp. Crouch and Gerrard had both been denied by Robinson, but there was no keeper in the world who would have kept out Kewell’s rocket.

A typically good ball in from Finnan saw the Aussie arrive at the back post and connect with the sweetest of volley’s which was past Robinson’s near post before he could even move. A stunning goal.

Spurs did apply some pressure and got some dangerous crosses in, but Reina looked in top form and made great saves to deny Carrick and Mido. The reds were content to sit back and hit Spurs on the counter, especially after Cisse was brought on for Crouch.

It was from one such counter attack that the Londoners were reduced to ten men. Riise led the charge out of defence after a Spurs corner, and although his pass to Kewell was awful and forced the Aussie to check his stride to gather it when a better ball would have sent him clean through, Stalteri clipped Kewell’s heels and a red card was inevitable.

It was harsh, as for one thing I thought it was a complete accident and for another there was no guarentee Harry would have reached the ball. But under the letter of the law it was always going to be a red card.

The sending off killed off any hopes Spurs had of claiming an equaliser, and Sissoko almost got the goal his performance deserved when some magic by Kewell freed Riise down the left and he picked out Momo at the back post. Robinson made another good save though.

The win put us a point behind the mancs with two games in hand. They need the win next week more than we do in terms of the battle for second spot. But we need the win to keep the pressure on Chelsea. We’re a better side than United, next week we have to go out and prove it.


Team: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise; Gerrard, Sissoko (Kromkamp), Alonso, Kewell; Morientes (Warnock), Crouch (Cisse):