Sunday, March 04, 2007
Liverpool have lost for the first time in the Premiership at Anfield this season after an injury time goal from John O'Shea gave Manchester United a 1-0 win on Saturday that they had done little to deserve.
The Reds will be devastated after dominating this game and looking the only side likely to win, but they were undone when Reina could only parry Ronaldo's free kick and O'Shea was there to slam the ball home from close range. And when you consider that Reina had hardly a save to make the entire 90 minutes that come before that goal, it makes it even bigger pill to swallow for Rafa's men.
Thoughts of Tuesday night and Barcelona were banished for 90 minutes at least and Rafa Benitez will have pleased Reds fans when he named a strong side that suggested he rated this game; and the Premiership, as high as the pursuit of Champions League glory.
When the game started it was Liverpool who were quickest out of the blocks and we'd had only 4 minutes when Van der Sar was called into action for the first time, to clear from Bellamy after Gerrard's header had created danger.
The United goalkeeper was to be the busier of the two stoppers in the first half, but in truth it was the Liverpool attempts that missed that caused him most concern. The giant Dutchman was comfortable in saving Gonzalez's header, but he would have been powerless to stop John Arne Riise's 25 yard blockbuster had it been on target and not two inches wide.
That we reached half time with the scores at 0-0 was of little surprise after the opening 45 minutes mirrored so many of the recent encounters between the Reds of Liverpool of Manchester. But Rafa's Reds could rightly claim to have bossed the first half after United's best moments came when Ronaldo twice blazed wide.
Liverpool came out for the second half seemingly intent on capitalising on the momentum they'd built up in the first half and they came closest yet to breaking through when Kuyt fed Bellamy and he forced Van der Sar into a brilliant save.
Bellamy had the ball in the net just minutes later when he converted the rebound from Riise's shot before having his celebrations stopped by an offside flag, but it was all Liverpool and another Riise shot that went over saw Alex Ferguson rush to the edge of the technical area to rally his side.
When the dust cleared the game soon settled back into being a tight affair. Liverpool continued to ascendancy, but chances to score a glorious winner were becoming harder to find.
Rafa Benitez shuffled his pack as the game drifted into the last quarter, introducing Aurelio, Pennant and finally Crouch. But as hard as Liverpool tried, they just couldn't find the winner that, because of their superior ambition, they deserved.
You thought there could only be one winner when Paul Scholes was sent off for a failed punch on Xabi Alonso in the closing minutes, but we were to reckon without the fates siding with O'Shea and United. Liverpool thought they'd won it just a minute earlier when Van der Sar saved brilliantly from Crouch, but it wasn't their day.
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Riise, Agger, Carragher, Finnan, Gonzalez, Sissoko, Alonso, Gerrard MBE (captain), Bellamy, Kuyt. Subs - Hyypia, Aurelio, Pennant, Crouch, Dudek
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville (captain), Giggs, Carrick, Scholes, Ronaldo, Rooney, Larsson. Subs - Brown, Saha, Kuszczak, O'Shea, Silvestre
Referee: M Atkinson Conditions: Dry Attendance: 44,403
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Jamie Carragher
goodybye; 12:04 AM
