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.

Match Preview: Wigan vs Liverpool

By: Gareth Freeman

I for one am glad it’s not another Mersey derby! Both of them were disappointing games in terms of the score and now there is another replay with Everton coming up. Oh well, the test in front of Rafa this time is a trip to the JJB Stadium to face the high-flying Wigan Athletic but this could be a great opportunity for the Reds to get back to winning ways.

In the current transfer window Wigan have lost Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey. It is the curse of the ‘small’ club who does well too lose their better players and these two were arguably Wigan’s stand out players. The loss of Heskey in particular will hurt Wigan. Liverpool fans will remember him well from his time at Anfield and the big striker was always capable of holding up the ball – something that Wigan used him for too great effect.

The Latics have also lost their last two games so they’re not on the hot-streak they were a few weeks ago. On the other hand they have only been beaten three times at home this season and it is still not an easy task travelling to Wigan, despite the loss of Heskey.

A couple of faces may have left the JJB but they’ve brought a few faces in themselves. Boss Steve Bruce has brought in midfielder Ben Watson from Championship side Crystal Palace and Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega. I have to confess I don’t know much about these two players. Watson arrives with a big reputation from Palace but the step-up to the Premier League is not easy and it may take him time to adjust.

Antonio Valencia, Lee Catermole and Amr Zaki are all dangerous players amongst the Wigan line up. They’ve been putting in some decent performances all season and are a big reason why Wigan are doing so well in the league. Catermole is a good battling midfielder and will be able to compete with the Liverpool midfield while Valencia offers pace and skill, both players will probably move on to bigger clubs eventually in their careers.

I’ve outlined the threat of the opponent but if Liverpool perform to the level we all know they can Wigan shouldn’t really pose a massive obstacle. I for one wouldn’t back Wigan to get anything out of this tie with my football betting but Liverpool will need to be on form to win this one. With all the troubles at Anfield lately a win for Liverpool would go a long way to restoring the fans’ faith in a title bid. The only worry from the Liverpool perspective could be Rafa putting out a weakened side with Chelsea coming up on Sunday. However, I would expect Gerrard and Torres to play at least an hour and that should be enough to get past Wigan.

I’m going to offer a few football betting picks to finish off with. I think Arsenal will do enough to beat Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, and I would also go for Manchester City to beat Newcastle at Eastlands and West Ham United to beat Hull City at Upton Park. I’ve already said I’d back Liverpool away at Wigan, while you would think (unfortunately) that Chelsea will easily see off struggling Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge.

Match Preview - Liverpool vs Everton (Part 2)

By: Gareth Freeman


Well Monday night was a bit disappointing wasn’t it? I’m not buying into all of the talk about Rafa and Alex Ferguson’s war of words and Liverpool’s title bid being derailed just yet but it is a bit of a worry. Tim Cahill popping up to head in unmarked with three minutes to go was not good too see. A lack of concentration from a set piece really cost Liverpool that day, but winning the league is still very much a possibility.

Next up the Reds get a chance to get a bit of revenge over Everton in the FA Cup. I don’t think Benitez will play his best XI to be honest, he’ll want too concentrate on the league and quite rightly. It could be a chance for Lucas and Ryan Babel to start and show what they can do and Yossi Benayoun may also be included in the starting line-up. Dirk Kuyt has spoken of the players desire to win this one and there have been some positive signs coming out of Anfield but it all depends on how strong a side Rafa fields on the day. A win in the second Mersey derby would boost confidence but I bet Rafa would sacrifice the cup for the league any time.

Everton on the other hand probably will start with their best XI. They’re in a position in the league where they won’t be worried about relegation but at the same time European qualification is all they can really achieve, I doubt they’ll make the top-four and the FA Cup represents their only real chance for silverware this season. The major bonus for Liverpool in this one is the fact Marouane Fellaini is still suspended. I’ve been really impressed by Fellaini and even more impressed by his hair, he has been one of Everton’s best players this season and Liverpool should be buoyed by his absence.

Offering football betting tips on this particular Mersey derby is a big call and I’m going to leave it well alone. I wouldn’t really bother having a flutter myself until I’ve seen the starting line ups and I know who’ll be playing. I’m going to reserve my football betting advice for the other FA Cup games. I think Wolverhampton Wanderers could beat Middlesbrough and cause a minor upset, Coventry will be too strong for non-league Torquay and if you fancy a real cup upset I wouldn’t bet against Hartlepool knocking out West Ham and claiming their third Premier League scalp of the season.

Reds Blew It

Liverpool 1 (Gerrard 68)
Everton 1 (Cahill 88)


Liverpool were given a chance to reclaim top spot from Man Utd. on Monday night but missed out after a late Tim Cahill goal gifted Everton a deserved draw at Anfield against their bitter city rivals.

Just about a week ago Liverpool were sitting at the top of the table but were made to pay for their average performances this season. So far, other than the 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle, the Reds have failed to put up any sort of convincing performance.

In an attempt to draw attention away from his players during such crucial period of time, Rafa Benitez now will have to face more pressure as his ‘calculated’ attack on Sir Alex not only failed to pay off but suddenly looked as if it will backfire spectacularly

With his contract issue yet to be resolved, it proved to be another harmful distraction and probably tells us the mistrust between the American owners and the Spanish manager.

Leading his men into what he called, ‘the biggest derby I’m involved in’, he knew that Everton would do whatever it takes to stop them from reclaiming top spot. And the Toffeemen did just that.

The blue half of Merseyside were surely thrilled by the manner of how Everton got off the block so quickly and gave Pepe Reina a handful of saves to make. Victor Anichibe and then later, Tim Cahill, stung the palms of the Spanish goalkeeper and the away side was able to apply pressure despite not having a recognized striker.

But Liverpool felt that they should’ve taken the lead after Sami Hyypia’s long pass found the Fernando Torres, who was installed in the team after missing out for the past 3 months. But his rustiness in front of goal was apparent as he clipped the ball wide off the target despite only having Tim Howard to beat.

He later had a legitimate penalty appeal turned down after being bundled in the box by Phil Jagielka. But it was just not his day. Neither was it Robbie Keane’s, who was a virtual spectator throughout and contributed nothing. Benitez’s plan to dovetail the pair failed miserably this time.

Only after withdrawing Keane then did we see Steven Gerrard at his rampaging best. In derby such as this, it often just takes a moment of brilliance to break the duck and Gerrard did just that.

From 30 yards out, he lashed a driving shot which left Tim Howard hapless.

Many thought that it will be the winner and the game decider. So did Rafa Benitez, who then took off Torres and put on Lucas, changing the shape of the team. It sent out the message that Liverpool is ready to play out for the 1-0.

But we know Everton had other ideas.

With just 5 minutes left to go, Everton won a freekick near the byline through a foul by Yossi Benayoun. And we know how dangerous Everton are with set pieces, with Tim Cahill and Leon Osman constantly on the prowl.

A simple training ground routine freekick managed to unlock Liverpool and expose their faulty zonal marking system. Arteta’s freekick was met with aplomb by Tim Cahill’s head, without a Liverpool shadow anywhere near the Australian.

It must have tasted sweet for the Everton supporters, who have a short trip back home. It might not be the most ideal result for them but to thwart their rival’s title bid, they should say it’s a job well done.

Despite only losing one league game so far this season, the number of draws and goal scored must be a little worrying for Rafa Benitez. Especially for this season, the home record is not as good as it should be and there is a cause for concern here.

The Reds are definitely still in for a shot at the title but Benitez needs to commit his future quick and find a solution to the Torres and Keane formula, which is still a big mystery.

Match Preview: Liverpool vs Everton

Gareth Freeman

This match is a massive one now. On Saturday five minutes of football changed everything, with United grabbing a last-gasp winner and Chelsea producing a frankly ridiculous turn-around the pressure is all back on Liverpool.

Benitez and his side need to put all their off-field problems too one side if they are going to win this tie. Everton have one of the most impressive away records in the league, losing two and winning seven of their ten away fixtures to date and there is no doubting they would love to put a spanner in the works of their neighbour’s title bid.

The Goodison Park side are still without a proven recognised striker, Victor Anichebe is back from injury but he is still a player learning his trade. Tim Cahill has stepped up too take on the striker’s role and he is justifying his place in the starting eleven. Carragher and co will need to be on top form to keep Everton out. Mikel Arteta is another player well equipped to change a game and there is no doubt how talented this Everton side is – even if they do travel to Anfield as the underdogs. Liverpool’s home form may have been criticised through the course of this season but they still have still yet to lose and it would take a brave man to back Everton to be the first side to do that.

My football betting tip would be for Fernando Torres to grab a goal in this encounter. He is still yet to hit the kind of form he had before his injury but he is a player who likes the big stage and this derby match would be a perfect time for him to step up to the plate and score. I doubt whether many will be backing Everton too take all three points with their football betting, but they are a decent side and should not be ignored as a threat.

The first of the two Liverpool derby’s in quick succession and I think everyone in the red half of the city would rather win this one than the FA Cup fixture. Liverpool looked good value for the title a few weeks ago but now things seem to be slipping away a bit, but a win over their local rivals would go a long way to proving they are capable of bringing home the title.

Now... What Was That All About?

Stoke City 0
Liverpool 0

On Friday’s pre-match conference, Rafa Benitez launched an astonishing attack on Sir Alex Ferguson, Man Utd’s mind game master. The verbal tirade split the crowd into two as some says that it was a calculated move while others suggest the Spanish manager has cracked under pressure.

“I would ‘luv it”, anyone?

And how the Premiership title race took a 180 degrees turn over the weekends. Is the tide turning against Liverpool already? Now the attack by Rafa Benitez suddenly seemed daft and the attempt to put extra pressure on Man Utd is probably as toothless as their abject display at the Brittania Stadium.

A goal-less stalemate (notice the word ‘Stale’) against Stoke City, Liverpool suddenly handed the initiative over to Man Utd, who with 2 games in hand still, crushed and trampled over a purring Chelsea side.

By this Saturday, Liverpool could be dislodged from the pinnacle and they only have themselves to blame.

Don’t get me wrong. Stoke City, away from home is never going to be easy. A typical modern day relegation side which lacks quality to compete on level ground with the big money clubs in the Premiership, they even things up by being physical, hard work and a lot of high balls.

Rory Delap’s every long throw gave Liverpool a couple of nervy moments. But he proved that he is more than ‘that long-throw man’ by rattling the bar of Pepe Reina early in the first half.

Despite a good start from the visiting team, Stoke City took control and even had the ball in the back of the net when Richard Cresswell rising above the static defence to head home but he was rule offside.

Meanwhile, Benitez’s decision to deploy Dirk Kuyt as a spearhead for the attack backfires this time. It worked against Newcastle but not this time. Robbie Keane was made to pay for all his misses last week with a position on the bench.

Steven Gerrard saw little of the ball, which effectively mitigates the majority of Liverpool’s attacking threat. But the unlucky captain hit the post twice in the second half in an attempt to haul the league leaders into victory.

The impact of Xabi Alonso’s absence was also felt. His passing that unlocks defence was sorely missed and there was no one able to dictate the tempo of Liverpool’s play. His replacement, Lucas, looked like a fish out of the water again in this game after a few decent performances.
Wasteful in possession and constantly racking up fouls, the Brazilian midfielder was indeed, frustrating to watch.

Even with the introduction of Fernando Torres, it failed to spark any sort of inspiration into an abject performance. Robbie Keane was left on the bench and Yossi Benayoun… was he even playing?

With so much at stake this very moment, another disappointing draw could only mean more pressure will be on Liverpool in the days to come. The season could go pear-shaped as the next 2 games are against their Merseyside rivals, Everton.

Have those words of Rafa Benitez managed to stir the hornet’s nest over at Old Trafford? Seeing how they rolled over Chelsea last night, it definitely did. Have they helped Liverpool’s push for title? No, those words are unnecessary.

Want to win the 19th? Stop talking, start playing consistently like one already.