West Ham 1, Liverpool 2

WEST HAM UNITED 1 - 2 LIVERPOOL
Wednesday 26 April 2006 20:45 , Barclays Premiership

DJIBRIL DOUBLE KEEPS REDS IN THE RACE

Liverpool have kept hopes of a 2nd placed Premiership finish alive after two goals from Djibril Cisse gave them a 2-1 victory over their FA Cup Final opponents West Ham at Upton Park tonight in a game that saw Luis Garcia sent off.

The Reds have closed to within three points of Manchester United after a goal in either half from Cisse gave them three points despite Nigel Reo-Coker's 46th minute equalizer for West Ham. And with two games left to play, Liverpool continue to have more than just the FA Cup to play for.

The night ended sourly for Liverpool's Luis Garcia and West Ham's Hayden Mullins when they were both sent off after an 82nd minute scuffle and they will now both miss the Cup Final. Liverpool though might choose to appeal Garcia's dismissal as it appeared he least deserved a red card.

Rafa Benitez named a vastly changed team for this Liverpool's penultimate away game of the season so this was far from a dress rehearsal for the FA Cup Final as many of the leading actors had been given the night off.

You could be sure though that those who did play would do everything in their power to try and force their way onto Cardiff's big stage for the May 13th showpiece. And in keeping with Rafa, West Ham boss Alan Pardew made five changes of his own.

The night begun with a tribute to West Ham legend John Lyall, who sadly passed away last week. And when the match got under way it was the Hammers who threatened first when Bobby Zamora shot against the legs of Carragher when well placed.

The Reds quickly began to assert themselves on the game though and Djibril Cisse twice fired a shot at goal as some forward thinking produced three corners in quick succession.

Cisse had started the game well and he was to make it third time lucky when he gave the Reds the lead in the 19th minute. It came when Sissoko broke from midfield and when he gave the ball to Cisse he drilled a superb shot into the net from 25 yards.

West Ham responded with Benayoun forcing a good stop out of Dudek, but it was Liverpool and in particular Cisse who continued to look more dangerous. And Robbie Fowler came close in the 30th minute with a chip that had Walker sweating before Cisse forced the Hammer's 'keeper into another save with a 35th minute shot.

The home side came into the game as we crept towards half time and both Benayoun and Sheringham went close to levelling the scores, but Liverpool hung on to take a deserved lead into the break.

That lead wasn't to last long though because West Ham equalized through Nigel Reo-Coker in the 46th minute. Liverpool hardly having time to organise themselves again after the restart when Reo-Coker took Zamora's pass and beat Dudek from 6 yards.

The Reds cleared their heads quickly and Morientes shot against the crossbar after a good run and cross from Sissoko. But buoyed by their goal, West Ham began to grow in confidence and soon had Liverpool defending again. We had something of an end to end game.

It took a last ditch tackle from Jamie Carragher to deprive Reo-Coker a chance of a second, but as the game swung again it was Djibril Cisse who doubled his tally when taking Fowler's fine pass and making it 2-1 with a shot under that went under Walker in the 54th minute.

Cisse was now on a hat-trick and it would have been his first for the club, but try as he might, he just couldn't find a third. Dietmar Hamann had a go at making the game safe with a 68th minute shot that went wide, but although West Ham briefly threatened an equalizer, the points were already secured.

The win was to come at a price though when Luis Garcia, who had only just come on, was sent off with West Ham's Hayden Mullins after an 82nd minute scuffle that ended with Mullins raising his hands to Garcia's face.

It ?s Aston Villa at Anfield next for Liverpool and you can be sure they won't give up the fight to overhaul Manchester United until it's mathematically impossible. They've now won nine games in a row and in this form you wouldn't rule it out.

Teams

Liverpool: Dudek, Warnock, Carragher, Traore, Finnan, Cisse, Hamann, Sissoko, Kromkamp, Morientes, Fowler. Subs - Reina, Hyypia, Riise, Garcia, Alonso
West Ham United: Walker, Ward, Ferdinand, Collins, Scaloni, Etherington, Mullins, Reo Coker, Benayoun, Sheringham, Zamora. Subs - Hislop, Fletcher, Harewood, Ephraim, Reid
Referee: H Webb
Conditions: Dry
Attendance: 34852

Man-of-the-Match: Momo Sissoko

RAFA - WE WILL APPEAL RED CARD

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has said that they will appeal against referee Howard Webb's decision to send off Luis Garcia in the Reds' 2-1 victory over West Ham tonight.

Benitez has spoken to the referee after the game and he is hopeful that Luis may still make the Cup Final. He said 'The referee understands the situation and he has said he will watch the video again. 'It isn't easy for the referee, but the most important thing for me is that it wasn't a serious incident and both players have apologised to the referee and each other. 'We will wait and see what the referee's decision is after he has seen it again, but we will appeal because it is very hard for a player to miss a cup final after an incident like that. Luis is really disappointed and it is upto us to help him now.' Speaking about the result, Rafa declared himself very happy with his side's performance. He said, 'It was always our plan to use Cisse on the left wing and it worked really well for us. Cisse did a good job tonight. 'I'm very happy with the result, but it means nothing in terms of the cup final because that will be a very different game.'

Sledeca:
ASTON VILLA (h)
16:00 Sat 29th April
Barclays Premiership
Moja prognoza: 2-0, ipak "this is anfield"

Chelski 1, Liverpool 2

RAFA PRAISES PLAYERS AFTER GREAT WIN

Rafael Benitez last night hailed his players after they again beat Chelsea in the semi-final of a major competition.
Despite Jose Mourinho's post-match ramblings that the Reds "were very defensive", "were helped by the referee" and "have no chance of winning the Premiership next season", Benitez took great pride out of his team's performance as they booked their place in next month's final. "They like to play with the mistakes of the other team and normally punish them," said Rafa. "In this case, we made one, then they scored and we were under pressure. "At the end we worked really hard, created our chances and, with a little bit more luck, maybe we could have got another goal. "Chelsea are one of the most expensive teams in the world and they have a lot of good players. "They played well and we were trying to control them but it is really difficult to control Duff, Cole, Lampard and Drogba and all the players that they have. "I am really happy and delighted for the players, the club and the supporters. It was an amazing game for us. "The big clubs are always thinking about winning the big trophies and we are in the most famous Cup in the world. It is really important for us to win." Mourinho refused to shake Benitez's hand at the end of the game, but the Liverpool manager won't be losing any sleep over the incident. "I haven't seen him because I was saying thank you to our supporters. I have no problems," he added.

ANGRY MOURINHO DISAPPOINTED WITH DECISIONS

Beaten Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho felt his team were unfortunate to lose to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final and believed two key decisions by referee Graham Poll turned the game against his team.
Mourinho claimed the free-kick that led to John Arne Riise's opening goal should not have been given and also felt John Terry's disallowed goal should have stood. "When the referee gives such important decisions against your team in a semi-final it doesn't smell good and it wasn't a free-kick for Liverpool's first goal," said a disappointed Mourinho. "John Terry's goal should have stood and for the second goal we made a defensive mistake. We missed two good chances in the first half and at the end the same thing happened with Gudjohnsen's miss in last season's Champions League semi final. If you don't take them in these games it costs you." Mourinho also dismissed suggestions that he and Chelsea should be worried about the threat of Liverpool to their Premiership crown next season. "I can't wish Liverpool all the best for the final but I wish them good luck for the Champions League qualifier at the start of next season," added the Chelsea boss. "I am not worried at all about Liverpool and they have no chance of winning the Premiership title next season. We are 45 points ahead of Liverpool in the Premiership over the last two seasons and they have only beaten us twice in 10 games."

RIISE RELISHING FIRST CUP FINAL

John Arne Riise is relishing the opportunity to play in the first FA Cup final of his career next month.
Liverpool's Norwegian star - who opened the scoring against Chelsea in yesterday's semi-final - arrived at the club just after the Reds' last triumph in this competition back in 2001. West Ham or Middlesbrough now stand in Liverpool's way of ending the season with a major trophy in their cabinet and Riise is already thinking ahead to the club's big day out in Cardiff. "It's going to be a great occasion and I can't wait for it because I've never played in this Cup final," he said. "We had to come through a hard game to get there though because Chelsea were awesome in the last 25 minutes and we really had to defend well to keep the result. "The first half was played at such a high tempo that I was breathing heavily towards the end of it. I'm just so pleased we've come away with the right result. It was an awesome game between two class teams and we're now looking forward to the final."

Next:

WEST HAM UNITED (a)

20:45 Wed 26th April

Barclays Premiership

RAFA HAPPY WITH WIN OVER ROVERS

Rafael Benitez celebrated his 46th birthday by seeing Liverpool move within three points of second-placed Manchester United at Ewood Park this afternoon and afterwards declared himself a happy man.

Robbie Fowler's fourth goal since rejoining the club in January secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Blackburn and maintained the chase for runners-up spot behind Chelsea. "We are working hard, playing well and winning games," said Benitez. "You cannot say whether this is the best or not in terms of satisfaction but I am happy. "Our idea was to play compact, use the space behind the defence and hit them on the counter attack, especially in the second half because we were up against a physical side who played a lot of long balls and crosses into our box. "It was really good to keep another clean sheet. It is good for the team and everyone worked hard to achieve this, even the front players; Morientes, Fowler and Cisse. This is always the key to keeping a clean sheet." On the winning goal, that Blackburn claimed should have been disallowed for offside, Benitez added: "I haven’t seen replay. It was a throw-in and I told John to just get the ball in quick. Cisse never touched the ball but the offside rule needs to change because it causes problems for the referees." Benitez also revealed that Steven Gerrard's absence from the squad was because of a tight hamstring but confirmed that he should be fit to face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.

Next:

CHELSEA (a)
18:15 Sat 22nd April
FA Cup Semi Final

Moja prognoza: 0-1

Fowler on target again

Robbie Fowler’s goal proved enough for Liverpool to rack up a fifth successive Premiership win as Bolton suffered a fourth straight loss.
The main talking point of a tepid first half looked like being Steven Gerrard’s rejected penalty claim until Fowler found the net in stoppage time.
After half-time, Xavi Alonso hit the post before Pepe Reina raced to the edge of his box to deny Kevin Davies.
As the game wore on, there was little danger of Bolton staging a comeback.
Reina was the first goalkeeper called into serious action when Stelios broke through on goal with only the keeper to beat but the Spaniard did well to get down to his right and block the shot.
Bolton just about had the better of the early exchanges, without posing too much of a threat in front of goal, as Liverpool were restricted to speculative, long-range efforts as the game failed to spark to life.
Gary Speed’s challenge on Gerrard on the edge of the penalty box looked destined to be the most noteworthy event of a fairly lacklustre first half.
But in stoppage time Fowler combined well with Peter Crouch and marked his 31st birthday with a snap-shot from the edge of the box through a crowd of players, his second goal in consecutive games as he aims to earn a long-term contract at Anfield.
Liverpool scarcely deserved their half-time lead, and sent on Luis Garcia for Djibril Cisse at the interval to try and pep things up.
It seemed to have the desired effect as the home side upped their game following the restart.
Bolton defender Bruno N’Gotty was twice called upon to make vital interventions to keep the scoreline at 1-0 - Gerrard set up Crouch to put the ball in the net but the flag was already up.
Bolton rarely threatened and, although Liverpool looked comfortably in control, they did not seem unduly worried about adding to their one-goal advantage.
The visitors upped the pressure as the game moved into stoppage time but Liverpool looked assured as they moved up to the 70-point mark for the season.
——————————————————————————–
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez on Robbie Fowler’s goal:“I know that it means I will be answering questions about his contract situation.
“I want to see him scoring and playing well; if he does that it’s good for everybody.”
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce:“We dominated the first half, and the last thing I expected was to go in at the break one down. That killed us off.
“It certainly knocked the lads back - and although they tried hard, they did not have the belief after the break to get back into it.
“We paid the price for creating chances and not taking them.”
——————————————————————————–
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Cisse (Luis Garcia 45), Alonso, Gerrard, Kewell (Traore 88), Fowler (Hamann 75), Crouch. Subs Not Used: Dudek, Sissoko.Booked: Hyypia.Goals: Fowler 45.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, N’Gotty, Ben Haim, Gardner, Nolan, Speed, Faye (Campo 74), Giannakopoulos (Pedersen 53), Davies, Okocha (Jansen 61). Subs Not Used: Walker, Borgetti.Booked: Faye.
Att:44,194Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).

Next Match
Blackburn (a)
Sunday 16th April

Premiership

Ewood Park

3.30pm KO

Moja prognoza: 0-2

RAFA: WE CAN STILL FINISH SECOND

FT		West Bromwich A. [0 - 2] Liverpool
7'	[0 - 1]		R. Fowler
38'	[0 - 2]		D. Cisse

Rafael Benitez declared himself a highly satisfied manager after seeing his team beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 and still believes the race for a second place finish is still very much alive. The Liverpool manager felt his team deserved to beat West Brom and keep up the pressure on Manchester United for second place. "In the first half we played really well and controlled the game all of the time," reflected Benitez. "In the second half we were a bit under pressure but we have done a good job and it's a good result for us. It worked well for us using the pace of Cisse on the right wing and with Xabi Alonso's passing ability it was perfect. "We need to keep going now until the end and keep winning games. You can't say it will be impossible to finish second because you don't know what can happen. We are sure we will finish third but maybe second." Meanwhile, Benitez was keen to praise Robbie Fowler after the striker's sixth minute strike took him ahead of Kenny Dalglish in the all-time Anfield goalscoring charts. He said: "I would like to congratulate Robbie. I hope to see even more goals from him this season and maybe in the future. "We haven't made a decision on his future yet. There is no hurry. We will make it in the next few weeks. It won't be about if he scores one or two more goals this year, it will be about what we feel he can give to the team in the future." Next: BOLTON WNDRS (h) 15:00 Sun 09th April Barclays Premiership

Derby day victory again - even with 10 men

Liverpool beat neighbours Everton 3-1 for the second time this season, despite having influential captain Steven Gerrard sent off after just 18 minutes. A Phil Neville own goal just before half time opened the scoring and just after the interval Luis Garcia expertly lobbed Richard Wright for 2-0.
Everton pulled one back through Tim Cahill but then had substitute Andy Van Der Meyde sent off for an elbow on Liverpool’s man of the match, Xabi Alonso. Sami Hyypia had the ball in the back of the net not long after, but a strange offside decision disallowed the goal - not that it mattered, with Harry Kewell firing in a wonderful strike from the edge of the box to compound the Blue side of Merseyside’s misery.
Gerrard, sporting ‘08′ on the back of his shirt, along with Beattie, to represent the captial of culture for 2008, was sent off for two yellow cards. The first one was for kicking the ball away and minutes later he slid in on the edge of the box. Definitely a dismissal which could have been avoided.
The match saw 11 cards in total, but most for silly challenges rather than anything malicious.
A great win, made even better by the fact it was done with 10 men after so early, made better still that one of the ugly sisters scored an own goal and better still that it showed that in Alonso we have the two best midfielders in the country.

Next Match
West Brom (a)
Saturday 1st April

Premiership

The Hawthorns

18:15 KO

FA kup: Birmingem 0, Liverpul 7!

Fudbaleri Liverpula plasirali su se u polufinale FA kupa na spektakularan način – “Crveni” su u gostima pobedili Birmingem Siti rezultatom 7:0! Klub koji je još uvek zvanični šampion Evrope demolirao je tim Stiva Brusa golovima Hipije u prvom, Krauča u 5. i 38, Morijentesa u 59, Risea u 70, autogolom Tebilija u 77. i Sisea u 89. minutu. Već posle 54 sekunde Hipija je na centaršut Džerarda doneo prednost gostima (posle odbitka od golmanovih leđa), a u petom minutu meč je gotovo rešen pogotkom Krauča. Treći gol u tri dana napadač engleske reprezentacije dao je posle solo prodora u finišu poluvremena, a kao i kod prvog krivac je bio Martin Tejlor. Martin Tejlor je na poluvremenu ustupio mesto Francuzu Tebiliju, ali se ništa nije promenilo. Majk Tejlor je vadio loptu iz mreže na svakih deset minuta, kod poslednjeg mu je lopta ispala iz ruku. Pre toga Rise je postigao najlepši gol na meču, Džerard je asistirao Morijentesu, a Tebili doprineo debaklu autogolom.
Sramni nastup “Plavih” gledalo je više od 27 hiljada gledalaca, a gostujuče navijače je, pored briljantne pobede, veoma obradovao povratak Mohameda Sisokoa, koji je izašao na teren prvi put posle ozbiljne nezgode u lisabonskom duelu sa Benfikom, kada je umalo ostao bez oka (na donjoj slici). Ekipa Stiva Brusa je u teškom položaju i u Premijer ligi, gde se nalazi u zoni ispadanja. Iako im je FA kup svakako bio manje važan od opstanka u ligi, katastrofalni nastup u ovom meču otkrio je ogromnu psihološku nestabilnost i mogao bi značajno da utiče na rasplet ligaške borbe. U ponedeljak je mesto u polufinalu FA kupa izborio Vest Hem, a u preostalim četvrtfinalnim mečevima Čelsi igra sa Njukaslom (sreda), a Čarlton sa Midlzbroom (četvrtak).

NEWCASTLE V LIVERPOOL: THE FINAL WORD

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.

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

Next:

BIRMINGHAM C (a)20:45 Tue 21st March FA Cup Quarter Final

GERRARD: BLAME ME FOR THE DEFEAT

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard today held up his hands and admitted that if it hadn't of been for his lapse in concentration in gifting a back pass to Thierry Henry, Liverpool might have 'robbed' a point from the Gunners.
Having gone behind in the first half to a wonderful striker from the Henry, a second-half header from Luis Garcia looked to have sealed a vital point for Liverpool when Gerrard played an backpass straight to the Arsenal No.14, who made no mistake with only Pepe Reina to beat. It was a carbon copy of an incident during England's defeat against France in Euro 2004 when Gerrard's backpass to David James was intercepted by Henry before the striker was brought down for a penalty. "It was just like France all over again," revealed Gerrard. "I was trying to take up time. I did not see him. The last player you want the ball to go to is the best player on the planet. "It was completely my fault and I hold up my hands. It was a stupid mistake that has stopped us from robbing a point because we did not play well at all."

Next: FULHAM (h)

21:00 Wed 15th March

Barclays Premiership

Moja prognoza: 2-0

Reds 1-0 Man City

Match Report from BBC Sport
Harry Kewell’s first-half goal was enough to sink Manchester City and put Liverpool level on points with second-placed Manchester United.
Kewell found acres of space on the left to run on to Steven Gerrard’s pass and thunder a low shot past David James.
City were dismal early on and things got worse for them when Joey Barton was sent off for a second bookable offence.
But that kickstarted the visitors’ best spell of the match and Georgios Samaras missed a golden chance to level.
Stuart Pearce’s side have won only once away from home in any competition since August and showed why with a miserable first-half display.
They were fortunate to be up against a Reds side that has struggled to score goals in recent weeks and who were unable to create a clear-cut chance in the early stages.
Peter Crouch nodded over when well-placed and Kewell had a shot deflected wide but the home side’s best chance fell to Sami Hyypia who missed the target with his header.
City were competing well enough in midfield but they rarely attacked with any purpose and continually gave the ball away.
With Liverpool enjoying so much possession it was just a question of whether they could fashion an opening, and they found the space to do just that on 40 minutes.
City right-back Danny Mills was dragged out of position, leaving Kewell free to latch on to Gerrard’s cross-field pass and steady himself before firing home.
Mills did partly redeem himself before half-time when he cleared Crouch’s bouncing header off the line but the damage had already been done.
And things did not improve for City after the break.
Barton had already been booked for a late challenge on Jan Kromkamp and a nasty tackle on Hyypia earned him a second yellow card - and his marching orders - on 52 minutes.
But being reduced to 10 men seemed to reinvigorate City and they enjoyed their best spell of the game immediately afterwards.
Substitute Bradley Wright-Phillips tested Jose Reina with a shot on the turn and the Liverpool keeper had to be at his best to push aside Trevor Sinclair’s swerving drive soon after.
But Samaras did not even force Reina to make a save from City’s best opportunity.
Kiki Musampa set the Greek striker free and he lifted the ball over the keeper but wide of the target.
Liverpool were still threatening themselves, with Crouch going close with a clever flick before firing in a dipping shot that James had to tip on to the bar.
Gerrard needed prolonged treatment on a foot injury after a fine tackle by Richard Dunne but the Reds skipper was soon able to rejoin the fray.
Crouch was a handful throughout but James continued to thwart the big target-man’s search for a first league goal of 2006, rushing from his goal to block his shot on 73 minutes.
By that time City had run out of steam and the Reds held on comfortably in the closing stages to record their third straight 1-0 Premiership victory.
Sledeca:
Subota 4.3.2006. 18:15h home vs Charlton
Moja prognoza 2-0

Pogodio sam samo njihovog keca :(

Benfica 1-0 RedsMax Munton - February 21st, 2006
BBC Sport Match Report

Benfica defender Luisao scored a late goal to give his team a slender lead in their Champions League tie.
Both sides had struggled to create chances on a bumpy pitch and before the goal Jose Reina was hardly tested.
Reina had showed quick reactions to get to the ball before Simao Sabrosa did and later the Liverpool keeper saved well from midfielder Armando Petit.
It was Petit whose free kick set up the Benfica goal, Luisao powering a header past the flat-flooted Liverpool keeper.
Liverpool had plenty of possession, but laboured to find strikers Fernando Morientes and Robbie Fowler.
Manager Rafael Benitez had opted to leave Steven Gerrard on the bench for Liverpool with the midfielder suffering from a slight knee injury.
Just past the half-hour mark Liverpool’s midfield needed a further rejig after Mohamed Sissoko was stretchered off after being kicked in the head by Beto.
The Brazilian Beto, who himself had been on the end of a nasty challenge from Luis Garcia in the first minute, was booked for his challenge, while Sissoko was replaced by Dietmar Hamann.
Struggling in the Portuguese league in recent weeks, Benfica took a while to threaten the Liverpool defence.
But on 25 minutes Laurent Robert threaded a pass through to Simao, whose darting run was well anticipated by Reina, who got to the ball first.
In that cagey opening Robert proved Benfica’s most dangerous forward, swinging a couple of testing corners in and then going on a run, before he was fouled by John Arne Riise.
Fowler was involved in a couple of Liverpool half-chances in a less than enthralling first half.
The Liverpool striker first unsettled Marcelo Moretto with an aerial challenge that resulted in the Benfica goalkeeper dropping the ball.
Fowler also caused concern in the Benfica penalty area with a flick following a Xabi Alonso free-kick.
Early in the second half Luis Garcia sliced a volley wide after Luisao failed to get sufficient distance with a header.
Just past the hour Petit almost surprised Reina with a long range shot, an effort that forced the Liverpool goalkeeper to quickly retreat.
With the game still goalless after 76 minutes Benitez introduced Gerrard in place of Morientes as Liverpool sought to provide their defence with further protection.
But with time running out for Benfica, Petit came to his side’s rescue, picking out Luisao, whose header flew past Reina into the corner of the goal.

Line-ups
Reina

Finnan Carragher Hyypia Riise

Luis Garcia Sissoko (Hamann 35) Alonso Kewell

Morientes (Gerrard 78) Fowler (Cisse 65)

---------------Subs Not Used Dudek Crouch Traore Warnock

Moretto

Alcides Luisao Anderson Leo (Ricardo Rocha 87)

Robert (Nelson 76) Petit Beto (Karagounis 58) Manuel

Simao Nuno Gomes

---------------Subs Not Used Quim Mantorras Karyaka Marcel

Sledeca:

Man City (h)
Premiership Anfield 13:15 Kick Off

Moja prognoza: 2-0

Pa ljudi sta da vam kazem

FT Liverpool [1 - 0] Manchester U.
19' [1 - 0] P. Crouch

Tacan rezultat je ponovo pogodjen. Pa ne znam sto ja ovo ne igram u kladionici. Verovatno bi pucao samo tako. Golom Pera Krauca Liverpul je prosao u cetvrtfinale FA kupa. Sada im sledi veoma vazna utakmica u gostima protiv Benfike.

Sledeca:

BENFICA (a)

20:45 Tue 21st February

CL Last 16 (1)

Moja prognoza: 1-3 (opako :)

Tacan rezultat

Ponovo pogadjam tacan rezultat. Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal. Luis Garsija je bio strelac. Konacno se i Arsenal raspao na sitne komade. Mogu odma da predaju borbu za CL!

Lose vesti!

Cabi Alonso se povredio na utakmici sa Arsenalom gde ga je zamenio Didi Haman. Izgleda da je povreda ozbiljnija pa nece moci da nastupi u FA kupu u subotu protiv velikog rivala Man Utd-a.

Rafael Benitez has ruled Xabi Alonso out of his plans for Saturday's FA Cup showdown with Manchester United at Anfield.

Sledeca:

MANCHESTER UTD (h)

13:30 Sat 18th February

FA Cup 5th Round

Moja prognoza: 1-0 (ajmo opet, ponovo)

Rezultati

Celsi - Liverpul 2-0
Carlton - Liverpul 2-0
Vigan - Liverpul 0-1

Nadam se da smo se vratili. Bleda igra ali pobeda Liverpula. Sledi derbi sa raspalim ali uvek opasnim Arsenalom. Znaci, samo Anri flaster tj hanzaplast i nema brige.

Ps nadam se da ce napadaci da uvale neki gol. Morijentesu, Djibrile, Pero i Robi dozovite se pameti :)

Sledeca:

Tuesday 14th February Premiership Anfield 21:00

Moja prognoza: 1-0

Razno

Prvo sugavi poraz od Man Utd-a, pa pobeda u FA kupu protiv Portsmauta, pa ovo. Steta. Celsi odigrao opet nereseno al nismo iskoristili da im se priblizimo. Jedino je dobro sto je Man Utd izgubio. Raspadaci!

FT Liverpool [1 - 1] Birmingham C.
62' [1 - 0] S. Gerrard
88' [1 - 1] X. Alonso (o.g.)

Sledeca:
CHELSEA (a)
17:00 Sun 05th February
Barclays Premiership
Moja prognoza: 0-0 (standard)

Sutra Man Utd i Rise

Mogu vam reci da je Jon Arne Rise produzio ugovor do kraja 2009. godine. Dosao je u Live iz Monaka 2001. i od tada je standardan prvotimac. Bilo je malo izuzetaka kod blesavog Zerar Ulijea, al da ne spominjemo to. Do sada je dao 23 gola iz 235 nastupa za Live iako igra na poziciji levog beka a ponekad i krila. Ima ubitacnu levicu, sto je pokazao bas Mancesteru pre neku godinu, slobodnjakom najstrasnijim.

Luton T. [3 - 5] Liverpool

FT
Luton T. [3 - 5] Liverpool
16' [0 - 1] S. Gerrard
31' [1 - 1] S. Howard
43' [2 - 1] S. Robinson
53' [3 - 1] K. Nicholls (pen.)
62' [3 - 2] S. Pongolle
69' [3 - 3] X. Alonso
74' [3 - 4] S. Pongolle
90' [3 - 5] X. Alonso

Sledeca:
TOTTENHAM H (h)
16:00 Sat 14th January
Barclays Premiership
Moja prognoza: 2-0

U medjuvremenu potpisao je Danski reprezentativac Daniel Agger!

Liverpulu ukradeni "suveniri" iz LŠ

Grupa lopova provalila je u prostoriju za trofeje fudbalskog kluba Liverpul i ukrala osam zastavica protivničkih timova koje je kapiten Stiven Džerard dobijao tokom prošle sezone u Ligi šampiona. Među tih osam zastavica je i ona koju je kapiten Milana Paolo Maldini dao Džerardu pre početka finala Lige šampiona prošle sezone u Istanbulu. U toj utakmici engleski tim je pobedio posle izvodjenja penala, iako je na poluvremenu bio u minusu od tri gola (0:3). U Liverpulu veruju da su lopovi razbili izložbenu kutiju i ukrali zastavice 27. decembra ujutro. "Osam zastavica je lako identifikovati - na svim osim na dve su izvezeni datumi i utakmice, a na poledjini su crnim, neizbrisivim mastilom obeležene jedinstvenim muzejskim brojem, koji počinje sa 'LFC", rekao je portparol Liverpula Ian Koton.

Items stolen:
1. LFC v Grazer Athletik FC (10.08.2004) Ref Number: LFC3000
2. LFC v A S Monaco (23.11.2004) Ref Number: LFC3315
3. LFC v Deportivo La Coruna (03.11.2004) Ref Number: LFC3314
4. LFC v Olympiacos CFP (08.12.2004) Ref Number: LFC3529
5. LFC v Beyer Leverkusen (22.02.2005) Ref Number: LFC3547
6. LFC v Juventus (13.04.2005) Ref Number: LFC3364
7. LFC v Chelsea (SF) (27.04.2005) Ref Number: LFC3534
8 LFC v A C Milan (Final) (25.05.2005) Ref Number: EN409

Pobeda :) pa nereseno :)

FT Liverpool 1 - 0 West Bromwich A.
Pero Krauc i 10. uzastopna pobeda je tu.

BOLTON WANDERERS 2 - 2 LIVERPOOL
Bash bezveze. Po meni veoma cudna utakmica sa vise sudijskih gresaka, al necemo mnogo da kukamo. Bolton je 2 puta vodio a Live 2 puta poravnao. Mnogo vise sansi za Live pogotovu za Harija Kjuela koji se raspao ovu tekmu. Takodje, Djimi Traore je pokazao svoju smotanost prilikom intervencije kod drugog gola. Stiven Dzerard je zato bljirirao. Alal mu cufte, kao pravi kapiten, trci, rnja, bori se ko laf! Svaka cast majstore. Cudan sastav je Rafa izveo. Nema Risea u prvoj postavi koji bi uspesnije zamenio traljavu Traoreovu ulogu. Sve u svemu, nereseno, nezasluzeno al idemo dalje, nista nije izgubljeno! YNWA!

Liverpool: Reina, Traore, Hyypia, Carragher, Finnan, Kewell, Sissoko, Hamann, Gerrard (captain), Crouch, Sinama Pongolle. Subs - Carson, Alonso, Garcia, Cisse, Riise

Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Gardner, NGotty, Jaidi, O'Brien, Speed, Diagne-Faye, Nolan (captain), Giannakopoulos, Davies, Diouf. Subs - Walker, Borgetti, Vaz Te, Haim, Fadiga

Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Conditions: Freezing cold
Attendance: 27,604
Man-of-the-Match: Steven Gerrard

Sledeca:
LUTON TOWN (a)
18:30 Sat 07th January
FA Cup 3rd Round

Razmena Liverpula i Viljareala

Trener Liverpula Rafael Benites potvrdio je da se dogovorio sa Viljarealom o razmeni fudbalera, tako da će "crveni" uskoro potpisati ugovor sa Janom Kromkampom, dok će u Španiju poslati Hosemija. Prelazni rok poičnje u nedelju, a igrači se još uvek nisu dogovorili oko ličnih uslova, ali je Benites rekao da se nada da će se posao završiti u sledećih nekoliko dana. Hosemi je prvo pojačanje koje je Benites doveo kada je postao trener Liverpula, ali španski igrač nije uspeo da se prilagodi životu u Engleskog. Trener je rekao da holandski internacionalac Kromkamp ima slične probleme u Španiji. "Hosemi je desni bek koji teško govori engleski; Krompkamp je desni bek koji ima probleme sa španskim. Kao što oba igrača znaju, teško je igrati u stranoj zemlji", rekao je Benites. Trener Liverpula rekao je da Kromkamp može da igra kao bek u defanzivnoj formaciji sa četiri igrača ili da može da igra bek-krilo u liniji od petorice. Krompkamp je u Viljareal došao prošlog leta iz AZ Alkmara i igrao je samo šest puta u prvenstvu Španije. Hosemi je za 18 meseci odigrao 35 utakmica za Liverpul. "Razgovarao sam sa Hosemijem i zaključili smo da bi bila dobra ideja da se vrati u Španiju. Tražila ga je Sevilja ranije, ali sada se zainteresovao i Viljareal i mislim da je to dogovor koji najviše odgovara svim stranama", objasnio je Benites. Ako se transfer obavi, igrači neće imati pravo da igraju za nove klubove u nastavku Lige šampiona, pošto su ove sezone već igrali za svoje sadašnje klubove.