Liverpool 3 Bolton 0 - Prem (Jan 1 2007)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL 3 Bolton 0

Report by Dave Usher at Anfield

Scorer(s) - Peter Crouch, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt Half Time - 0-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Mon 1 Jan 2007 Star Man - Sami Hyypia

 

 

 

 

Off you trot fathead. Rafa had the last laugh over Fat Sam as his side produced a scintillating 2nd half display to steamroller a limited Bolton side, and ensure the new year got under way in some style at Anfield. It’s 27 home league games since we last witnessed a defeat, and Allardyce’s snidey long ball merchants never looked like upsetting our apple cart. Pepe Reina was as redundant in this game as Fat Sam’s dodgy agent son.

Rafa had stoked the flames in the build up to this game by once again pointing out how important the referee is whenever you play Bolton, because they use every dirty trick in the book. He’s said it before of course, and it’s true. Commenting on it before you play them however may not always be the wisest thing to do. In the meeting between the sides at the Reebok earlier this season, Bolton were riled by Rafa’s comments and ran out 2-0 winners (largely thanks to a horrendous decision by a linesman it has to be said).

Benitez doesn’t like Bolton, especially Allardyce. It’s very rare the reds’ boss comments on opposing teams, yet he seems to make a regular exception for the Trotters. He can barely disguise the contempt he has for Allardyce and the tactics he employs, so this win will have felt very satisfying.

You can probably tell by now that I don’t like Bolton or Allardyce either. Actually, it’s mainly just Allardyce I can’t stand. And Diouf. Every Liverpudlian’s least favourite old boy was back at Anfield for the first time since his acrimonious departure, but the reds’ back four ensured he barely had a kick. He still managed to piss people off with his constant whining, and got into a bit of verbals with the Paddock in the first half. Aside from that, it was a fairly uneventful afternoon for Liverpool’s worst ever signing, and he was eventually subbed in the 2nd half. Twat.

Bolton included another Liverpool old boy in their line up, the in form Nicolas Anelka. He received warm applause from the Main Stand corner of the Kop when he went to retrieve a glove he’d dropped, and he was the one Bolton player who looked like he had the kind of quality to maybe cause us a problem. He didn’t cause us any, but that was due to the brilliance of the back four, especially big Sami who was majestic.

As great as Daniel Agger has been this season, the one game where I’d always leave him out in favour of Hyypia is this one. Sami is phenomenal when it comes to winning the ball in the air. He NEVER loses a header to a striker when they are both challenging for a long ball from the keeper. He dealt with all Bolton’s alehouse stuff, and on the rare occasions when Anelka found the ball at his feet and had a chance to run at our backline, Sami snuffed that out too with a series of well times challenges. As the song goes, ‘in our defensive foursome, he’s absolutely awesome..’

We made all the running in the first half, but found chances a little hard to come by. Alonso and Gerrard bossed the midfield, we were never in trouble at the back and Pennant and Crouch looked in decent form. Unfortunately Gonzalez and Kuyt were struggling. In the first half Dirk could hardly put a foot right. He’s been like this is a few games at Anfield recently, but he’s always come good and been involved in goals. He did once again, in some style.

I felt sorry for Gonzo at times in the first half, as not much went right for him. He wasn’t awful by any means, but he was the least effective of our players. He improved in the 2nd half, before he was replaced by Garcia. What he did give us though was shape. Both he and Pennant stayed out wide and stretched Bolton, and that seemed to be a deliberate ploy by Rafa. It worked, as two of the three goals were created from wide on the right.

Even in the first half, the right flank looked to be our most profitable outlet. Pennant used the ball sensibly, and although he didn’t see too much possession, I thought he had a decent half. What I liked about him in this game was he didn’t just lump crosses into the box in the hope that someone would get on the end of it. He got his head up, and he picked people out. Whether it was cutting it back to the edge of the box, floating it to the back post or sticking it on Crouchy’s head, Jermaine seemed to get it right almost every time.

He nearly created a goal for Alonso when he picked him out on the edge of the box after a move had looked to have lost it’s way a little, but Xabi’s shot rolled agonisingly wide.

It was from another one of Pennant’s clever cut backs that the excellent Finnan came closest to breaking the first half deadlock. A flowing move ended with Pennant rolling it into the full back’s path, and Bolton’s keeper did well to tip the ball onto the bar. I’m loath to give Jaaskelainen any credit, the scruffy twat. I’d forgotten about him earlier, but you can add him to the list with Allardyce and Diouf.

He ignored the warm round of applause afforded to him by the Kop at the start of the 2nd half, and he also refused to shake Garcia’s hand after the pair had collided on the goal-line. He’s a dickhead. He needs to tuck his shirt in and comb his hair, and a shave wouldn’t go amiss either, the fucking hobo. Seeing him race thirty yards from his goal to complain to Graeme Poll about the time Pepe was taking to retrieve the ball did make me laugh though. He’d wasted so much time himself when the scores were level, but he had the balls to then go nuts because Pepe wasn’t breaking his neck trying to get on with things! That’s like Allardyce racing onto the pitch to complain about Rafa being fat.

I’ve gotten a bit sidetracked there though, so back to the game. Actually, before I get back to the game I’ve got something else I want to have a moan about. Kevin Davies and his rugby ball shaped head. I hate Kevin Davies, he’s completely shit. He’s all elbows, and I seriously doubt he’d get a game for any other Premiership club. Except maybe Charlton or Watford, someone as shit as he is.

But apart from Allardyce, Diouf, Jaaskelainen and Davies, I’ve got no real beef with Bolton. Ivan Campo’s stupid hair and ugly face aside of course. I like Anelka a lot, and Kevin Nolan is a good lad too. It was nice to see the reception he got when he was subbed, as it seemed like most of the ground were applauding him. He’s a good red, and there’s nothing to not like about him. Apart from the company he keeps of course.

By the time Nolan departed, the game was as good as over. Two brilliant goals in as many minutes killed Bolton off, and made sure we leapfrogged them in the table. The first goal was a brilliant team goal, as well as a fantastic individual finish.

Kuyt finally broke free of the poor form that had been dogging him all game, and slipped away from a couple of would be tacklers before laying the ball into the path of Pennant. He picked out Crouch, and one spectacular trademark scissor kick later the dealock was broken. Anyone who thought his Galatasaray goal was a one off can now think again. The Bolton fans had been taunting him all game with chants of ‘freak’. As I’ve said before, he IS a freak, as someone his size shouldn’t be able to do things like that.

Peter Crouch is a freak, in a good way. The Bolton fans who were giving him shit are just two faced gobshites, as you just know they were sat in their local boozers over the summer, faces painted and England shirts on, buzzing off him as he robot danced his way into the nation’s hearts. It’s like those moron Watford fans last week singing ‘where were you in Germanay’ to Gerrard. He was scratching his bollocks in the centre circle because the fucking idiot in charge of the team made him do all the dirty work that Frank ‘one trick pony’ Lampard couldn’t do because he was busy sending shots up into orbit.

But I’ve gone a little off track again there I think. Back to the goals. The second one was a beauty too. Once again it was Kuyt and Pennant who created the opening. The Dutchman once more showed good footwork to get the ball to the winger, and he slid a perfectly weighted ball back to him. Dirk chipped the ball into the centre where Gerrard arrived to plant a measured sidefoot volley into the top corner. Party time now.

More chances came, as the reds swarmed all over Bolton. Hyypia had a header brilliantly saved by the tramp in goal, Crouch put a header over the bar after more great wing play from Pennant, Garcia shot just over and Crouch had another well struck volley saved. Kuyt saw a powerful effort tipped over after a fine run, but he would get his reward eventually when Garcia created the opening for him, and he squeezed a shot through the legs of Gardner and past the outstretched boot of the big issue seller in goal.

I don’t think a player has ever deserved a goal more than that. I keep saying it, but Dirk is such a trier. It doesn’t matter how he is playing, he just keeps on trying to do the right thing and working his arse off for the team. I’m ashamed to admit that my patience with him was growing a bit thin before the first goal, and I’d have probably subbed him. Seconds after I made that comment to my arl fella, Dirk helped to create the opening goal. After that he never looked back.

Crouch should have added a fourth late on after another pinpoint cross from Pennant, but his free header was too close to the binman, who made the save. If Crouch was half as good with his head as he is with his feet, he’d have twenty goals this season already. His performance was superb in this game, and some of his footwork was a joy to watch. Ronaldinho might learn a trick or two from the big lad when Barca come to town in March! There was one run in the first half that saw him beat four players before almost playing in Kuyt. Phenomenal skill.

Crouch was a contender for the star man, as were several others. Finnan was superb in attack and defence, Riise was much improved on his recent displays, and he competed really well in the air with Davies as Bolton tried to pump the diagonal ball out to the right wing. Carra was superb and made some excellent clearances, whilst Xabi continued his outstanding recent form with another commanding display. Gerrard played well without being at his best, and I’d say this was perhaps Pennant’s best Premiership game for the club.

I was really tempted to give him the star man in view of some of the criticism I’ve handed out towards him this season, but I just think Sami shaded it. He gave a real masterclass in the art of centre back play, and the only thing missing was the goal that almost arrived when his header was acrobatically saved.

It was a great win, and it got us within seven points of Chelsea. It makes the defeat at Blackburn even more hard to take though, as we really should be breathing right down Mourinho’s neck right now. The mancs have such a big lead that it would take a collapse of Newcastle like proportions for us to catch them, but it’s the new year, and with a new year comes new hope.

We’re keeping clean sheets, and we’re creating plenty of chances. If we can be more clinical, we’re as good as anybody. Unfortunately I always have the feeling that there’s a ‘Blackburn’ game just around the corner with us. Third place isn’t anything to shout about, but spanking Fat Sam’s cloggers on a day when the blues and mancs both dropped points isn’t to be sneezed at. So far it’s a very happy new year.


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