Liverpool 4 Fulham 0 - Prem (Dec 9 2006)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL 4 Fulham 0

Report by Dave Usher at Anfield

Scorer(s) - Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Luis Garcia, Mark Gonzalez Half Time - 0-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Sat 9 Dec 2006 Star Man - Daniel Agger

 

 

 

 

At half time on Saturday I sat there thinking how similar the 1st half performance had been to the opening 45 minutes against Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t too bad, we’d created a few chances but needed to do a lot more. Against Portsmouth we didn’t, we just got worse and worse as the 2nd half went on. This time it was very different, and Fulham were blown away as the reds hit four goals in a half for the second time in seven days.

It could have been an even bigger scoreline had Uriah Rennie been stricter with his interpretation of the handball rule. Kuyt was denied twice in the first half by a hand or an arm of a defender, but when it happened a third time Rennie eventually must have thought enough is enough, and finally gave the spot kick. There was no difference between the one he gave, and the ones he didn’t, although perhaps the first one would have been harsh on Zat Knight.

Ian Pearce though seemed to think he was playing as a second goalkeeper. Who does he think he is, Stephane Henchoz? He was somewhat lucky to get away with the first, and was rightly punished for the second.

If either of the two first half appeals had been given, this game could have been over by half time, as once Fulham conceded, they capitulated. Prior to that, they had adopted Portsmouth’s ‘men behind the ball and time waste’ approach. They weren’t as good at it as Pompey though, and in the end they were found out.

Garcia had a couple of efforts in the first half, one that was cleared off the line and one looping header from 18 yards that was just over the bar. That was clearly just a range finder, as he’d repeat the trick in the second half and drop it just under the bar.

The one that was cleared off the line should have resulted in a goal for Pennant, who arrived at the back post only to bottle out when he saw the defender’s boot raised. Had that been Kuyt coming in it would have been a goal as he’d have thrown his head in there. Pennant didn’t want to get hurt, and therefore didn’t challenge.

I’m not going to have a go at him though, as this was a good performance from him and there were some encouraging signs that he's finding some form. I thought he looked a bit better in midweek against Galatasaray, and he continued his improvement against Fulham. He can do a lot more I think, but every journey starts with a small step so let’s just see if he can build on this. I was happy with what he gave us in this game, but Liam Rosenior isn't the toughest of opponents in fairness.

Fulham’s keeper wasn’t exactly overworked in the first half, but we did play some decent stuff. Bellamy looked very sharp, but getting the ball to him was proving to be a problem. Garcia was a threat, to his own team as much as Fulham’s as he turned in a typical Luis Garcia performance, combining the sublime with the ridiculous.

For all Liverpool’s dominance, Fulham had the best chance of the half when they got in down our left side (as they would do numerous times during the game) and McBride hit a smart shot towards the bottom corner. It seemed a certain goal, but Reina made an absolutely brilliant save. He was excellent in everything he had to do once more, and this was his 6th clean sheet in a row. His distribution is fantastic too, he’s actually better than many midfield players.

The 2nd half followed the same pattern, Liverpool looking for a breakthrough and Fulham time wasting, until Bellamy escaped down the left and crossed for Kuyt, who’s shot was superbly saved by Pearce. The keeper would have been happy with that save, as he would have been with his stop from Gerrard’s poor penalty had Stevie not put away the rebound.

That goal opened the floodgates, and we were even looking dangerous from set pieces. Agger should have done better when he attacked a corner but didn’t get anything on his header. The next time it happened, he did get a meaningful touch, and up popped Carra at the back post to finish from close range. It was a great moment, savoured by everyone inside Anfield – the supporters, his team mates and the substitutes were all delighted.

The atmosphere had been dire up to that point, but that goal woke everyone up. The ‘team of Carraghers’ song was given a very good airing, and this was probably the loudest it’s ever been sung.

Garcia made it 3-0 with a superb header from Agger’s cross, and Gerrard almost grabbed a second with a stinging volley after being superbly picked out by Pennant, who seemed to be growing in confidence with each goal that went in. I’d say Pennant enjoyed himself in this game more than he has for some time.

Gonzalez wrapped it up with a well placed free kick right at the end, and that goal will do his confidence no harm either. He did well when he came on, and he’s got three goals already which is a pretty decent return given the limited opportunities he’s had.

Things are getting better, and when you look at the table now things aren’t too bad. The points gap between ourselves and the top two is depressing of course, but at least we’re not having to see the likes of Everton, Villa and Bolton above us. Once Portsmouth are overhauled, we can start looking to cut into the gap between ourselves and the top two.

If we can keep the defensive solidity we’re showing at the moment, there’s no reason why we can’t go on a lengthy unbeaten run like we did last season. Where that takes us depends on other teams, but we look to be heading in the right direction at last.

The main reason for that is the return to form of key players who weren’t at their best earlier this season. Carragher and Reina have both been exceptional of late, Gerrard is slotting in well in the centre alongside Alonso, and Bellamy looks a different player since his court case.

The one constant we’ve had this season is the continued excellence of Daniel Agger. He’s been class every time he’s played, and was superb once more against Fulham. The partnership with Carra is looking very good, and the young Dane is completely unflappable. I’ve yet to see any opponent make him look uncomfortable, and he gives us a good outlet in attack too with use of the ball and ability to attack set pieces.

I’m giving him the star man, just ahead of the outstanding Alonso who’s defensive work in this game allowed us to win the ball high up the field and prevent Fulham mounting any attacks. It was just like watching Didi Hamann, reading the game superbly and using the ball efficiently. We didn’t see many of Xabi's trademark 50 yard passes, but he didn’t have to do that in this game, he just kept things ticking over nicely and allowed Gerrard to go forward.

Honourable mentions also to Carra and Steve Finnan, who were both faultless again. What’s going on with Riise though? Four times in five minutes Fulham got in behind him at the start of the second half, and he’s been poor for several weeks now. He’s lucky Warnock and Aurelio are injured, as on current form he doesn’t deserve to be playing. He still contributes going forward, but he really needs to sharpen up defensively.


Team: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant, Gerrard, Alonso, Garcia (Fowler); Kuyt (Gonzalez), Bellamy (Crouch):