Same Old Liverpool – Heights of Bernabeu to Depths of Riverside

Middlesbrough 2 (Alonso OG 31, Tuncay 63)
Liverpool 0

After a comprehensive and important 1-0 victory over the might of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, you would’ve thought that Liverpool would kick into gear and fired up for the Middlesbrough game.

After all, with Man Utd. involved in the League Cup final this Sunday, it is a golden opportunity for Liverpool to cut their rival’s lead at the top to 4 points with a win.

Yet the same old Liverpool syndrome hit again and a 2-0 defeat at the Riverside left Liverpool’s title hope in absolute shambles.

Never a happy hunting ground for the Reds, ‘Boro looked much more interested and fired up in the game than their counterparts. Their fighting spirit paid off, together with fresher legs and resolute defending. The visitors never had a chance and were simply swept away.

How ironic, from the heights of defeating a giant at the glamorous Santiago Bernabeu to being reduced to a pulp at the Midlands. It all happened within 3 short days and it summed up the inconsistencies and shortcomings that plagued Liverpool.

With Fernando Torres out with an ankle injury, Liverpool had to rely on Steven Gerrard for inspirations while Nabil El Zhar was given a rare start. It was a total reshuffle from the victory in Madrid as Benitez might’ve sensed tiredness in his squad.

The new-looked team started the game brightly with several chances but their profligacy was apparent. And in a world of football, punishment for wastefulness is often cruel.

Just ask Xabi Alonso. He performed in his high standards in midweek but was brought back down to earth through an own goal. A ‘Boro corner was deflected off the Spanish midfielder and the home side took the lead.

You would expect Liverpool to hit back like they always did throughout the 08/09 season. Comebacks were a norm and conceding first was not a rare sight. But without the firepower of Fernando Torres and adding to the fact that there were tired players on the pitch, they failed to put up any sort of fight thereafter.

El Zhar did have a fantastic opportunity to put them back on level terms but the inexperience of the Moroccan winger showed through when his shot went high and wide when it was easier to score.

It definitely did the damage psychologically for both the player and the team.

With Liverpool still hardly out of their first gear, Middlesbrough was able to hit the sucker punch which KO-ed the visitors as Sanli Tuncay was on hand to slot home from a Gary O’Neil cutback.

Worse was yet to come for Liverpool as Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, the 2 leading figure of the team, were then withdrawn with the latter suffering from cramps.

It really wasn’t meant to be their day.

Despite the introduction of the midweek hero, Yossi Benayoun, they just couldn’t find the chink in the armour of Gareth Southgate’s men. And all we can say are they only have themselves to blame.

It surely brings about the déjà vu feeling to the Liverpool fans, the highs and lows of supporting a rollercoaster team. Sometimes we have to wonder how they could come up with 2 performances that are as further apart as the east is to the west.

The utter inconsistency is hurting Liverpool big time. Is it a problem with the mentality of the team? Or is it Rafa Benitez still has yet to come to terms with the hustle and bustle of English football? I for one have no answer to that. It’s just puzzling.

And as long this puzzle is unsolved, I don’t think Liverpool could possibly lift their long awaited 19th title. This can’t go on for long and Benitez knows that. These Jekyll and Hyde performances will only put further question mark on Benitez’s management.

And as we are saying this, United already have a brand new sparkling Carling Cup in their cabinet and the 18th league title probably already in their bags. How would Rafa respond to this?

Many changes are needed and it needs to be addressed soon.

Rafa Conjures Up Another Major European Upset

UEFA Champions League
1st Knockout Round 1st Leg

Real Madrid 0
Liverpool 1 (Benayoun 82)

13 European Cups between the two sides but for the past 2 decades, the two teams were rarely on the same football wavelength. One was even hailed as the ‘Galacticos’, as if a team representing Earth if ever celestial beings were interested in a game of football.

The other, meanwhile, trudged through the 1990s through mire of uncertainties and then early 2000 with much false hopes.

But the rise of a genius from the Iberian peninsular has brought back some glory days to the fields of Anfield Road. The phoenix has risen from the ashes or should we say, the Liverbird.

He has made Liverpool into a fearsome and organised side in Europe and a side to avoid during the draws. Critics would of course points out his shortcomings with Liverpool’s continual failure to bring back the 19th title back to Anfield but in Europe, this man’s tactical ingenuity is respectable.

He has placed Liverpool back in the upper echelon of European football, which many fans thought it was a God-given right. They failed to see how much hard work this man put in.

Sack him, they say. Like how the Jews echoed ‘Crucify Him!’ This is a genius either you love or you hate. Even the press wasn’t kind to him. Rumours were rampant throughout the week, with the build-up to this match not about whether Steven Gerrard would start or the face-off of the Prince of Madrid and El Nino, the Kid.

It surrounded his uncertain future at Liverpool, the contract that was left on his table untouched, his apparent quirks and the conflict with the Yank owners.

But we know Liverpool has a survival instinct not many teams possessed. They usually come up with their best when they’re besieged and beleaguered. Craig Bellamy and his golf club took centre stage in the press 2 years ago just prior to a colossus encounter with Barcelona.

Fast forward and we saw the similarities. And it was during these times where we saw the team unify and solidify their resolve.

In the glittering lights of the Santiago Bernabeu, they dug in against an overwhelming force. ‘No chance’, many says. 10 goals from their last 2 league games and unbeaten in 9. Surely Liverpool would be steamrolled over?

But the Reds trenched in, nullified the so called superstars and made them look ordinary. The press would say the Galacticos had an off-day but how often is it that big teams have theirs and it’s usually when they’re against Liverpool?

The art of nullifying and suffocating is hard to grasp, especially from the point of view of a football fan watching for entertainment. But it is at a canter for Rafa Benitez and his men.

Real Madrid spoke of the 3 goals that would come and of course Liverpool being fearful. But I guess that was exactly what the Reds would want to hear. The disdainful arrogance was all they need to inspire themselves.

The visitors were set up perfectly, albeit the injury of their skipper forcing him to start on the bench, they were like a flawless machine.

With the in-form Raul and Gonzalo Higuain leading the line, they must’ve been a handful. But how Liverpool gave them hardly a sniff is quite a feat. None of them were found anywhere near the penalty box.

Pepe Reina, whose allegiance is to the other side of Madrid, was a virtual spectator with only Arjen Robben causing any sort of concern. Other than that, Liverpool looked comfortable and were hardly threatened.

On the other hand, Liverpool were not adventurous understandably. The first 20 to 30 minutes, they bid their time to settle down in front of a intimidating crowd before giving Real Madrid something of a concern.

Fernando Torres tested Iker Cassilas with a stinging shot. His effort was a culminated by some poor defending; something Real never had a reputation of. Then he was once again tested by Xabi Alonso from the halfway line; something the Spanish midfielder has a reputation for.

With chances few and far between, Real were thoroughly frustrated and worse still, impatient. Studying their body language, Rafa must have been smiling on the inside. Because we all know teams who are impatient and frustrated usually gives away something.

With Fernando Torres withdrawn due to injury, it seemed more unlikely for them to grab an all-important away goal. Yet it is times like these, as I’ve mentioned, that they rise above their circumstances and make things happen.

An unnecessary foul by a supposed Liverpool-bound Gabriel Heinze gave Fabio Aurelio a chance to show what he does best. The Brazilian full-back impressed on the night with solid defensive work, stopping Robben while also provided an attacking outlet with controlled runs.

It was a peach of a free kick and just as the camera pans to show us the emotion on his face, it was full of belief and conviction.

Seconds later, with everything moving in slow motion, Yossi Benayoun rose the highest to head home from 10 yards out. Casillas had no chance of stopping it. The Israeli captain was left unmarked in a crowded penalty area and he made them pay.

Without Gerrard and Torres, Liverpool found their saviour from the land of Zion. Though not necessary a religious figure, he gave the visitors something to cheer for and obviously, a strong belief that they’ll make it into their 3rd quarter finals in 4 seasons.

And it was all too late for Real to conjure up any sort of comebacks. They were suffocated and by the time the Reds took the lead, they had no more fight in them. Juande Ramos had options on the bench but it’s just not worth the hassle.

A classic Liverpool performance in Europe and yet another goliath of European football fell under Benitez. Even though it is only half time and there’s still a second leg to play for, it is indeed a result that Liverpool fans should be thankful for.

It was supposed to be a result that sends shockwave across the board yet Liverpool does it ever so often that one have to wonder how did they always have to live up to just a mere underdog.

Though they prosper under such title, perhaps it’s time people take notice of what the Reds are about. If they could transpire this form over 38 games in the Premiership, maybe Sir Alex would have something to worry.

CL Preview: Liverpool vs Real Madrid

By: Gareth Freeman

From a Liverpool point of view the draw for the first knock out stage of the Champions League could have been a lot kinder on Rafael Benitez but from a football point of view this is a mouth-watering contest.

I’m inclined to agree with Pepe Reina, who earlier this week said Liverpool were well matched with Real and there was little to chose between the two sides. I’m going to run through the Spanish giants’ strengths and weakness and see if I can offer any betting tips along the way.

Real may have lost a lot of ground to Barcelona in the league this season but they are still a decent side and are the form side in Spain. They’ve won their last nine league games in a row, including a 6-1 drubbing of Real Betis in their last match. Rafa’s boys will have to be at the top of their game to take Juande Ramos’ side down.

The good thing for the Reds is that in cup competitions league form counts for very little. Benitez is also a master tactician and I’m sure his game plan will be spot on by the time these two meet at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Steven Gerrard has also passed a fitness test to face Real and this is just the kind of boost Liverpool need going into a tie like this.

The Madrid midfield is where the real danger men are in the Spanish side. The Dutch duo of Sneijder and Van der Vart are exceptional players going forward and Sneijder in particular is deadly from set-pieces. I’m sure everyone will remember Arjen Robben from his Chelsea days and if anything his game has improved since he moved to Spain, expect him to cause a lot of problems.

For me Real’s right-back Sergio Ramos is a very dangerous attacking threat. However, his defending can be questionable at times and that should allow Albert Riera space down the left-wing to cause Real problems. Real also opted to include Lassana Diarra in their Champions League squad over striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar, which could be a bonus as the Liverpool lads will know more about the former Pompey midfielder than the Dutch striker.

Ruud Van Nistlerooy will play no further part this season and that should come as some relief to the Liverpool defence. However, they do have Raul and Gonzalo Higuain who are more than capable of scoring goals and it will be a difficult task for Carragher and co to keep the Madrid attack quiet.

Personally, I think a draw is on the cards in this match. Rafa’s priority will be to defend and perhaps nick an away goal so I think he’ll line up the Liverpool defence as tight as possible so they can take advantage of home advantage in the second leg. If you’re thinking of having an online football bet on any of the other games on Wednesday night I think Bayern Munich should be too strong for Sporting Lisbon, even if it is in Portugal, and there should be fairly decent odds on that as well.

Reds Title Bid Up In Smokes

Liverpool 1 (Kuyt 78min)
Man City 1 (Arbeloa OG 48min)

Liverpool’s title bid was derailed further after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Manchester City, who were giving their bitter rivals a huge helping hand. Now with 12 games to go and 7 points apart, it is difficult to see Man Utd. slipping up.

It is the inevitable feeling of ‘same old, same old’ as Liverpool conceded first and had to fight tooth and nail to get back on equal terms. But the fight-back was all too late and without inspirational skipper, Steven Gerrard and the influential Xabi Alonso, it fell short.


Sitting through the first half was just as it was throughout the whole season. There was nothing to show for. Despite dominating possession, the partnership of Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres failed to puncture a hole in City’s defence.

Against the flow of the game, the best chance of the first period fell to the in-form Stephen Ireland, who disappointingly failed to put the ball past Pepe Reina and his subsequent follow up wasn’t good enough. It alarmed Liverpool a little but there was still an apparent lack of urgency.

Former Reds, Craig Bellamy, was in the City line-up and seemed a bit out of place playing alongside the likes of Robinho and Vincent Kompany. But he showed his worth when he converted his chance in front of Annie Road End and sent the City supporters into raptures.

The shot took an awful deflection off Alvaro Arbeloa and he is certainly making his presence known amongst the stars and reminding the Anfield crowd of his quality.


As inevitable as it is for Liverpool to concede first, they’ll always manage to do a comeback and they did after much knocking on the door.

The same player who finished off the amazing 3-2 turnaround earlier in the season, Dirk Kuyt, was on hand again to slot past Shay Given and give the Liverpool supporters some hope.

Subsequently, Yossi Benayoun had a fantastic chance to grab all 3 points for Liverpool but his volley was saved superbly.

Without Gerrard, the home side failed to conjure up any sort of inspiration and even Torres, who was thoroughly shackled by Richard Dunne and Micah Richards throughout, was ineffective and looked isolated up front.

With the title slipping away, Liverpool only have themselves to blame. Leading at a certain point in the campaign, they have managed to let it slip and are now desperately trying to get any sort of momentum going.

The only momentum they seemed to got into this season is drawing games, which isn’t the best case scenario for a title winning team. Despite only losing once throughout, the 11 draws all season is costing Rafa Benitez’s side big time.

With the in-form Real Madrid looming and Rafa’s stubborn refusal to put pen on paper, Liverpool’s position have been strangely precarious despite being so high up the table.

There’s still hope. But hope could be deceptive. It is hard enough to imagine Man Utd. going into a Newcastle-esque meltdown and at the same time, pinning hopes on Liverpool winning the rest of the games.

I highly doubt a comeback of that epic proportion would happen. Yet in football, who knows? We could turn the kind of form in those comebacks we had into the league form. I’m harbouring a little hope here. Just a little…

Next Up, Man City

By Gareth Freeman

Manchester City travel to Anfield on Sunday in Liverpool’s first league game after a short break and this should provide three much needed points for Rafa’s men. City have only won once on the road all season and I can’t see them doubling that at Anfield.

Even though I can only see this tie going one way it is still worth having a look at the opponents, with that in mind I thought I’d pick out City’s danger men and analyse where the threat will come from.

They have a lot of decent attacking players at City but they just don’t seem to be able to turn it on when they’re away from home. Robinho is still yet to score away from Eastlands and his erratic form is, in my opinion, the reason City are not good away. They still look for him every time they’re bursting forward but he just isn’t doing it for them on their travels. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Craig Bellamy will also create problems for Liverpool but I think Carragher and co should be able to cope with them.

My favourite City player is Stephen Ireland. He reminds we a bit of Gerrard in the way he reads the game and runs from deep and I’m sure he’ll put in a decent performance against Liverpool on Sunday.

The are where City have really let themselves down this season is in defence. Micah Richards and Richard Dunne have just not performed as well as they should have done this season and they’ve looked suspect against some poor teams. I had expected the arrival of Nigel de Jong as a defensive midfielder to help shore up their problems but so far he has done nothing to justify his hefty price tag.

I will finish with a few Premier League betting picks for the weekend. I think Arsenal and Manchester United will record home wins against Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers respectively.

I’m also quite tempted by Chelsea picking up a win away at Aston Villa, it will be Guus Hiddink’s first game in charge at Chelsea and I think the players will start to pick up their performances from now on. There is no doubting Villa are a decent side but it is probably the worst time to come up against Chelsea now. On Sunday I think Everton will be able to beat Newcastle at St James’ Park and I’ll probably double that up with Liverpool to beat City in my own football betting.

Rivalry Between Reds And Red Devils Spread To...

Facebook. A new phenomenon people can't live without nowadays. Here's a warning to you who's making loads of friends on Facebook that don't trust everyone. And it's a testament of how hatred of a certain club can turn people bonkers :)



'A married Manchester United fan drove 400 miles to begin an affair with a girl he had met on Facebook, only to discover it had been a hoax set up by two rival Liverpool supporters. Stuart Slann, 39, made the nine-hour trip from his home in Sheffield to a remote farm in Scotland last month on the promise of meeting the woman he had been swapping suggestive messages with for several weeks.

'However, after arriving at the deserted house and waiting for a further three hours in his car for "Emma" to finish work and show up, the two pranksters called him to confess. To add to his humiliation, they recorded the conversation and put it onto Facebook, the social networking website, and video-sharing website YouTube, along with an embarrassing photograph.

'It was then that Mr Slann's wife Louise, 32, discovered the "affair". Their marriage is now over. Mr Slann said: "It was a cruel thing to do. I've been taken for a ride. They wound me up good and proper."

Welcome Break for Rafa's Men

By Gareth Freeman

Getting beat by Everton in the FA Cup could even be seen as a blessing in disguise come May. I know what you’re thinking, losing to the blue half of Merseyside is never a good thing but with the mid-week international fixtures and then the FA Cup at the weekend Rafa’s side don’t play again until February 22 when they face Man City.

With a relatively small squad and a shortage of strikers this break could be a vital boost for Benitez’s tiring side. The win at Portsmouth came at just the right time and kept the pressure on Manchester United, who didn’t look that convincing in their narrow 1-0 victory over West Ham.

Surprisingly there are no Liverpool players in the England squad that take on Spain on February 11, there are however, five Reds in the Spanish squad. Reina, Arbeloa, Alonso, Riera and of course Fernando Torres are all included in the line-up but as it is a friendly I don’t expect them all to play a full 90 minutes. Torres in particular has been struggling with fatigue and I expect him to play a part for Spain but I doubt whether Spain’s coach Vicente del Bosque will risk injuring his star-striker.

Added to that the Spanish coach has chosen an in-form team rather than stuck with familiar names and he may wish to use Daniel Guiza and Fernando Llorente in attack at some point. Guiza plays for Fenerbache in Turkey so I imagine del Bosque will want to see how he links up with a squad who are in the vast majority based in Spain (or all play together at Liverpool). Llorente is a target man kind of striker and has only been capped once by Spain, the Athletic Bilbao forward has been in fine form this season and I expect del Bosque to utilize him at some point, which should allow Torres a rest.

The fact that Liverpool will enjoy the weekend off after the international fixtures should help Rafa rest his tired squad. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa will all have players involved in internationals and then face tricky FA Cup ties. Chelsea travel to Watford, Manchester United face Derby at Pride Park, Arsenal take on Cardiff at home and Aston Villa take on Everton. None of these ties will be easy and with the size of Liverpool’s squad a break from a hectic fixture list could not have come at a better time.

I’m going to end with a few football betting picks. I tend to avoid friendly matches when betting as, in my opinion, it becomes very hard to predict and you never know what side the managers will put out. There are a few World Cup Qualifiers though and I expect the Republic of Ireland - who have still not lost under Giovanni Trapattoni - to beat Georgia, while Northern Ireland should easily see of San Marino away. My final football betting tip for you would be to back the draw in the Arsenal Vs Cardiff FA Cup tie on Monday 16 February. Arsene Wenger’s side have faltered lately and I expect him to field a fairly weakened team in light of the fact they have fallen quite a way off the Champions League places in the Premier League and Wenger knows how important qualification to the prestigious tournament is.

Torres To The Rescue... Again

Portsmouth 2 (Nugent 61, Hreidarsson 77)
Liverpool 3 (Aurelio 69, Kuyt 84, Torres 90+2)

For the second time in two weeks, Spanish hotshot, Fernando Torres managed to bail Liverpool out and most importantly, mitigated the critics that were heading Rafael Benitez’s way.

After a tormenting midweek game at Goodison Park, the Liverpool manager made 6 changes to the line up, with 6 of his 11 players being defenders. The changes meant that a tweak in the formation was needed.

With the untimely injury of Steven Gerrard coinciding with the departure of Robbie Keane, Benitez was left with little options up front. Torres was deemed as fatigued along with Dirk Kuyt. So David N’Gog made his full debut in their places along with Ryan Babel.

On the hindsight, the two strikers didn’t inspire much confidence and were poor. It proved a point that it’s not really a good time to let go of Keane’s service. N’Gog had a hard time up against the colossus, Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin.

Ryan Babel, meanwhile, managed to miss an open goal in the second half. The Dutch striker have disappointed many this term, with little to deliver and frustrating to watch, constantly running into cul-de-sacs

Mere minutes later, Portsmouth took the lead through David Nugent, who’s a self-proclaimed Evertonian. He gave Martin Skrtel a real hard time the entire evening and managed to squeeze a shot past Pepe Reina.

Liverpool, always with the fighting spirit, got back on level terms through a bizarre chain of events. Eventually, Fabio Aurelio, who was deployed as a central midfielder, smashed home a free kick inside Portsmouth’s penalty box.

The Brazilian, whose natural position being a left-wing back, was seen playing in the Xabi Alonso position. And he never really look out of place throughout with several fine passes.

But he was helpless to see Portsmouth taking the lead again after Hermann Hreidersson headed home from a freekick.

With so much at stake, you just knew that Liverpool wouldn’t go down that easily. With only one loss in the league this season and several key comebacks, it seemed to be turning into a pattern.

The substitution of Dirk Kuyt sparked off a revival. He first created the chance for Babel to score from 4 yards out with an open net but his fellow Dutch totally took his eye off the ball.

Then he had the ball in David James’ net but was erroneously ruled offside.

But like a man for such occasion, it is of no doubt that somehow he’ll find the back of the net and he did when he pounced on a terrible mistake by Distin to smash the ball past James at his near post.

With 15 minutes remaining, Rafa Benitez decided that it is time and with desperate calls from the traveling Liverpool fans getting more audible, Torres was brought on to replace Babel.

With the crowd blaring out the catchy ‘Fernando Torres, Liverpool Number 9’ chant, the Spanish had little time to turn water into wine.

But being one of the most feared and clinical striker in Europe, he never disappoints and after finding his feet last week with two morale-boosting goals against Chelsea, he was hell-bent on rescuing Liverpool from yet another draw.

The brilliant Yossi Benayoun wriggled his way to the left flank before delivering a peach of a cross into the box. And make no guesses; Torres was on the end of it. Sent in at a perfect height, all he did was stood still and directed the ball past the despairing dive of David James.

He made it look really simple.

With Gerrard out for 3 weeks, most of Liverpool’s goals are surely going to come from Torres. It’s a little more comforting to know that at least he is now back on track, scoring goals and putting up decent performances.

Performance wise, again, not the best from the Reds. Although constantly in control, Liverpool looked toothless until the introduction of Kuyt and Torres. The change in formation also probably unsettled some players at first.

But it is encouraging to see Aurelio and Benayoun in such fine form. The duo stood out from the rest and deserves a consistent run of games.

Benitez and many Liverpool supporters, such as I, surely heaped a huge sigh of relief from this game. With Man Utd seemingly on a roll recently, any slip-ups now will surely deal a huge blow to the title bid.

With Chelsea fumbling and Arsenal out of contention, it seemed like Liverpool are the only team that have a minor chance of upsetting the bookies and critics. But Benitez will surely have to deal with the imbalance strike force.

And most importantly, a comeback is needed.

Keane's Saga & Rafa

By: Gareth Freeman

I’m going to take a break from my usual match previews and football betting picks for this latest article because I think he whole Robbie Keane transfer has thrown up a few questions about the way things are done at Anfield.

Cast your mind back too last summer, was Robbie Keane Benitez’s top transfer target? Nope, he wanted Gareth Barry but was told the club didn’t want to shell out the money for him. Villa wanted somewhere round the £20million mark for Barry but the board wouldn’t match that. Despite this they were totally happy to pay £18.6million for Keane.

It seems blatantly obvious to me that Bentitez never really wanted Keane and was never impressed by him when he did play. I don’t blame Keane for this, I do in fact think he is a class player and very much capable of playing for a top-side. The Irish striker just didn’t fit into Rafa’s tactics and system and if a manager never wanted a player it can be hard to break in. Keane’s stay at Anfield reminds me a lot of Andrei Shevchenko’s stay at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho never wanted him and he was left on the sidelines.

Unlike Keane, Barry was a player Benitez really wanted and as the season progresses the more I wish he’d been allowed to bring him in. Barry would have been great in the midfield and would have allowed Gerrard the space to move forward into the striker’s role as often as possible throughout a match. A midfield of Barry and Mascherano or Alonso with Gerrard given more freedom to roam would have been an extremely effective combination but unfortunately for Benitez is never materialised.

Benitez has admitted it is a bit of a gamble letting one of his forwards go, without bringing in a replacement, with Liverpool still competing for honours in the league, Champions League and FA Cup. Without Torres the forward line does look a bit light-weight but then again the Reds managed to see of Manchester United and Chelsea without Torres or Steven Gerrard earlier in the season and there is no reason why that can’t happen again.

The soccer betting odds may now have Manchester United as firm favourites for the title but Liverpool are still up there and that win over Chelsea was a very much needed three points. If Liverpool fail to win anything this season I wouldn’t place the blame on Benitez and Keane’s transfer, I’ll be looking at the board and asking why Rafa wasn’t given the backing he needed at the start of the campaign.

Riley's Gaffes. Torres Laughs

Liverpool 2 (Torres 84, 91min)
Chelsea 0



In the whirling wind and snow of Merseyside, a drama of epic proportion unfolds before the eyes of millions of viewers. It was not only about the sterling performance of Fernando Torres but also the laughable non-performance from referee, Mike Riley.


Liverpool fans will surely argue that Mike Riley took the gloss off their victory over Chelsea and I have to agree. His decisions ranged from puzzling to abysmal. It is such a wonder that he is still undertaking major games like this after all the controversial decisions he’s involved with.

Him, along with Rob Styles, are two ‘big name’ referees who consistently come up with terrible and ridiculous decisions, week in week out and yet, have never really paid the price for them.

This game will surely be put up as one of those evidences to prove that football is in need of some help from technology. Because the state of refereeing is dismal and it is inconceivable that at this level, the standards could have stooped to such worrying level.

Yet we need to understand from a football fan’s point of view that Frank Lampard’s sending off did not turn the tide of the game. Whether the visitors were playing with 11 or 10 men, they never really look threatening or mildly interested in the game. Liverpool, meanwhile, controlled and enjoyed the lion share of possession from first to last.

Yet, Mike Riley’s failure to send off Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, would be on the lips of many. Twice, the over-zealous midfielder committed fouls which deserves straight dismissals yet he escapes.

If Gerrard was sent off, in accordance to the law book, the outcome of the game might have been different.

The marauding midfielder was the catalyst to Liverpool’s first goal, the one which broke Chelsea’s heart, in the 84th minute. Fabio Aurelio’s cross was subsequently met by the instinctive Fernando Torres, who got ahead of the colossus, Alex, and headed past a badly positioned Petr Cech.

The Czech International goalkeeper, who was once acclaimed to be the world’s top goalkeeper, seemed badly out of form and had a couple of nervous moments. Low on confidence, he never really recovered from the head injury he suffered a year and a half ago.

It was the mistake of another Chelsea player which gifted Liverpool their deserved second. Ashley Cole’s bad first touch let him down and substitute, Yossi Benayoun, was able to steal possession from him before laying it into the path of Torres, who had the simplest of finishes to put the game beyond any doubt.

‘I will score against Chelsea’ was the word from the horse’s mouth and he duly delivers. His sharpness and goal-scoring instinct was found sorely lacking for months and Rafa Benitez would be pleased to see the Spaniard hotshot back on the score sheet.

Injured for majority of the season, he has been looking to improve on his fitness rather than adding to his tally. The 2 goals will surely be a big booster for him and if he remains fit, he could give Liverpool a fighting chance at the title.

With Robbie Keane’s departure from Anfield, Liverpool’s goalscoring burden will now be placed back solely on his shoulders.

A sweet victory for Rafa Benitez and his men, doing a double over the Blues of London for the first time since 1990, the year we last won the title incidentally. It gives a little hope but hope can easily be turned into disappointment with a twinkle of an eye.

This game also highlights the inconsistency and incompetence of referees and the discipline board alike.

Jose Bosingwa was let off with a karate kick at the back of Yossi Benayoun. These are two very unimaginable decisions in a space of 2 days. By planting his studs into the Israeli midfielder, how did he escape unscathed, getting a freekick in the process and got away scot-free with only a word of apology?

While Frank Lampard’s genuine tackle right in front of Riley’s eye was deemed worthy of a straight red in a game where every decision counts and weights.

Some would argue that ‘luck’ balances out itself. The last time these two sides met at Anfield, the other ‘superstar’ referee, Rob Styles, awarded Chelsea a non-existent penalty which gifted Chelsea a draw.

But whatever it is, bad referee calls or a world class striker on form, the title race is very likely down to the two horses. Man Utd. being favourites and Liverpool now have to play a little catch up. The meeting of the two giants in early March could tilt the balance both ways.

While Chelsea, post Mourinho era, never looked threatening and lacked the fight and drive which they used to have. With the first team ageing and lacking passion while the sub bench without proper and proven quality, Big Phil now have a couple of problems at hand. Expect the revolving doors to spin at 100km/h this summer, if he keeps the job that is…

Arsenal, now more intent to sign Andriy Arshavin that actually winning games, have too much injury problems. While Aston Villa a little bit of extra quality and experience.

This year’s Premiership could prove to be one of the best in years. If only referees stop being the spoilers of it all.