EPL Match Report: Liverpool 0 vs Manchester United 1, By Will Tan

First League defeat at Anfield


The Liverpool side remained unchanged from the Marseille game and had several half chances but could not convert them into goals. The very first, came within five minutes of the game when van Der Sar came out to punch a free kick from Gerrard and missed it completely. The ball was deflected by Ferdinand’s back and rolled towards goal but Evra beat Kuyt to it and managed to clear it of the line. Apart from that opening chance, Liverpool had several half chances but were finding it difficult to create any real openings in the game.

It was a tight and cagey affair, one in which both sides wanted to win and there was minimal difference between two teams in terms of desire not to lose. With both defences playing well, chances from open play was always a premium. After all, this was the match-up between the second best defensive record (Liverpool’s) versus the best defensive record (Man Utd’s).

As always in matches where two teams are so tightly matched, the team that scores first was always going to have the advantage and it was no surprise that Man Utd scored from one of the set pieces rather than a goal in open play. Thereafter, all Man Utd had to do was to play on the counter-attack and hope to nick a second goal to kill the match off. Man Utd played this to perfection and scored when they won a corner in the 42nd minute.

The corner was taken by Anderson and he played the ball at pace to Rooney who was a couple of yards outside the penalty box. As the Liverpool defence was quickly moving the defensive line higher up, someone forgot to tell Benayoun, who was still positioned the far post. The ball was shot into the penalty box and evaded all the Liverpool players who had moved out and intended to play offside. Tevez was at hand to stab the ball into the net unmarked, having had Benayoun played him onside. So much for zonal marking!!!! That’s the battle cry of football pundits all over the world when Liverpool conceded from a set piece like this.

In the second half, Babel first came on for Kewell and Crouch for Kuyt whilst Aurelio for Riise. The changes did bring about some change in the pace 0f our attack but we just could not force a goal. Babel single handedly ran at the heart of the Man Utd defence several times and it took at least 3 players to stop him from creating any chance for his team mates. Crouch came into the game and tried to cause all types of problems with his height hoping that Liverpool players like Torres, Gerrard, Benayoun and Babel would have a bite at the knock-downs. However, it was all in futility as the Man Utd defence stood firm.

During the 90 minutes, Man Utd probably had one real chance from an open play late in the second half to kill off the match when a cross from the left by Giggs on the counter attack, evaded the retreating Liverpool defence all the way into Rooney, who arrived late in to the six yard box and stabbed the ball into the side netting with Pepe Reina scrambling to his left. That was about the chance that came from open play throughout the match from Man Utd.

And the jinx in the league against Man Utd continued to torment Benitez as he has never beaten Man Utd in any of his previous league meetings although Liverpool beat them in the FA Cup two seasons ago en-route to the FA Cup 2006.

Rafa is now left to lift the players again for the challenging Christmas festive period starting with Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-finals at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. Let’s see how Rafa can lift the team up again and go on another winning streak, hopefully by March 2008, we are still in contention to challenge for the EPL crown and the our holy grail: No. 19.

Liverpool 0: Reina, Arbeloa, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise (Aurelio 80), Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Kewell (Babel 65), Torres, Kuyt (Crouch 73).

Subs Not Used: Itandje, Lucas.

Booked: Gerrard, Mascherano.

Man Utd 1: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Anderson (O'Shea 90), Giggs, Rooney, Tevez (Carrick 83).

Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Saha, Fletcher.

Booked: Evra, Anderson, Brown.

Goals: Tevez 43.

Att: 44,459.

Ref: M Halsey (Lancashire).