Noisy Neighbours silenced Liverpool 4 Everton 0

On the third anniversary of the signing of Luis Suarez we went into the 222nd Merseyside derby apprehensive due to the threadbare nature of our squad.

We were desperate for a fast start but nearly went behind due to a misplaced pass from Coutinho which Everton then utilised on the counter attack with Mirallas down the right for Everton rolls a pass inside to Ross Barkley, who lets fly with a firecracker of a shot from 25 yards that goes just over the bar much to the relief of the Anfield faithful.

Coutinho trying to make amends for his earlier mistake jinks around the edge of the area and tries to find Suarez. His pass is blocked again but it sits up nicely for Henderson to volley from 20 yards; Howard punches it away fairly comfortably.

With us now in the descendancy we continued to press for the vital first goal, Coutinho plays an innocuous-looking ball over the top for Sterling but it bobbles awkwardly and Jagielka can't clear it. It breaks for Suarez who hits a first-time shot with his left foot, which Howard tips around the post. Gerrard rolls the corner to Henderson but his shot goes miles over. Very disappointed that Henderson did not get that training routine shot on target.

The reason why we are able to control the game early on was due to our constant pressing game with Sturridge, Suarez and Sterling all providing the first line of defence as Ian Rush used to do all those years ago.

Another long range shot from Gerrard goes well over the bar, Sturridge skilfully knocks the ball over the Everton defence through to Sterling who disappointingly hits the keeper.

The impressive Flanagan soon after sends in a cross for Sturridge but it breaks to Suarez who shoots on the edge of the area but deflects wide for a corner.

Suarez is pelted with coins by Everton (which was disappointing to see from our local rivals) whilst going to take the corner and we gave the perfect riposte when our captain Steven Gerrard headed the ball home and ran off celebrating like a youngster which he did all those years ago when he scored his first Merseyside Derby goal. 


Massive injury problem from that corner when Barry clashed with his own centre forward Lukaku who had to then be substituted. 

From the delayed restart we get the ball back and flood forward, the ball is then played through for Sturridge who is incorrectly ruled offside.

Then came the other defining moment that sums up Gerrard in these games when Barkley was just about to take a shot from the edge of the area, Gerrard produced a fantastic block and then within seconds we were on the attack again with Suarez curling another shot just wide.

Everton continue to press, when a shocking cross-field clearance from the right-hand side by
Sturridge comes to Mirallas and he cuts inside and into the area. He's tackled but the ball breaks for Jagielka and he forces an excellent parry from Mignolet. It falls to Barry who hits it wide.

The excellent Mirallas then cuts inside and shoots low with his left foot and it went just wide of the post.

We then doubled our lead to 2-0 Coutinho wins the ball in midfield and slips a lovely diagonal ball through the defence for Sturridge in space on the edge of the area. He takes a touch, waltzes into the box and as Howard comes out to close him down, Sturridge neatly rolls it under him.

Sturridge then capitalised on extremely poor defending with a long Kolo Toure punt over the top of the Everton defence controlled by Sturridge with Howard rushing towards him, he produced an exquisite high lob, with two quick-fire goals by Sturridge to make it 3-0 it could be deemed that the game was over but anything can happen in a Merseyside derby.

Everton continued to push forward until the ref blew the half time whistle. What a fantastic first half for our boys we just need to push on and secure the three points as comfortably as we could.

The second half started with Everton trying to stage a comeback on a level like Istanbul, there first decent chance was due to a rare mistake by Sterling which meant that he didn't clear the ball and allowed Osman to jink past him and hit a swerving shot at Mignolet which was palmed away to safety.

The very next incident in the game resulted in Suarez from the halfway point intercepting a pass and running from his own half past the halfway line cutting across Jagielka. The England centre half nor fellow centre back Alcaraz can catch him and Suarez makes his way into the box, rolling it past Howard to make it 4-0 and game over.

With our strikers again both scoring it was just left to find out how many more we would try and get, Sterling broke free down the centre tried to go around keeper Howard but was tripped and with the potential of getting a rare Merseyside hat-trick our captain Stevie Gerrard gave the penalty opportunity to Sturridge, who surprisingly skied the ball well over the bar.

Sturridges's game suffered after the penalty miss where instead of passing to a team mate in a better place Sturridge would now take on chances for himself. With that in mind Sturridge was substituted after a final chance to score and not passing to Suarez. Sturridge reaction to being substituted was not our expected response from him and to Sturridges's credit he apologised after the game.

The game petered out to a 4-0 win versus our noisy neighbours, so a four point gap has been made between both clubs.

It was also nice to hear we had closed the gap to leaders Arsenal to now 6 points.

Man of the match- Our captain fantastic Stevie G- his fantastic block, brilliant headed goal and overall play set the standard and led the lads to a brilliant win.

Positives
Any win in a derby is fantastic but to give Everton a drubbing is all the more sweeter.
Mignolet and the defence claiming a clean sheet was brilliant despite the excellent play of Mirallas when Lukaku came off Everton became toothless up front.
The return of Jon Flanagan was a joy to behold

Critical eye
Cissokho is getting worse every game the quicker we recover from our injuries or bring in another left back to cover the better.  
Sturridge needs to try and rein in the petulance remembering the team comes first because he was sulking that he never got his hat-trick goal- good to see he apologised after the game.

Liverpool (4-3-3) - Mignolet ;Flanagan (Kelly 73), Skrtel, Toure, Cissokho;  Henderson,  Gerrard,  Coutinho (Alberto 79); Sterling,  Sturridge(Moses 71), Suarez.

Subs not used - Jones, Aspas, Ibe, Smith.

Goals: Gerrard 21, Sturridge 33,35 Suarez 50

Everton (4-2-3-1) - Howard; Stones, Alcaraz, Jagielka,  Baines,  McCarthy 6, Barry; Mirallas ,  
Barkley (McGeady 76), Pienaar (Osman 46); Lukaku (Naismith 25)

Subs not used - Robles, Hibbert, Gueye, Osman, Garbutt.

Booked - Pienaar, Barry, Mirallas.

Managers - Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez 

Referee - Martin Atkinson

Attendance - 44,450.

Has Steven Gerrard reached his sell by date?

Steven Gerrard, club captain, driving force and inspiration and without doubt not just my favourite player in Liverpool football history, but my favourite player period.   It always been my assertion that he is pound for pound the greatest player in the history of LFC, yes and that even includes Kenny Dalglish.

It is far too easy to say that King Kenny played in great Liverpool teams, therefore it was easier for him to shine and be part of a successful team than Gerrard.  That would be seeing things at too simplistic a level as Dalglish arrived at Anfield under pressure as the replacement for another Liverpool icon Kevin Keegan and over the next decade proceeded to bestride European football in a legendary period which saw the club win the European Cup 3 times in 7 years.

His legacy in the British game is so profound that 27 years after his retirement (in a final season in which he scored the winning goal to clinch the League Championship at the age of 36), his name is still spoken in reverential terms.  In team containing great players, as Ray Kennedy, Terry, McDermott, Ronnie Whelan, Ian Rush and the indefatigable Graeme Souness among others he was the standout player.

Gerrard has played with top players.  Fowler, Owen, Alonso, Torres, Mascherano, Hyppia and now the brilliant Suarez in tandem with Daniel Sturridge.  But, he has never played in a Liverpool side blessed with an abundance of talent, hence the magnitude of his performances over the years and never ending commitment to the cause.

He had the ability to turn games on his own, which is the big difference between him and Frank Lampard and why Mourinho cast admiring glances towards the England captain over the years and why Bayern Munich tried to acquire his talents in the close season.

Steven Gerrard

His performances against Olympiakos and in the Champions League final of 2005 are part of Anfield folklore, but for me it was his performance in the final during extra-time that marked him down as a modern great.  Faced with a surging Serginho, Gerrard almost out on his feet defended with stoicism and intelligence to negate the threat.

I guess that’s why some are openly questioning whether the Liverpool captain should be an automatic choice because his pace, not understandably as sharp as it once was and his movement looking somewhat impaired as apparent against Villa makes him to many a shadow of the formidable player he once.

Has Gerrard earned the stripes to have others do his running for him?  He is still the best passer in the team by a substantial margin as we saw in the same Villa game when he moved further forward to replace Coutinho and almost instantly sent a glorious ball through to Suarez which lead to the penalty which he himself dispatched.

Gerrard still retains in richness of quality an effectiveness which most players will ever possess at their peaks and although he has lost pace, through a succession of injuries, and as such the ability to do those famous lung bursting runs on a consistent basis, Brendan Rodgers still sees him alongside Suarez, as an intrinsic component of team.  Those late runs as he proved in scoring England’s winner in the World Cup qualifier Poland to send them through to the World Cup Finals.

I believe if he is to go on being that player for Rodgers, Gerrard has to have the players around him to give him the time and room to operate, especially if he plays in a deeper role, in the same way that Xabi Alonso functions for Real Madrid or Tom Huddlestone with even less pace operates for Hull.

The crux for me is whether Liverpool have the quality in midfield to determine whether to play Gerrard in a more strategic fashion.  Yesterday apart from Henderson and debatably Alberto, he was the only centre-midfielder available for selection.

If he plays for an hour in some games, the last 30 minutes or plays in the deeper role or in the hole, Gerrard, I believe, still has something to offer as we could see by the way he seamlessly slotted into the centre-half position while Skrtel was off getting repairs yesterday at Bournemouth, but as much as he is Mr Liverpool time moves on and the manager must be prepared to recognise when he should be rested.

AFC Bournemouth 0 Liverpool 2

by dedlfc

With the disappointing news that we had again been gazumped by Chelsea for another player Salah still upsetting LFC fans we went into this tricky away cup tie needing further reinforcements so therefore had to play a very strong side.

Bournemouth started the game on the front foot controlling play and gaining two early corners through nice intricate play and our side's lethargic display at the start was very surprising especially as we are not playing any additional games during the midweek.

With Lucas out for two to three months, Allen injured in training and no reinforcements forthcoming Gerrard again had to be deployed in the defensive midfield role.  Henderson seemed to struggle to get to grips with the pitch and the game in general.

Gerrard saw his free kick floating over the bar as Suarez the usual favourite from deadballs stood aside. Moses energetic play was rewarded with a goal to take the lead with a calm finish from outside the area with his right foot, which disappointly he didn't feel the need to celebrate, posssibly smarting from recent criticism.

From the restart Bournemouth nearly had an instant riposte when their forwards Daniels and Surman combined to allow Surman to clip a strike at Jones - Kolo Toure was in the right place to deflect the ball behind for a corner.

From the resulting corner Bournemouth's captain headed over an inviting chance when it seemed easier to get it on target.

Intelligent play by Suarez then created a great chance for Henderson to double our lead but as becoming a regular habit for Henderson he fluffed his lines and the score remained 1-0.

Suarez with the assistance of Coutinho then tried to wriggle through a few Bournemouth defenders to get a shot off at goal but this went just wide.

The last chance in the half saw Gerrard set up Sturridge for a lob which was tucked away well but was unfortunately offside.

At halftime we were very fortunate to be in the lead but our thoughts were we are happy for the lead and we should get better in the second half.

The turning point came early on when our right back Martin Kelly tugged at Bournemouth's Simon Francis's shirt illegally in our own area and the officials chose to ignore the blatant claims for a Bournemouth penalty.

The bravery of Martin Skrtel was then brought into action when he diverted a dangerous cross away but clashed with striker Grabban and had to then go off for treatment. When down to ten men our capt Gerrard was then required to move back to fill in as centre back to concede another corner much to his anger and he was therefore booked for dissent.

Once Skrtel came back the telling move for the second goal came with the SAS back in full effect with Suarez playing through his strike partner Sturridge for a smart finish to make it 2-0.

Daniel Sturridge sends Liverpool through to the 5th round

Excellent response again to conceding a goal by Bournemouth with their striker Grabban again shooting wide.

Henderson then produced an excellent ball over the top to Sturridge, who in turn produced a brilliantly instinctive first time lob which unluckly clipped the bar with Camp beaten all ends up.

Shortly after Sturridge tried to set up his strike partner Suarez but this time his striking partner lofted the ball just over.

The very welcome return of Jon Flanagan comes just in time for Tuesday's vital Merseyside derby.

Bournemouth had one more chance which Grabban toe-poked towards goal only for Jones to punch away.

The final chance of the game saw Suarez, again put through by Sturrigde, seeing his angled drive well saved by Lee Camp.

Man of the match - Victor Moses

Moses throughout his loan spell at our club has shown little or no sign of producing the exciting wing play he did at Crystal Palace, Wigan or at stages at Chelsea, today he showed glimpses of what he can do but needs to show it on a consistent basis every time he gets game time.

Critical eye: Our keeper Jones performed like a third string keeper rather than our direct reserve keeper, he was flapping and indecisive and just did not breed any confidence.

Despite our clean sheet in the game we did not look confident at all in defence, Toure and Skrtel do not exude stability and authority.

Martin Kelly was solid and stopped several opportunites for crosses from his side despite his rash tug at the Bournemouth player which should have resulted in a penalty.

Positives:

• No further injuries

• A clean sheet

• Another goal from the SAS partnership.

Bournemouth: Camp; Francis, Ward, Elphick, Daniels; Arter(Pitman 78), Surman,  O'Kane; Ritchie(Fraser 73), Pugh(Rantie 73).

Subs: Allsop, Cook, Harte, MacDonald.

Liverpool: Jones;Kelly (Flanagan 73), Skrtel,  Toure, Cissoko;Henderson, Gerrard, Moses (Sterling 84); Coutinho(Alberto 84), Suarez; Sturridge.

Subs: Aspas, Mignolet, Ibe, Sama.

Booked: Gerrard

Goals: Moses 26, Sturridge 60

Referee: Lee Probert.

Attendance: 11,475

Liverpool dithering over Salah opens club up to ridicule

Not for the first time Liverpool lead the race for a player down the home strait, in this case Mohamed Salah, only to be pipped at the winning post by a rival.

The list of losing bids is growing with every window and with the loss of Henrikh Mkhitaryan still felt keenly the gap to the front three is widening not just in points, but in quality and the loss of Salah is certainly feels like a kick to the solar plexus.

Questions have to be asked about Liverpool’s transfer system.  FSG have swallowed UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules hook, line and sinker and their premise is that the only way of challenging the Man City’s of this world is to become self-sustaining, thus the club has to grow commercially signing deals as they have done with Dunkin’ Doughnuts.  My problem is that it is thinking primarily based on Financial Fair Play (FFP) and the hope that every club will be guided by its principles.

Tom Werner spoke in his October interview with the Daily Mirror about FFP saying “I was very involved in representing Liverpool in that discussion at club level and it is important because the club needs to be self-sustaining.  One of the things about FFP is it means you don’t have to overspend to win.”

What Tom Werner says is laudable if the spending of the powerhouses is guided by the same principles, which we know is unlikely.

The problem is that Liverpool have a set price for players they are interested in and once the word gets out the selling club uses us as the bargaining tool to ramp up the selling price and get in other buyers, hence we are left standing.

Ian Ayre presides over LFC transfer policy

Whether Chelsea have done this just to scupper Liverpool (it wouldn’t be the first time), it smacks of a lack of understanding from the board in what it actually takes to stay in and around the Champions League positions and challenging on a consistent basis.

  

Salah represented a chance to buy in quality talent and make a statement and if anything good comes of this, it is that the board recognises that the same faces are dominating the transfer market and the will have to exercise an amount of flexibility to remain competitive.

Chelsea proved that in the transfer market they are a level above us and have the carrot of Champions League football which we appear to want to challenge for on the cheap.

A week left of the transfer window and we now in dire need of midfield holding player and midfield general, a left-back, striking cover and a winger.

Will we get all of these…? I very much doubt it.  Cynics might suggest that only Lucas’ injury has hasten any activity toward bringing a centre-midfield player and the embarrassment of not signing Salah has pressured the board into attempting to make a signing.

Should we fail to qualify the board could be accused of mismanagement and irresponsibility in terms of not recognising that this was the window of opportunity to bridge the gap and get itself back to where it belongs into the throes of Champions League competition.  I think yes.  To be honest it smacks of naivety and inexperience and one hopes we can pull a rabbit out the hat and get in a few players in the last days of the window to keep our challenge on a sustainable footing because another year without Champions League football could just see us languishing for a few more years in the wilderness.

As I have said previously, the Christmas games proved we are not too far away, but not quite and the sooner John W Henry, Ian Ayre and co realise this the better for the club going forward.

 

Billy Hogan, Fenway Sports Group chief commercial said in the same article when equating Liverpool to the Boston Red Sox  “… We are all involved in sport to win, so you want to see property doing well…”  Well, let’s hope so or it’s going to be a long few seasons.