liverpool 5-1 newcastle

29/12/2008
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liverpool handed newcastle a 5-1 thumping last night when the reds traveled to st james park last night. liverpool were in fine form, despite having neither torres or keane on the pitch, and proceeded to dismantle newcastle’s defense from the opening kickoff.

liverpool dominated the magpies and gave them very little ball or opportunities to attack. the reds pushed forward and liverpool’s defensive line was playing very high. it was only thanks to the efforts by newcastle keeper shay given that the score line wasn’t more embarassing for the toons.

it didn’t take long for the floodgates to open. steven gerrard angled a shot off the post and into the net after the 30th minute. moments later veteran sami hyypia doubled liverpool’s lead. hyypia’s powerful header found the net after a great corner kick by gerrard.

liverpool had more chances but were unable to capitalise. the half time whistle was a welcome relief for newcastle’s ailing defenses.

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gerrard’s shot beats the keeper, finding the net after deflecting off the inside of the post

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hyypia’s powerful header gave liverpool a two goal lead

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a close range punt by babel found the net, thanks to some terrible defense

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stevie g gets his brace, chipping the keeper, for liverpool’s fourth goal

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alonso cooly slotted home a penalty

after the break, newcastle showed an improved performance, earning a few corners, and were able to make the most of it by scoring a soft goal. newcastle were back in the game, only one goal down, but liverpool immediately retaliated with an easy goal thanks to some terrible defense. newcastle were unable to clear the ball, leaving babel to punt home from close range.

the third goal broke newcastle’s resiliance and gerrard took full advantage. a fantastic pass by lucas found gerrard up front. the liverpool skipper held off the defender and chipped the ball over the onrushing keeper. liverpool then finished off with a penalty. babel made a good run but was brought down in the box. alonso did the honours from the spot.

the result has shown what liverpool is capable of when they’re in form. playing with kuyt as the lone striker (keane was benched and torres is still recovering) the reds completely demolished newcastle. liverpool go three points clear at the top of the table, after fulham held chelsea to a draw.

the anfield squad will be feeling full of confidence as they return to merseyside to take a much needed break. benitez, watching from the stands, praised liverpool’s performance without two of their big gun strikers.

liverpool now prepare for their fa cup match against preston north end, followed by stoke, everton and wigan. the reds should be able to make the most of an easy january run, including the all important home game derby against everton, before facing chelsea on february 1st.

if liverpool are still leading the league after the chelsea match, there’s a good chance that they can hang on to take the title.

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liverpool 3-0 bolton

27/12/2008
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liverpool maintain their slender lead over the premier league, thanks to a great display against bolton wanderers in last night’s traditional boxing day clash.  the reds began well, controling the ball and dominating possession. bolton had very few opportunities to threaten, as liverpool pushed forward in search of the opening goal.

they only had to wait 20 minutes before the deadlock was broken. bolton had conceded a succession of corners and their defence had begun to show cracks. from a great steven gerrard corner, reira angled a deflection into the near post, beating the bolton keeper.

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liverpool finished the half with 70% possession and a one goal lead. then, after the break, the reds continued their good form and dominated the match, denying bolton any opportunities to attack.

in the 53rd minute, under fire striker robbie keane went on a rampage, scoring two goals in five minutes.  the first goal came after a great gerrard cross. keane’s first touch controlled the ball and his second touch was smashed into the net. keane struck again after a move started by reina, who threw a long ball to alonso. the spaniard found benayoun who crossed to keane. the irish striker again smashed the ball home, to the rousing cheers of the anfield faithful.

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keane celebrated his return to form, having scored three goals in two games, and also silenced his critics - who have accused keane of being a failure since his move to anfield. the reds were riding high and were full of confidence. agger, gerrard and even carragher were taking shots at goal. carragher’s powerful left footed drive flashed across goal.

liverpool retain their lead by a single point after rivals chelsea also won their match. manchester united won, and are 7 points behind but with two games in hand. if united win both of their extra games, there will be a single point separating the top three teams … creating a very tight race for the title.

liverpool now look to sunday’s lunch time game against newcastle united. the reds will be hoping that torres will be able to return from injury and take his place in the side. liverpool need to continue their winning form and ensure they remain in the hunt for the title.

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liverpool 1-1 arsenal - reds stay on top … for now!

22/12/2008
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liverpool remain top of the table after a 1-1 draw away to arsenal. the gunners, at home, weathered some early pressure from the reds, as gerrard and keane combined to test arsenal’s defenses. however it was van persie who broke the deadlock when arsenal settled in and started to get possession for themselves.

despite some good ball control, arsenal were struggling to deal with liverpool’s long ball passes.

just before half time, a long ball from agger that found keane up front, who smashed home the half volley.

liverpool and arsenal continued to trade shots after the break but neither side could make the most of their chances. liverpool started to dominate possession and arsenal were reduced to 10 men after their captain received a second yellow card. the reds went close with a few shots, agger and el zhar were unlucky not to score, liverpool were not able to claim all three points.

as it stands, liverpool remain top of the table with a two point break over chelsea. however the blues still have a game in hand, against everton tonight, in a match that they should win. it’s likely that chelsea will leapfrog liverpool into top position, by a single point.

liverpool now prepare to face bolton wanderers in the premier league’s traditional boxing day fixtures.

in other news, liverpool have drawn real madrid in the knockout stage of this year’s champion’s league. the reds finished top of their group and drew real madrid who finished second behind juventus. liverpool will be relishing the chance to play madrid, and it should be a cracking match.

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liverpool 2-2 hull

14/12/2008
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liverpool have drawn yet another game they should have won. the reds hosted hull at anfield last night and it seemed from the outset that the home side would walk away easy winners. however, despite liverpool’s dominance, they were unable to put hull away and claim all three points.

hull, recent promotion winners, have enjoyed a great season and are currently in sixth position on the premier league table. the visitors didn’t look to be able to keep up with the anfield squad, however hull got a lucky break and scored early. their lead was doubled after a rare jamie carragher error resulting in an own goal.

liverpool poured forward, seeking much needed goals, after being shocked and suddenly 2-0 down. captain and liverpool hero steven gerrard came to the rescue with two goals. both goals were short range goals after gerrard found himself on the end of good build up play. the first goal came via a perfect kuyt cross. the second came when benayoun put the ball into gerrard’s path, leaving the captain with the simple job of driving the ball into the net.

the reds continued to dominate and missed a mulititude of chances, much to benitez’s chagrin. the spaniard said that if liverpool were still leading the league by new year, they’d be an 80% chance of winning the premiership. however that possibility took a slight dent after last night’s draw.

fortunately, in other games, manchester united and arsenal both drew their respective matches. as a result, arsenal have now dropped down to fifth position, behind aston villa. that’s a dangerous place for the gunners to be. if villa can hold onto fourth, then they’ll nick a champions league place from arsenal next season.

chelsea play their match tonight. a victory will give them a one point lead over liverpool.

the reds now look toward their crucial away game against arsenal. before that, liverpool will discover their next opponents in champions league, which is drawn on december 19th.

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liverpool 0-0 west ham

2/12/2008
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liverpool regain their position at the top of the premier league after a frustrating 0-0 draw with west ham at anfield last night. chelsea fell to arsenal yesterday, clearing the way for liverpool to take top spot. all three points would have given liverpool a useful cushion, however the reds were denied their chance by their resilient visitors.

liverpool started well and dominated possession, controlling the midfield and putting good passes together. however it was former red craig bellamy who almost stunned the home team with a long range drive that was deflected off the post. liverpool’s best chance of the half came when west ham’s keeper brilliantly saved a shot by benayoun. twice more west ham were forced to save off their line, denying reira and hyypia the chance to score.

liverpool continued to apply pressure and were unlucky not to be awarded two penalties, after an apparent hand ball by a west ham defender. hyypia had two more opportunities, both headers missing their mark. kuyt and gerrard also being denied by west ham’s defense.

west ham pushed forward late in the second half, as liverpool began to tire, but were not able to put together any serious attacks.

despite the win, the anfield faithful showed their disappointment with a chorus of jeers at the final whistle. although liverpool now sit at the top of the table, it was clear that the home team’s performance was below expectations. liverpool are beginning to show a predictable pattern of not getting vital wins at home, to teams who are traveling to anfield looking for a draw.

rafa claimed that liverpool “deserved to win”. yet, there was very little evidence that liverpool deserved anything with their poor finishing.

having taken the lead, liverpool now need to focus on keeping it. the reds have a good run through december. liverpool will be away to blackburn rovers this coming weekend, followed by a midweek game against psv eindhoven in the champions league. liverpool will finish the year with games against hull, arsenal (away), bolton and newcastle. the match against arsenal at emirates stadium will be a tough game, but the rest are easily winable.

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liverpool 0-0 fulham

22/11/2008
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both liverpool and chelsea have blown their chances to take the outright lead over the premier league. liverpool hosted fulham and chelsea hosted newcastle. both home teams were favourites to win their respective matches, however they were frustrated by strong defending and poor finishing.

the reds started without playmakers gerrard (injured) and alonso (benched). torres started but is still getting back to match fitness after an injury.

liverpool didn’t make much of a start in the first half. the players looked tired from midweek international games. liverpool’s passing was sloppy and they allowed fulham too much time on the ball. the reds were forced to defend and gave the visitors a few chances to score.

at the other end keane rarely looked like troubling the defense, but torres made some good runs. however it was keane who had the best chance of the half, his shot heroically blocked by fulham’s aussie keeper mark schwarzer.

the second half was a better affair for the home team. liverpool started to get forward more and alonso’s introduction saw a marked improvement in liverpool’s passing. kuyt had a terrific shot which was also parried away by schwarzer.

the liverpool fans were howling for lucas levia to be substituted off. the young brazilian wasn’t having a good game and gave away too many balls in the midfield. however, he played the full match, with kuyt and riera coming off for babel and el zhar. a better substitution would have been to bring off levia for benayoun, who has been complaining about his lack of games for liverpool. tonight would have been a perfect chance to give him some decent time on the pitch.

as the game headed towards full time, liverpool’s intensity increased. however, the reds couldn’t break down fulham’s defense and find a goal that would give them all three points.

at stanford bridge, chelsea racked up 33 shots on goal to newcastle’s 2 shots. the blues pitched tents in newcastle’s half and spent the game taking pot shots at goal. considering the talent in chelsea’s squad, it’s a huge victory to newcastle to hold them out.

in other games, manchester city are proving their rise to power with a solid 3-0 victory over arsenal. the gunners are having a bad season (by their own standards) and wenger is under enormous pressure to get results … and poor old sheffield wednesday still can’t get a win, going down 0-1 to coventry. the owls have only won 1 of their last 7 matches. their next three games are against lowly ranked blackpool, norwich and southampton. here’s hoping sheffield wednesday find some form.

manchester united, with two games to play, now have a chance to cut back the gap between themselves and liverpool/cheslea.

the reds, meanwhile, turn their attention to the midweek game against marseille. a win or draw will guarantee progress to the champions league knockout stages. next sunday liveprool travel to west ham to begin their all important run through christmas.

update: manchester united also drew, missing a golden opportunity to catch the liverpool and chelsea.

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liverpool 2-0 bolton

15/11/2008
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liverpool have continued their fine run with a solid 2-0 win over bolton wanderers at reebok stadium last night. the reds completely dominated the first half with fantastic passing. dirk kuyt opened the scoring for a liverpool with a superb header after 30 minutes. the lead should have been doubled when robbie keane missed an absolute sitter in front of goal. all he had to do was connect with the ball and it was in. bolton were also unlucky to be denied a goal in injury time. wanderers scored a header from a corner, but the goal was disallowed after the attackers were adjudged to have interfered with the keeper.

bolton looked much better after half time and took control of the opening minutes. the home side missed another good chance after reina was beaten, but the striker lost his footing and couldn’t direct the ball home. liverpool worked their way back into the game and gerrard became the second red player to miss a gilt-edged chance. torres’ cross fell into the path of gerrard who couldn’t make contact. again, the slightest touch would have been enough for the ball to find its mark.

however, gerrard made up for his miss with liverpool’s second goal. another torres cross fell into the path of the charging gerrard. he nodded it into the corner. lucas leiva, a late substitute, also missed a sitter when his header glanced outside the post.

liverpool were comfortable winners, despite a few scares. the reds had numerous chances, which i’m sure benitez will talk about in training this week. liverpool now look ahead to their game against fulham.

chelsea and manchester united both won their matches. arsenal were defeated by aston villa. that means liverpool and chelsea are tied for the lead, again, with manchester united 8 points behind. man united have a game in hand and could reduce that deficit to 5 points. arsenal are now 9 points behind.

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liverpool 3-0 west brom

8/11/2008
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liverpool have returned to the top of the table after a clinical 3-0 win over visiting side west brom. robbie keane scored a brace, his first premier league goals for liverpool.

west bromwich albion traveled to anfield with a record of having never beaten the reds for 41 years, and it was clear from the outset that the visitors were going to be totally outclassed. however, to west brom’s credit, they didn’t park the bus in front of goal. the baggies came with a mind to do some attacking.

keane had an early shot and benayoun was also unlucky not to score in the opening minutes. former red keeper scott carson got his body in the way and blocked benayoun’s shot. a goal looked inevitable as liverpool pressed forward. gerrard pushed a clever ball through to keane who finished with a clean strike. minutes later keane got his brace, doubling liverpool’s lead, after he rounded the keeper and shot into an empty net.

the reds enjoyed a comfortable lead and went into the break without being threatened at all by west brom. however after the break liverpool seemed to be playing in second gear and the visitors tried to work their way back into the game. a chance by west brom went begging and that was all it took for liverpool to regain composure and retake control of the game.

keane came off to give torres a run. the spaniard has been out injured and is making his return. although he didn’t play much of a part in the game, but it was a valuable chance for the striker to regain match fitness.

in the pouring rain, arbeloa’s curling shot gave liverpool their 3rd goal

second before the full time whistle, arbeloa fired a left footed curling shot, giving liverpool their third unanswered goal.

liverpool retake control at the top of the premier league table. arsenal, who are under fire for their recent poor form beat manchester united. that gives the reds some breathing room via a six point buffer between 1st and 3rd. however chelsea are likely to take the number one position tonight when they face blackburn rovers.

liverpool should have a good run for november and up to christmas. the reds face spurs in the carling cup this week, followed by league games to bolton and fulham. liverpool then have a champions league game against marseille, before facing west ham and blackburn.

in past years, liverpool’s season has been completely destroyed by christmas. this year the reds look good enough to continue their good form and run of wins, maintaining pressure on their challenge for the league title.

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liverpool 1-1 athletico madrid

4/11/2008
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liverpool have missed their opportunity to guarantee progress to the champions league knockout stage after a lacklustre draw with athletico madrid overnight. the reds were without star striker fernando torres who was unable to recover from his hamstring injury in time.

liverpool were not at their best and allowed the visitors too much space to move. however the reds did have chances and were denied two penalties after fouls by the same madrid player; the first time he dragged agger down, and the second he handled the ball in the box.

the reds were warned of madrid’s intentions to attack after the spanish team fired a threatening shot off target. liverpool’s defenses were undone before the break when a good passage of play opened up liverpool’s back four and allowed madrid the chance to score.

liverpool pushed forward more after the break but didn’t look to be in control of the game. the reprieve came when yet another penalty offense was committed, but this time awarded by the referee. gerrard slotted the shot home during injury time to secure a point for the reds.

liverpool will feel unlucky not to have taken all three points after two other penalty calls were denied, but the reds didn’t play well enough to earn the win. a draw is definitely justified. it was a night of upsets across europe as chelsea lost to as roma, inter milan and barcelona both drew against weaker teams, and bremen lost to panathanaikos.

in group d’s other match marseille beat eindhoven , which is good for liverpool. the reds now need only a single point from their last two games to ensure progress to the knockout stages. it’s likely that liverpool and athletico madrid will both progress.

rafa benitez’s men now look towards two premier league games, which the reds must win to maintain pressure on chelsea at the top of the table.

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liverpool 1-2 tottenham

2/11/2008
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liverpool have relinquished their lead in the premiership and have lost their first game of the season during the reds’ trip to london to face tottenham last night.

liverpool started brightly with kuyt finding the net after just three minutes. liverpool looked positive and attacking. the reds seemed to have tottenham’s measure, with numerous shots on goal. spurs were lucky not to concede again with gerrard hitting the post and firing in threatening strikes. however, the home team were let off the hook after an uncharacteristic mistake by veteran jamie carragher. the defender headed the ball into liverpool’s own net, gifting tottenham the equaliser.

liverpool pushed for a winner, but were stunned by a late tap in by spurs, allowing them to steal victory.

the result was a disappointment for liverpool, who had started to show real resiliance. however, one loss isn’t the end of the world. liverpool is still tied on first with chelsea. while manchester will play themselves into contention, arsenal seem to be having difficulty finding any form and are unlikely to be a serious threat this year.

the reds can keep pressure on chelsea and force the londoners to continue winning games. both teams are playing well and it should be a good race if liverpool can remain consistent.

liverpool now look to their midweek clash against athletico madrid. the spanish team will visit anfield and the reds will have a good opportunity to take three more points, after madrid’s lucky away draw. following that is west brom in the league, spurs again in the carling cup, then bolton and fulham.

liverpool should be able to win all three premier league matches. a win against athletico will all but ensure liverpool’s progress to the knockout stages in champions league.

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liverpool defeat chelsea - go top of the league

26/10/2008
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liverpool have defeated chelsea for the first time under rafal benitez. the result puts liverpool on top of the league, outright, with 23 points.

the reds have traveled to london with a record of never scoring against chelsea during rafa benitez’s reign as manager. rafa’s men started with a defensive setup, just a single striker in robbie keane. liverpool’s star striker torres is still injured. however chelsea too were missing drogba and ballack.

after a cagey start by both teams, chelsea started to press a little bit and liverpool found themselves playing deep. but 10 minutes into the game, liverpool got a break and alonso opened the scoring after a fluke deflection off a chelsea defender.

liverpool celebrate alonso’s lucky goal, their first against chelsea at stanford bridge

that put chelsea behind and they went on the attack. liverpool responded with good possession and shutting down chelsea plays. liverpool were looking a lot more attacking and confident than many would have guessed, considering their poor record against chelsea in the premier league.

both teams engaged in some good end to end football. reira and gerrard both came close, as did deco down the other end. reira and gerrard were also yellow carded for tackles. gerrard’s card was unlucky, considering he won the ball and liverpool would have been able to counter attack. as the half wore on chelsea started to dominate again. liverpool gave away too many balls and a lot of room on their left wing. chelsea had most of the possession and were unlucky not to score after gerrard was depossessed and deco fired a shot just outside the left post.

the second half opened at a lively pace. liverpool started well and a few whistles were in liverpool’s favour. chelsea picked up 4 yellow cards (plus one to mascherano for dissent) and alonso’s fantastic free kick hit the post. keane came off and was replaced by babel. for chelsea, deco and cole had very good chances to score.

despite chelsea’s urgency, clear chances didn’t materialise. liverpool’s defense was resilient and they made the most of every touch. the reds frustrated chelsea, especially in defense. but most importantly, the anfield team didn’t wait for chelsea to attack, liverpool also attacked, creating chances and keeping possession away from the home team.

liverpool won’t have much time for rest, hosting portsmouth midweek and then traveling to beliguered hotspurs next saturday. four days after that, liverpool also play host to athletico madrid.

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liverpool 1-1 athletico madrid

22/10/2008

liverpool settle for a point after taking an early lead against athletico madrid in spain overnight.

the reds made a positive start when gerrard fed a great ball to keane, who broke through the defence to score. keane’s goal was somewhat controversial, after replays showed that he appeared to be offside. liverpool dominated the entire first half, giving athletico madrid little possession or chance to control the ball.

in the second half, benayoun was denied a goal when he was judged offside and athletico also missed a goal due to an offside ruling. both goals were clearly onside. but madrid looked the better team in the second half, a good strike by simao was kept out by reina and the post. however simao wasn’t to be denied. he scored a soft goal in the 83rd minute thanks to poor defending by the reds, giving simao plenty of room to shoot and score.

in the end benitez claimed that liverpool were unlucky not to win the game, but with keane’s doubtful goal and madrid’s dominance of the second half, a draw seems to be a fair result. the reds knew that athletico madrid would be most difficult team in the group. an away draw with a home game still to come is a satisfactory result for the anfield side.

on sunday liverpool travel to stamford bridge in what will be a showdown between the league’s only two undefeated teams. chelsea look the better side, and liverpool may struggle for strikers with torres still injured and keane limping off during the game against madrid.

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liverpool 3-2 manchester city

6/10/2008
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in what was a stunning and dramatic game, the reds’ visit to manchester city looked to be a thumping at the hands of the revamped city side. the new owners have poured cash into the club and signed some big name players, including real madrid’s robhino. city got off to a great start and liverpool looked out of sorts after their midweek champions league win. the home team put two goals past liverpool in the first half. the half time break came as a relief to the reds, who were being completely dominated on the pitch.

after half time, however, the anfield team were a different squad. passes were much sharper and they started to take possession away from man city. torres got himself into the game and scored two goals, bringing the teams level on 2-2. liverpool continued to push forward and torres was denied a 3rd goal from close range when he mistimed a shot that was virtually an open net.

a minute before full time skrtel was stretchered off with a knee injury and it looked as though the game would end in a draw. 6 minutes of injury time were awarded. immediately after play got underway, benayoun (coming on as a sub) made a great run down the left. he found space and passed back to torres in the box. torres’ shot was mistimed, but deflected off a city defender and into the path of kuyt. his shot passed the keeper, finding the back of the net.

liverpool wound down the clock and held off city’s last gasp attacks to claim all three points. the reds made a battling comeback to see of a strong manchester city side. benitez was duly satisfied with the result and at liverpool’s ability to battle their way back from 2 down to win 3-2.

the reds remain on top of the table, equal on points with chelsea (17) but behind on goal difference. all teams have played 7 games and we have a nice 3 point buffer on 3rd place hull (arsenal are in 4th on 13 points). chelsea’s goal difference is 11 to liverpool’s 6, which is going to be a bit of a concern when we play them in a few weeks. they’re scoring freely, but not conceding.

liverpool now have a week’s break to refresh and prepare for their match against wigan athletic.

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liverpool 3-1 psv

2/10/2008
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liverpool have humbled netherland champions psv eindhoven in a convincing 3-1 win at anfield.

the visitors had a defensive mindset, playing five at the back and a lone striker. psv never looked to attack liverpool and their long ball tactics were unsuccessful against liverpool’s back line. the dutch side were hoping to emulate stoke city’s efforts to force a draw, or perhaps score a vital away goal, but playing in the back foot, it was inevitable that liverpool would break them down.

it didn’t take long for the shots at goal to start. in the opening minutes torres was denied a good shot at goal. however it only took a few more minutes for liverpool to break down psv’s defenses through a dirk kuyt goal.

dirk kuyt celebrates opening the scoring for liverpool

psv dug in deeper and held the barrier, but liverpool were surging forward. robbie keane opened his account with a good goal, hooking home a cross from torres. keane’s celebrations showed his relief at having finally broken the scoring drought since his move to anfield. steven gerrard also had reason to celebrate, after smashing home a thunderous free kick that marked his 100th goal for the club.

gerrard triumphant after scoring his 100th goal for liverpool

psv seemed to have no answer to the onslaught, playing a lone striker, and rarely threatening reina’s goal. however, psv did manage a consolation goal, bundling home late in the game.

this puts liverpool in command of their champions league group. liverpool will face athletico madrid next, a win will guarantee progress.

liverpool have an easy run of games against manchester city and wigan athletic, both of which liverpool should win. the reds’ big test will come with an away game to athletico madrid, followed by an away game at chelsea. those two games will shape liverpool’s seasons and test whether liverpool has the ability to mount a serious title challenge.

benitez is understandably happy, this is liverpool’s best start in 12 years and the club is doing well in the league and all cups … the whispers of #18 are getting louder.

claudio pizzaro of bremen slides the ball past inter milan’s keeper

in other news, the mighty green and whites, werder bremen, held inter milan to a 1-1 draw. bremen dominated the match and looked as though they deserved victory. milan opened the scoring, but bremen replied with an easy goal. numerous chances went begging, but the german squad will walk away happy with the result. bremen are in 3rd place in the group on 2 points. however, inter and anorthosis famagusta are only 2 points ahead. a win could put bremen on top of the group and keep their chances of progress alive.

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torres trounces toffees

28/09/2008
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liverpool’s title hopes are being taken seriously after the reds won a comfortable derby against mersey rivals everton. liverpool traveled to goodison for what is usually one of the most torrid derby matches in england, however from the outset the reds completely dominated everton with slick passing and clean movements. the first half was all liverpool, despite few chances at scoring.

the second half started in the same fashion, with liverpool dominating possession and the controling the ball. however liverpool were starting to put a lot of pressure on the toffees’ back line. howard, everton’s keeper, made a few saves from gerrard and kuyt, but was completely undone when keane and torres combined to open the scoring. keen flicked a good lobbed cross into the box, kuyt ran an angle and took everton’s defense with him, leaving torres wide open to smash the ball past the keeper.

strike sensation fernando torres celebrates his second goal against everton

a minute later, torres claimed the rebound after kuyt’s shot. he doubled the score with a volley that ricocheted in off the top post. liverpool were on fire and everton had no answers. kuyt found the net, but his shot was ruled off side, and torres also hit the net again but was denied too after an ufair foul ruling against kuyt.

everton’s aussie player tim cahill had a good game, until he was red carded for a foul on alonso. it seemed not to be a serious foul, but he walked away from the referee, which is why i think the red was given. and in other news, arsenal were defeated by promoted team hull. hull are celebrating a shock 2-1 win over the gunners, which for them will be just as good as winning the league.

aside from a draw at stoke, liverpool have beaten two important teams in the league, and now look forward to their midweek game against psv eindhoven. a win in their champions league group will put liverpool in a great position. after that, the reds have a good run of games. liverpool face manchester city and wigan athletic, before they face athletico madrid. at the end of october, liverpool face the all important crunch match against co-league leaders chelsea.

liverpool are currently 2nd in the league, behind chelsea. we’re equal on points, but behind on goal difference.

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