Liverpool Marches Into Champions League

A Perfect Birthday Gift For The Club

Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round

LIVERPOOL 4 - 0 Toulouse
(Liverpool win 5-0 on agg.)

Scorers: LIV - Crouch (19min), Hyypia (49min), Kuyt (87min, 90min);

Match Highlights:

LIVERPOOL-TOULOUSE all goal www.onlinepariuri.com
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Liverpool walloped French side, Toulouse, and advances into the main Champions League competition after a comfortable and comprehensive 4-0 win.

It was a very special night for many Liverpool fans around as they witnessed the team presenting a perfect birthday gift for their beloved club while the sound of 'Z-Cars' ringing over the Anfield tannoys must be the first since Hillsbrough back in 1988.

Family members of the murdered Rhys Jones, were present for the game, donning in their Blue jersey but it was the tragedy that brought the two clubs together, looking past any differences in allegiance.

With the Z-Cars ringing throughout Anfield, much could be said about the conduct of the Liverpool fans last night, who were supportive and gave a standing ovation despite their bitter rival's theme song playing.

A minute of applause was also observed and that sort of lifted the sombre atmosphere off Anfield.

Even as everyone paid their respect last night, the Liverpool players very well know that they have a task at hand and with last night's display, one could say about their total dominance and control on the game is so thorough that Toulouse just stood absolutely no chance from the first whistle to the last.

Post game statistic shows that Liverpool had a total of 25 shots on goal, not a surprising number as the home side rained shots after shots at the visitor's goal relentlessly. Although there was a period of time when nothing seemed to be going in, Kuyt's persistency and the team's self-belief kept them going all the way till the end.

Peter Crouch got the ball rolling in the 19 minute after some good work down the right from Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt sets him up perfectly with a tap in from the far post. Benayoun's never-say-die attitude contributed much to the goal.


Still without Steven Gerrard in the centre of midfield, Liverpool seemed to lost a bit of drive through the middle after the goal. Fellow scouser, Jamie Carragher, was also missing from the game after he fractured his ribs and could be missing up to a fortnight.

But even without Gerrard, Momo Sissoko stepped up and did extremely well last night, alongside Javier Mascherano, who also put up a good show with some good passes and patrolling the back line diligently.

Then chances constantly fell in Liverpool's path but old problems seemed to surface again as Crouch and Kuyt were both guilty of missing some glaring chances. Crouch seemed to justify himself as the tallest player who can't head the ball when he headed the ball from open position over the bar twice.

But Sami Hyypia, the stand-in captain for the night, came to the rescue and could probably teach the strikers a thing or two on heading when he powered the ball in from Benayoun's out swinging corner.

It was just after half time and you could tell the Toulouse players were already deflated.

Then again, back to the routine. Missing chance after chance and Kuyt was desperately unlucky time and again as he sees his header flashing past the post and shots hitting the crossbar.

Just when you thought it just wasn't going to be the Dutchman's day, another Dutch provided him with the chance to extend the lead late in the game.

Substitute, Ryan Babel, flicked the ball selflessly to him inside the penalty box and Kuyt was able to finish it off from an acute angle. It went in off the post and a huge sigh of relief from the Dutch striker, as he had failed to convert the previous chances. It could've affected his morale and belief a whole lot.

He then doubled his tally on the dot of 90 minutes.

Not only was the predatory skill of Kuyt on display for the third goal, it was also a move that justified the acquisition of Yossi Benayoun. Both worked brilliantly in that goal and it was Benayoun's intricate through pass that send Kuyt clear and was able to finish past the onrushing goalkeeper.

All in all, a very good result yet it still highlighted a few problems such as finishing and complacency at the back. Strikers must learn how to take chances while John Arne Riise looked disinterested at times and a few of his passes went astray.

A night which commemorated the birth of the city of Liverpool. A night which a city as a whole remembered the tragedy that befell on a fellow Liverpudlian. All these are certainly more meaningful than just getting into the Champions League.

RIP Antonio Puerta

In a world of sports, players and sports people are constantly pushed to the limits in terms of physicality and mentality. It's always surprising to see supposed healthy sportsman getting sickness as we all know that actively doing sports is good for healthy.

But in recent times, more and more sports players seemed to succumb to heart problems and only on Sunday, Sevilla and Spanish wing-back, Antonio Puerta, collapsed midway through the game and after 2 days in the intensive care unit, he sadly passed away.

Condolences to his family members. I've personally never seen him play and his name doesn't ring a bell but it's always sad to see a bright and rising star leaving just like that.




In another case, the death of Rhys Davies, the 11 year old kid from Liverpool, has brought two rival clubs together for the same cause tonight. The boy was shot and died a week ago and as an Everton support since birth, the Blues of course did make their own arrangement for his commemoration.

But the respectable thing Liverpool did will be tonight when the Reds face Toulouse in the Champions League qualifier. Players will wear black armbands in remembrance of him while Everton's theme song, Z-Cars, will be played before 'You'll Never Walk Alone' just before the game.

It's a tragic moment which united the hearts of two different camps. Bitterness and hatred might still dwell within the two teams but ultimately, it was for the cause of their city. Two clubs it might be, it's still one city.

Fair play.

Booted In The Arse

Italian football. A colourful league with managers that dressed up like Mafias or your regular 'kopitiam' uncles. Brilliant!

Poor Robbo

It's hard not to find a scapegoat when things goes pear shape. Same goes with football, when you're at your low, they just batter you all the way down, leaving you looking like an absolute clown. Nowadays, it seemed like Paul Robinson has officially taken over as the most laughed-at player in football and with some of his shambolic performance in recent times, it's easy to see why.

I myself don't like to get down on players who plays badly but sometimes, you just got to look at the lighter side of things. Therefore, after viewing THIS thread on the F365 forums, I just HAD to share with you all the brilliant photoshopped products that left me laughing like a mad man with tears in my eyes.

The original photo:



The Photoshopped photos:

Well done, bloody well done!

Credits: F365 forums, as usual :)

Job Well Done Without Skipper

Sissoko The Surprise Milestone Setter

English Premiership

Sunderland 0 - 2 LIVERPOOL

Scorers:
LIV - Sissoko (37min), Voronin (87min);

Goals:

Sunderland's Stadium of Light became the perfect setting for Liverpool to once again, display their proficiency and new found belief as they dominated the home side, stamping their authority and went off with all 3 points.


Also, the mystery scorer of Liverpool's 7000th league goal came as a big surprise.

The one player whom seemed least likely to score came up with an absolute scorcher and all the fans who doubt his shooting ability can be rest assured now. It was Momo Sissoko, the one player most of us would like to see scoring and he did it just at the right time!

Roy Keane's side endured the baptism of fire last week after being thrashed 3-0 by Wigan but that lesson alone didn't seem to wake the players up from the harsh reality of the Premiership.

Within seconds of kickoff, Gary Halford nearly gifted Liverpool an early goal after his backpass was too short and Andiry Voronin was able to pounce on the loose pass but Craig Gordon, who was imperious throughout, blocked his effort valiantly.

But soon the game settled down and the away side had to endure the physicality of the Sunderland side. Sami Hyypia was forced off with a nose injury after he was elbowed while Jamie Carragher was later substituted off with a broken rib and collapsed lung.

It certainly does add injury woes to Liverpool, something unseen for the past seasons. With Gabriel Paletta joining Boca Juniors, the Reds seemed a little short in the centre back position currently.

But as seen throughout the game, defence never seemed to be a problem for Liverpool despite Sunderland crawling their way back into the game. Just when they seemed to catch them asleep with the pace of Anthony Stokes, Liverpool hit back through the unlikely source.

Andiry Voronin intelligently laid off the ball for Sissoko to smash home from range and replays showed that it wasn't an easy chance to take but what a beautiful, it was! That goal seemed to have helped him in building some confidence as he went on to put up an impressive display, winning accolades and man of the match award as well.

After a decent first season, his form dipped while the eye injury didn't help either. He seemingly lost his place to the newly arrived Javier Mascherano last season and thought to be on his way out last summer but this performance alone probably earn him some time to prove himself further.

Liverpool, though put up a decent performance, once again guilty of failing to putting the game to bed with a number of glorious chances. Only the most expensive British goalkeeper, Craig Gordon, kept Sunderland in the game with some magnificent saves, mitigating the score to a respectable one.

But then with determination and some sparkle of brilliance from the front line, they managed to unlock the Sunderland defence again and this time round, putting the ball past Craig Gordon. The nimbleness and vision of Jermaine Pennant combined with the unselfishness and creativity of Fernando Torres gave Voronin the perfect chance to put the game to rest in the 87 minute.

Composed and calm, the Ukrainian cut the ball back before placing it into the far corner of Gordon's net. A lovely move finished with a simply aesthetic goal.

Overall, a professional performance that resulted in a good win. You can say it's only Sunderland but the physicality of the Black Cats could've caused a whole lot of trouble yet Liverpool stamped their authority throughout and never really lost the grip of the game.

Without Gerrard, Sissoko stepped in and replaced the captain seamlessly while Pennant was once again, terrorising the right flank constantly. Torres and Voronin formed a pretty good partnership up front. A combination of hard work, determination and intelligence.

The only drawback was the injury to Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher, with the latter being a little more worrying as he's the integral part of the formidable Liverpool defence line. But Arbeloa should be able to cover during his absence while Hyypia's injury shouldn't be that bad.

It's one small step but this is the sort of 3 points we ought to get. We used to throw it all away but we should appreciate every point we get from now.

Thank You Lil' Luis

After his letter written to the fans was posted up few days back, I have nothing but more respect for the Atletico man. It's seldom players demonstrating such love for a club and it's fan despite leaving and for that, I'll say good luck and all the best in Spain.

Upon the appointment of Rafa Benitez back in 2004/2005 season, Luis Garcia was one of the first few players brought in to give the squad a little more creativity and flair, something which we've lacked in the Houllier era.

He's able to pry open defences not in the way of Gary McAllister's passing or Danny Murphy's direct approach but he's pretty much a schemer, moving into brilliant positions and his favored position is no doubt the 'hole' position, just behind the striker, where he showed time and again that despite his lack of physical prowess, he's still able to catch defences by surprise with well-timed runs and positioning himself at the right place, right time.

One thing that the Liverpool fans will never forget is his unpredictability and his volatile nature of play. Many put it in simple words, 'brilliant one moment, dreadful the next'. But that makes him a very special player in our view.

Those picture probably brings back good memories of the first victory over Chelsea since the post-Abramovich era, the night when the whole of Anfield erupted and probably the night which sparked off Liverpool's revival, back into the scene.

Till now, fans are still having different viewpoints as to whether the ball had crossed the line but as it stands, he scored the goal which brought us back to football prominence, winning the most prestigious cups of all, the European Cup.

The Road to Istanbul also had Luis Garcia's footprint all over it and he definitely played a major role in that triumphant pilgrim to the holy grail. His goal against Bayer Leverkusen and most notably, Juventus, got Liverpool past each stages of the competition.

Not forgetting as well, he had a hand in the FA Cup with a goal against who else but Chelsea. A beautifully lobbed goal past Carlo Cudicini which gave Liverpool the chance to lift the biggest domestic cup.

Definitely a player for the big occasions, he scored countless others against other Premiership opponents. Injury did somehow hamper him from further glory last season but his contributions to the team was never in doubt.

Garcia does have a hand in Liverpool's rise to glory in the past 3 years and that many Liverpool fans like me will probably look back in 10 years time and thank someone like him for all the wonderful memories and also assisting the team to recover from mediocrity to supremacy.

We love you Luis, we hope you start drinking sangria!

No Gerrard, No Problem?

Once dubbed the 'one man team' by the media due to their reliance on Steven Gerrard, Liverpool will take the opportunity tomorrow to prove that they are able to cope with the absence of Steven Gerrard with little fuss.

The skipper played in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea last week with the help of pain-killing injection and he missed out also on England's latest defeat to Germany on Thursday.

With a hairline fracture on his toe, Rafa Benitez is seemingly unwilling to risk the captain for the trip to Sunderland with the Champions League 3rd round qualifier just round the corner, on Wednesday.

The captain was instrumental in Liverpool's decent start to the new 07/08 Premiership season with one goal and one assist. His presence will be sorely missed but up against Roy Keane's Sunderland, Liverpool probably found a right time to rest the skipper.

Saturday's game will be an early kick-off and obviously it ticked Rafa off as he launched a tirade at Premier League and their supposed biasness towards the other big teams while victimising Liverpool.

After failing to land Gabriel Heinze, who then joined Real Madrid, Rafa was clearly annoyed by the case in which was given in favour of ManYoo.

With Heinze joining up with the Spanish champions, Liverpool will most likely not make any more first team signing.

Other than Gerrard, the missing players list goes on with the likes of Harry Kewell and Fabio Aurelio. Both of them missed large chunks of last season and are eager to get fit so as to cement a place in the side, which is getting more competitive each passing year.

Already, news report mentioned about Yossi Benayoun's displeasure with Rafa and his constant tinkering and squad rotation. Whether it is true or not is unclear but Yossi should very well know Rafa's management style and that it's part of his doctrine that brought success to Liverpool in the past 3 years.

Tomorrow will be a showcase of Liverpool without Gerrard and that with several choices in the central midfield area, Rafa shouldn't have much problem filling the gap with either Momo Sissoko, Javier Mascherano or even Lucas Leiva alongside Xabi Alonso.

Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Hyypia, Arbeloa, Riise, Pennant, Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard, Benayoun, Sissoko, Voronin, Crouch, Kuyt, Torres, Babel, Itandji.

Drogballs' Prediction: Sunderland 0-2 Liverpool.

Comical Fergie

I think other than the Liverpool vs Chelsea game on Sunday night, much attention was also focused on the Manchester derby. A new look Man City under the guidance of England's favourite manager, Sven Goran-Eriksson, got all 3 points despite giving ManYoo 98% of the possession.

One thing struck me during the match though. The camera panned towards Fergie when Tevez missed a sitter from 2 yards out and his reaction was....

To put it into context...

Haha!

I'm On Newspaper

Well it was my first attempt to write in to the local newspaper named The Newpaper here in Singapore. They wanted to hear from us, the fans for the post-match reactions and so I wrote in one very brief piece and comparing it to the one I wrote previously, it's like a uber-summarised version.

But anyway, I got on!


Yes, I'm James if you ain't aware :)

Anyway there are probably more positives to take out of the Chelsea game if we stand further back and take a look at it from a different perspective. Fernando Torres getting on the score sheet so early in the season was a big positive for me and also, scoring against Chelsea will certainly boost his confidence and also, establishing himself at the club fairly quickly.

And why kick Chelsea out of the race so quickly? Let's do them at later part of the season shall we? Its when it hurts the most, eh?

Liverpool ROB-bed In STYLE

Styles' Performance Overshadows Torres' Home Debut

English Premiership

LIVERPOOL 1 - 1 Chelsea

Scorers:
LIV - Torres (16min);
CHE - Lampard (pen 62min);

(Carragher says 'GO HOME YOU T**T')

Diabolical. One word to describe Rob Styles' handling of the high profile match between the 2 English giants. In a match where so much matters, he cracked under pressure and I'm fairly sure he will not escape scrutiny for the days to come.

We're probably used to some odd decisions here and inconsistency there but how can a referee who's taking charge of one of the biggest game in the English football calender lost the plot like he did?

Absolutely shambolic. Awarding the non-existent penalty that probably robbed Liverpool off all 3 points and what's more to come? Showing Michael Essien 2 yellowcards in a single match but failed to send him off. One has got to wonder what do the referees write on their cards. Do they even note down who they book?

Where's the professionalism? How did it happen at such a big stage such as this?

Before going off-track, I just want to say Liverpool probably did just enough to grab all 3 points just like they did at Toulouse 3 days ago but yet another controversial decision from the man in black changed the course of the game totally.

Chances were at its premium and that both teams know that they can't afford to lose this game. Leaving Anfield with no point would probably means an uphill task for any of the teams so as often as we've seen Liverpool vs Chelsea, it was a fairly controlled game with a few sparkles here and there.

Most pleasantly, Liverpool's record signing scored in his full home debut and it really didn't take him long to get off the block. Unlike what I've predicted previously, it took him only 16 minutes before scoring his first goal for Liverpool infront of the Anfield faithful.

The goal just showed us what we've lacked over the years. Sheer pace, power and composure. He took the ball past a static Tal Ben Haim before calmly slotting it past Petr Cech. It was a goal of the highest quality. Something which we've lacked all these while.

As Jose Mourinho is never afraid to make changes, he took off an ineffective Saloman Kalou in the second half and the introduction of Claudio Pizzaro did cause a few scares for Liverpool. His aerial prowess along with Drogba's doggedness meant that the defence marshaled by Carragher will have to hang on for the second period.

Chelsea looked extremely dangerous when it comes to set pieces yet they failed to capitalise while Torres and Kuyt were constantly harrying and pressurising the Chelsea defence with Gerrard roaming from the centre of the field.

Just when everything looked good for Liverpool, Rob Styles made an absolutely terrible decision in awarding Chelsea a penalty.

With the ball played well behind him, Florent Malouda clattered into Steve Finnan but it was the Irish defender who was penalised. Lampard stepped up routinely to slot the ball past Reina.

Then another point of controversy came when a heated argument between the Chelsea players and referee Rob Styles became a card waving ceremony for them as he went bonkers, giving out as many yellow cards as possible.

That includes the already booked Michael Essien.

Through his body language, you could tell he knew he was off. He had his hands on his head. But well, he just decided to be magnanimous and let him off the hook.

Oh yes, magnanimous is a fairly tame word to use. There are other more nasty ones but I for one, can't be bothered since I believe his performance will no doubt come under major scrutiny from the national press and also the football association.

For a man to take on the role of a referee in such a high profile game, Rob Styles really must have bottled it big time and if this shambolic piece of refereeing doesn't go under investigations, there must be something wrong up there.

Shame on you, Styles. Shame on YOU.