Stewart Downing as he hadn’t done all season blew by the right-back with consummate ease early on to a deliver a superb ball to the far post, which Kuyt sliding in had his shot saved on the line. It was first time since May 2007 that Liverpool had gone into a Premiership game without the suspended Pepa Reina which meant a debut for Doni. Within minutes, his absence was felt. Liverpool where behind hit by a quick break when Stephen Warnock after nicking the ball away from a hesitant Flanagan, delivered a deep cross on the run which Doni, under pressure from Heskey, could only finger tipped into the path of Bannan who rolled the back invitingly to Herd, who dispatched with aplomb in the top corner without breaking stride.
Liverpool, as has been apparent all season looked laboured in their attempts to step up a gear with Gerrard looking off colour and Suarez failing to spark. Skrtel headed just wide from a Gerrard corner just after the half hour, set pieces appeared our best option of going level. As in the Wigan game Aston Villa looked more than comfortable for a team struggling to avoid been dragged in the regulation fight. Apart from the Skrtel chance Liverpool barely had a chance worth noting until with one minute from time, Suarez linking up with Enrique fashioned a wonderful left footed cross which was met on the volley by Gerrard whose scuffed shot was ballooned high over the bar by Kuyt from two yards. It stung Liverpool into action with Suarez and Gerrard, having a shot saved and shooting over the bar respectively in the final minute of the half.
Eight minutes into the second half Gerrard delivered a stunning cross from 35 yards out on the right which Suarez met with a glancing header against the post which Given instinctively hooked out. The 33rd time a Liverpool effort has connected with the woodwork this season. Liverpool began to dominate possession in the last quarter of the pitch with Downing, having the beating of Hutton at will, starting to look increasingly dangerous got in three crosses into the area. The decision then to haul him off (with Shelvey) and bring on Carroll was perplexing. Downing looked dangerous from the more natural side for him and one would’ve like to have seen him given the chance to offer Carroll the service he’s been longing for.
Jordan Henderson having moved back into the middle was disappointing and was lucky not to have been substituted alongside or instead of Shelvey. He failed to offer any dynamism or creativity and that both he and Shelvey failed to stoke the Liverpool fires in the engine room was part of the reason Villa were rather to comfortable in the first-half.
Bellamy collecting the ball palmed out by the under pressure Given from a Gerrard cross, hit the bar with an angled drive, no 34... Liverpool were now the only team in the game, but looked unlikely to score until the inclusion of Agger, replacing Enrique whose form has tailed off alarmingly over the last month or two. In overlapping mode, he often has the time to cross, but invariably checks back with as if unaware of Suarez already having made his run.
The breakthrough finally came when another excellent cross from Gerrard was met on the far post from Agger attacking the ball and heading against the bar with Suarez lurking in Ian Rush fashion, heading home from close range. Liverpool came close with a header from Carroll and drive from Gerrard looking more like the Gerrard of old as the match went on.
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| Questions and more questions... |
The result was disappointing against a pretty poor Villa side and Liverpool’s inadequacies in front of goal were again shown in all its glory. The lack of a cutting edge has been a worry all season and we go into a week which will see us play the old enemy across the park the worry grows by the minute.
Kop-Post Man of The Match: Steven Gerrard - Stepped on the gas in the second-half, when he moved to the right he whipped over a stream of quality crosses, one of which led to the goal. If only some of his colleagues could learn to direct crosses in the same manner.
Critique’s Corner: With little or no chance of Champions League why is the manager neglecting Raheem Sterling and Nathan Eccleston for bench duty or low and behold even a start. Once again, Liverpool suffered with a lack of creativity and width and one really has to look at the coaching think-tank and ask whether the pressure has hindered their decision making processes because the same mistakes are being made continuously.
Jamie Carragher - sadly rarely makes a telling impact on games these days – he seems to stand yards behind the last Liverpool defender weary of pacey strikers. Thank for the good Lord for healing Daniel Agger’s ribs.
The continuing shoddy treatment of Carroll especially after his first-half performance against Newcastle was disappointing. Liverpool are in essence starting matches without a goal poaching striker which points directly to the fact the manger hasn’t looked to his squad to bring someone through.
The sad thing for me at the moment is that I am no longer surprised when we draw at home to any poor side - our current manager just seems unable to change the destiny of any games and the pattern continues every game at the moment.
ReplyDeleteIf we go behind in a game we are not capable of producing the required drive and fight to win such a match and normally draw or lose such a match.
If we take the lead in a game we are not good enough to push on and get a second and third goal to win a match and normally draw or lose such a match.
The continuous selection of the now limited Carragher when the whole football world can see his legs have gone is baffling and again shows Dalglish's blind faith to the established players.
This blind faith has stunted the growth of our team with the continuous ignoring of the credentials of our youth/reserve players for players such as Dirk Kuyt who has publicly stated a request for a move elsewhere if he doesn't play in the first team regularly - every time he makes a start he misses easy chances and this continued again yesterday on two occasions vs Aston Villa.
We are not going to see whether Carroll will make it long term under Dalglish because he is never given a run of games to show what he can do- he asked the owners to back his decision to buy him for the crazy figure of 35m but has not backed him like Rafa backed his similarly tall striker Peter Crouch.
From across the Atlantic the owners must be very unhappy with the fact that they invested so heavily in the players chosen by Dalglish and Comolli and have not seen any positive signs from any of them.
Henderson again yesterday was given a chance in central midfield but because he really is not good enough failed miserably again. We can make all the excuses we like about his age but he should be showing us encouraging signs that he is able to do a job in any position in midfield like a young Steve Gerrard but he is just not capable of making his mark at LFC.
Watched the second half and not surprised being a goal down at home, becoming typical now. However I though we were all over them (2nd half) but could not find the net.
DeleteIf we had scored earlier in the second half I reckon we would have scored another and taken the points.
Surprised not to see Carroll and Bellamy, not playing until later on in the second half, why?
Teams are just eating us up and it does look horrible sitting 8th, but only us to blame.