A midweek game which saw us bouncing back from a defeat. A good goal by David Ngog and a simple tap in by on form midfielder, Benayoun. 3 points which matters and we shall see how we gotta play at Old Trafford.
Middlesbrough 2 Liverpool 0 Alonso (og) 31, Tuncay 63
One of the poorest performances of the season which caused us a big blow to our title race. Couldn't understand what happened, but we have to look forward, hopefully, Manchester United would be able to drop points.
Finally, Rafa Benitez has won a league game against Chelsea. For the last past meetings, Jose Mourinho is leading 5-0. It's good for Rafa to get one back.
I'm really looking forward to this game and I even came home alone specially to watch this game. To be very honest, I was going crazy when Liverpool won the game. The victory was just so sweet, especially against the defending champions.
Cech came back to the line-up for Chelsea and for Liverpool's lineup, I thought that was the best line-up Rafa can think of at the moment, given the injuries. Chelsea's defence suprised me but Jose had no other options as well.
The game started on a high tempo and I could see that the Liverpool players were all geared up for this match. Played simple football and passed the ball around. We scored..in the 4th minute! Dirk Kuyt! A long ball pumped forward from Carragher, a slight flick on from Crouch, Kuyt with a great touch, bang! 1-0.
I jumped in joy even though I was watching alone in the living room. It just feel great to see Chelsea conceding, especially when Liverpool scores against them.
13 minutes later, we added another with a beautiful volley by Jermaine Pennant. Fired into the net outside the box, beating Cech completely. The first goal for Liverpool! Nice shot Pennant! The Anfield crowd exploded, including me. We have a 2 goal lead against the champions in just 18 minutes.
The second half, Chelsea had more possession. However, We stayed real strong as a team and I'm sure that Pepe Reina didn't make any saves. Steve Finnan was solid, Carragher was excellent, didn't gave Drogba any space at all. Fabio Aurelio, I have to mention him. I'm not a great fan of him, but today, he indeed played well on the left hand side and stood well on his foot against some of the best players.
The mifield was stable and organised. As usual, Gerrard and Alonso was controlling the mifield, worked really hard for the team, helping the defences many times. Alonso had some stiches on his lips while Gerrard was tackling hard with his opponents. Being the Captain, I thought that our skipper fought hard on the pitch. Non-stop runnning during attacks and breaking down attacks. A good display!
John Arne Riise, as usual, has been scoring spectacular goals against Chelsea for the past meetings, had a shot against the crossbar. A typical Riise run down the left and his body language just showed that he was going to lift his leg. The ball flew, beaten Cech but not the goal. "AWW!" I shouted with my hands on my head.
The crowd was making so much noise from the beginning till the end. Sang non-stop, just unbelievable. ANFIELD was just awesome. Even though I was not there live, I could really feel the atmosphere there. It's something which you can't feel in any other stadiums. Extraordinary!!
A excellent win! 5 points gap. We have to work from here, put on a good run and make sure that we capitalise on the top 2 teams' slip ups. Come On REDS!
I was singing You'll Never Walk Alone back at home with the fans at Anfield and I'm really proud to be a Liverpool fan.
Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko is targeting the Merseyside derby on February 3 for his return to action. The Malian, who has not played since dislocating his shoulder against Birmingham on November 8, has now returned to training.
"I'm hoping to make it back for the first game in February, which is the Merseyside derby with Everton," said Sissoko.
"I've had some serious injuries but that is something you have to live with in this game. I've worked hard to get better and I'm now feeling okay."
louis' comments..
I'm really pleased to read about this news that Momo is coming back. I'm more that delighted to see him playing in the team again. I must admit, all of us missed his presence, especially in the mifield. To me, he's a key member of the squad.
With Momo back, Gerrard will be able to have a go at defences without worrying about the defence as Momo and Xabi Alonso will be protecting the back 4. I have been hearing the fact that Gerrard is playing well with Xabi in the middle. However, I do feel that, in this way, Gerrard have to be more reserved in the middle as he can't overcommit himself too much. Just like how he plays for England.
Hence, with Momo back, Gerrard would be able to threaten defences with his devastating runs in the middle, right or even left. I do miss Momo's tackling and the ability to break defences in the middle of the park. Many times this season, goals are conceded due to the fact that we can't clear the ball in the middle. Against Blackburn and Arsenal 2 days ago were just some examples.
Come on MoMo, we are looking forward for your return. Recover fast and join the battle !
Louis A devoted Livepool fan from Singapore, who has been supporting Liverpool since he was 5 years old. Anfieldreds is born on 23th November 2006. Anfieldreds is about Liverpool football club news, previews, Louis' views and comments. Feel free to email me at llzz_18@hotmail.com and give me your comments anytime. Enjoy.
