Championship side knock out Liverpool to leave manager under intense pressure before Tuesday's visit from Inter
By Guy Hodgson at Anfield, Sunday, 17 February 2008
Source taken from http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/liverpool-1-barnsley-2-barnsleys-brilliance-leaves-redfaced-benitez-on-brink-783336.html
Liverpool, who have spent much of the winter seemingly on a mission to heap FA Cup embarrassment on themselves, finally succeeded yesterday. Where Luton and Havant & Waterlooville came close, Barnsley of the Championship went even further and clinched a stunning victory at Anfield to reach the quarter-finals.
It was a shock of substantial proportions and could have repercussions for manager Rafael Benitez, who was already attracting much criticism because of Liverpool's lacklustre performances in the Premier League. Now Tuesday's home Champions' League game against Internazionale takes on even greater significance. Lose the tie and the pressure on the Spaniard will be immense.
Yesterday, Benitez gambled by fielding a weakened team bereft of Fernando Torres and – until the final 15 minutes – Steven Gerrard, and he was rewarded by an ignominious defeat to a team who are 29 places below them in the League pyramid.
Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool ahead in the first half but a goal from Stephen Foster and a stoppage-time winner from Brian Howard ensured a famous win for the Yorkshire side.
Simon Davey, the Barnsley manager, described it as his best moment in football. "You always dream of coming to Anfield and winning," he said. "We played a fantastic team and beat them. Hopefully this will be a catalyst for us to kick on in the League. We know we have a good group of players who are still improving but I don't think we'll see the best of them until next season."
Davey's praise was widespread but he made special mention of goalkeeper Luke Steele, who was signed on loan only on Thursday from West Bromwich Albion because of an injury to Heinz Muller and because Tony Warner is cup-tied. "Luke is a good goalkeeper who we knew would do a good job for us. Well he did a bit more than that today. He kept us in the game for long periods and pulled off some world-class saves."
Benitez also applauded the Barnsley goalkeeper but tried to emphasise the positive. "The players worked hard and created many chances," he said. And Inter? "If we create as many chances, we will win," he replied.
For much of yesterday it appeared Liverpool would win too. Kuyt was just wide with a shot after 10 minutes and Peter Crouch was close with a header two minutes later. Yossi Benayoun was also to the fore with two efforts before Liverpool had a real scare when Sami Hyypia was dispossessed in the 29th minute and Istvan Ferenczi was thwarted by Charles Itandje's save. That marked a mini watershed because there was a noticeable upping of the momentum by Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso forced a flying save out of Steele and had another goalbound shot saved, so Barnsley were creaking when the home team took the lead after 32 minutes. Ryan Babel dummied to cut in from the left to throw Bobby Hassell off balance and that was enough to give him the space to cross when he reached the byline. Kuyt had pleaded for a cutback from the Dutchman twice in previous attacks and this time he was heard and he teed up the ball before despatching it with uncharacteristic aplomb.
Anfield sat back to enjoy an easy passage into the last eight, but Barnsley ripped up the script by equalising after 57 minutes. Itandje punched clear under heavy pressure from a free-kick but the ball came back into his area within seconds when Martin Devaney crossed from the right and Foster, a centre-back, headed over and beyond the Liverpool goalkeeper. Cue an assault on the Barnsley goal.
Crouch and Benayoun were halted only by desperate blocks by defenders, Hyypia swung twice and was blocked twice and Benayoun beat two players and almost squeezed in a shot two minutes later. Then, with six minutes to go, Harry Kewell clipped the bar with a shot from the edge of the area.
Davey was praying his team could hang on for a draw but his players refused to listen to his pleas for them to stay back. A stoppage-time raid should have brought a penalty when Howard was brought down by John Arne Riise, but he had barely begun to complain to the referee when the ball came to him again. He dispossessed Alonso and beat Itandje with a low left-foot shot.
Barnsley's fans could barely believe what they were seeing; neither could the Liverpool fans. They booed the players off the pitch and then around a thousand staged a protest. Last night it was against the Americans who own the club. On Tuesday, Benitez could be the target.
Goals: Kuyt (32 ) 1-0; Foster (57) 1-1; Howard (90) 1-2.
Liverpool (4-4-2): Itandje; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise; Benayoun, Lucas (Gerrard, 75), Alonso, Babel (Kewell, 70); Kuyt, Crouch. Substitutes not used: Martin (gk), Arbeloa, Pennant.
Barnsley (4-4-2): Steele; Hassell, Foster, De Silva, Kozluk (Van Homoet, 60); Devaney, Souza, Howard, Leon (Campbell-Ryce, 71); Ferenczi, Nardiello (Odejayi, 55). Substitutes not used: Coulson, Togwell.
Booked: Liverpool Alonso; Barnsley Van Homoet.
Referee: M Atkinson (West Yorkshire).
Man of the match: Steele.
Attendance: 42,449.
Shock treatment Three FA Cup humiliations for Liverpool
* 1959 Third round
Worcester City 2 Liverpool 1
This was pre-Shankly, and Liverpool were in the Second Division, but they were expected to have little trouble against a Southern League side. Enter the "Thompson Plan", a scheme to upset the visitors on an icy St George's Lane pitch devised by Worcester's manager, Bill Thompson. Liverpool slipped out of the Cup.
* 1983 Fifth round
Liverpool 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Jimmy Melia (he of the white shoes) was born two miles from Anfield and played for Liverpool for 12 years, but he masterminded this win over a team who were halfway through a hat-trick of League titles and who would also win the League Cup that season. A former Liverpool player, Jimmy Case, got Albion's winner.
* 1988 Final
Liverpool 0 Wimbledon 1
The aristocrats versus the artisans. Liverpool were champions, Wimbledon had been in the Football League for only 11 seasons. It was a victory for the lower classes then, as Dave Beasant saved a penalty from John Aldridge and Lawrie Sanchez got the winner in one of the greatest Wembley upsets.
Liverpool Vs Barnsley Full Highlights (16/02/2008) - FA Cup Fif
Don't forget LIVERPOOL FC VS Inter Milan Champions League match on FEB 20 Wednesday @ 3:30am on CH 812 ESPN
1 comment:
Another performance, another abject performance and another sad story in our colourful history.
When you have the opposition in your knives, you put them to the sword by scoring the 2nd goal. Unfortunately, Kuyt and Crouch and Benayoun all left their scoring boots in the dressing room or in the boot of their cars!
Some have clamoured for youth to be injected into the team by playing with the reserves .... but last season's 3-6 reversal against Arsenal still spring to mind.
Some clamoured for our 2nd team to be given a run out ..... but we remembered the lost at Burnley in 2005.
Some clamoured for our best players to be given a starting place even against Barnsley ....
But RAFA's a stubborn manager. He'll do what he thinks is best for the team and he chose a team which was on paper still formidable considering Barnsley have only won twice away this season.
So, why are people still calling for his head when his players left their scoring boots in the dressing room or in the boot of their car?
Performance wise, it was like so many games this season, we could not find the net due to opposing keepers and defenders have a 'Reina' and 'Carragher' day!
I mean, we had our back 4 from last season to begin with and you would have thought it was sufficient to hold out Barnsley. No? We had the 4 out of 5 players who made up our defence earlier this season - should have been enough no matter what the pundits say ....
Kuyt scored and had several numerous chances .... that was the one positive point!
Xabi is having a nightmare season this time as he keeps losing balls in dangerous positions to oppositions - this time, he lost the ball to Howard and the latter punished us by putting us to the sword and slit our throat and kick us out of the FACup and like it or not, we played our part in the fairy tale of the FACup yet again!
I guess the FACup and F**k-ups go hand-in-hand for us based on our coloured FACup history! They go hand-in-hand ..... unfortunately for us, this is one of the biggest upsets in the history of the club in proportion to the FACup we lost to Wimbledon in 1988 (IIRC).
Post a Comment