NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 - 3 LIVERPOOL
Sunday 19 March 2006 13:30 ,
Barclays Premiership
Liverpool continued to put the pressure on Manchester United in the race for second place with a 3-1 win at Newcastle. Here's the best of the post match reaction.
The Liverpool manager "I am really happy because we played well, scored goals and could have won by a lot more than 3-1 in the end. We used three centre backs today and had Warnock and Kromkamp as wing backs and it worked very well. The movement of Kewell caused problems for Newcastle and we started the game very well. It is really important for the team to see the strikers scoring goals and it has given me a good problem for the next game. Peter Crouch showed today why we signed him as he scored a good goal, kept the ball and won headers. It was important to win and our idea is the same and that is win one game at a time, keep going and keep closing the gap on Manchester United." Rafael Benitez The Newcastle caretaker manager "It goes without saying Boumsong is very upset - who wouldn't be?. There isn't a footballer that wouldn't be upset with what led up to the penalty and what led up to the sending off. He didn't make enough contact with what appeared to be a simple clearance and the ball evaded him. He then had a to make a decision on whether to attempt to tackle or let the player go in on goal. He made the decision to attempt to win the ball back, and I have no complaints with the penalty, it really killed us off. But what you won't get me to do is criticise him publicly because I was a player once of some sort and any manager or coach who criticised me or another player after a bad mistake wasn't a person for me, was not a good coach, was not a good manager. But that does not mean to say I will not sit down with Boumsong and go through the goals and share my view of where he could have done better." Glenn Roeder The Liverpool player "It was good, we did most of the work in the first half. It's pleasing, we scored five last week and three today so it's good. We've always been playing well and getting results but it's nice to kill teams off and the last couple of days we've managed to do that. We could have gone on to score more." Peter Crouch The broadsheet newspaper The Liverpool players' movement, vision and all-round professionalism meant they took full advantage. Their fresh system here, with Peter Crouch playing an advanced role and supported on either side by Harry Kewell and Djibril Cissé plus wing-backs, led to some energetic attacking and Rafael Benitez's side's pursuit of second place shows little sign of stuttering. Crouch had an early chance when he met Stephen Warnock's curling cross with a firm header but watched it drift wide. When handed a second chance, his accuracy was unerring. Jan Kromkamp chipped a diagonal pass towards the far post where Crouch snuck in between Boumsong, who missed the ball with an attempted headed clearance, and Peter Ramage, to head in from three yards. Liverpool were buoyed as Warnock and Kewell showed some splendidly swift one-touch football.
The Liverpool manager "I am really happy because we played well, scored goals and could have won by a lot more than 3-1 in the end. We used three centre backs today and had Warnock and Kromkamp as wing backs and it worked very well. The movement of Kewell caused problems for Newcastle and we started the game very well. It is really important for the team to see the strikers scoring goals and it has given me a good problem for the next game. Peter Crouch showed today why we signed him as he scored a good goal, kept the ball and won headers. It was important to win and our idea is the same and that is win one game at a time, keep going and keep closing the gap on Manchester United." Rafael Benitez The Newcastle caretaker manager "It goes without saying Boumsong is very upset - who wouldn't be?. There isn't a footballer that wouldn't be upset with what led up to the penalty and what led up to the sending off. He didn't make enough contact with what appeared to be a simple clearance and the ball evaded him. He then had a to make a decision on whether to attempt to tackle or let the player go in on goal. He made the decision to attempt to win the ball back, and I have no complaints with the penalty, it really killed us off. But what you won't get me to do is criticise him publicly because I was a player once of some sort and any manager or coach who criticised me or another player after a bad mistake wasn't a person for me, was not a good coach, was not a good manager. But that does not mean to say I will not sit down with Boumsong and go through the goals and share my view of where he could have done better." Glenn Roeder The Liverpool player "It was good, we did most of the work in the first half. It's pleasing, we scored five last week and three today so it's good. We've always been playing well and getting results but it's nice to kill teams off and the last couple of days we've managed to do that. We could have gone on to score more." Peter Crouch The broadsheet newspaper The Liverpool players' movement, vision and all-round professionalism meant they took full advantage. Their fresh system here, with Peter Crouch playing an advanced role and supported on either side by Harry Kewell and Djibril Cissé plus wing-backs, led to some energetic attacking and Rafael Benitez's side's pursuit of second place shows little sign of stuttering. Crouch had an early chance when he met Stephen Warnock's curling cross with a firm header but watched it drift wide. When handed a second chance, his accuracy was unerring. Jan Kromkamp chipped a diagonal pass towards the far post where Crouch snuck in between Boumsong, who missed the ball with an attempted headed clearance, and Peter Ramage, to head in from three yards. Liverpool were buoyed as Warnock and Kewell showed some splendidly swift one-touch football.
Arindam Rej, The Independent The local newspaper This Liverpool performance had Rafael Benitez stamped all over it - a fluid 'team' effort. The three goals could have been more, but after the five-goal showing at Anfield last Wednesday, the goalscoring woes of just a week ago seem a distant memory. Even Djibril Cisse, without a goal in 2006, notched from the spot to make it five goals from the strikers in the past week. In all honesty it was a game Liverpool never looked like losing. Yes, they played much of the second half against 10 men after Jean Alain Boumsong was sent off for man-handling Peter Crouch in the box. And yes, Newcastle were poor, but make no mistake this was one of the best Liverpool performances of the season, a real tonic for the final push for second spot and FA Cup glory. Paul Chapple, Daily Post The tabloid newspaper Steven Gerrard has played 46 club games so far this season but thankfully for Liverpool and England the Premiership's marathon man is showing no signs of slowing up. So far he has shouldered the burden of hauling Liverpool into the Champions League with his goals way back in July. Their Premiership season has largely been defined by his driving play. And in 13 weeks' time England will push him to the limit and hope a run to the final can extend his season into its 13th month. Yesterday Gerrard produce yet another awe-inspiring show, capped by a wonderful goal that took his tally for the season to 19. Gerrard is an amazing eight goals ahead of striker Djibril Cisse as the club's leading scorer. England fans can only pray that he stays fit - and fresh, if that is possible - for the summer. Gerrard netted Liverpool's second, and best, goal after 35 minutes. St James' Park was subdued and being given little to inspire them and it was no surprise when Liverpool took total command of an embarrassingly one-sided game. Simon Bird, Daily Mirror The Liverpool supporter This was possibly one of the best (and most comfortable) performances I have seen from the boys this season. Agger looks so calm and his distribution is spot on most of the time. As for Kromkamp, he was fantastic marauding up and down the right, defending and attacking when needed. His performance leads me onto the three men at the back and why I think it worked so well. Warnock and Kromkamp played the wing back roles superbly well and Sami, Carra and Agger were rocks. Well done Rafa for the willingness to play a different formation. Daipac, LFC.TV Message Boards
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BIRMINGHAM C (a)20:45 Tue 21st March FA Cup Quarter Final
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