EPL Match Report: Liverpool 3 VS Sunderland 0

Peter Crouch lifts the gloom at Liverpool
By James Mossop at Anfield Last Updated: 10:13pm GMT 02/02/2008

Liverpool (0) 3 Sunderland (0) 0

Sourced from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/02/03/sfgliv103.xml

Haul down those distress pennants a notch. Relief was everywhere at Anfield. A finely taken header by Peter Crouch and a spring-heeled break from Fernando Torres brought Liverpool a win to chase the gloom away, at least for the time being.

Ole Ole Torres!- MyRAWK ADMIN

They were always in charge against a Sunderland team who, on this evidence, seem unlikely to go down. Their players are not of the highest Premiership class, but they have the appetite for a fight.

There is always a welcome at Anfield, but how far does it extend? The bitterness of the Merseyside weather seemed as fitting as the discord rushing through the club.
Manager Rafa Benitez is under fire from ex-Liverpool player Steve McMahon for his rotation policy. Experienced defender and local lad, Jamie Carragher, talks about the older heads in the dressing-room needing to lead the team out of recent mediocrity.

The fans, urged by an agitated Rogan Taylor, are being coaxed to prise the club from American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett by raising a fanciful £500 million. The Dubai International Capital group, who appear to have as much money as the grains of sand in their desert sunshine home, are also interested.

There is a whiff of betrayal among those tens of thousands who care passionately about the history and traditions of Liverpool FC. And how many of them will possess the cash to toss into Taylor's well-meaning bucket?

Among all this, Benitez knows that, last summer, Jurgen Klinsmann was sounded out about his job. You walk through the Shankly Gates and wonder what old Bill would have thought. After all, he created the club and its hitherto unique spirit and from such earthy foundations Liverpool soared and became a trophy-winning fortress.

Alongside the famous "This is Anfield" sign he might have added "No rich meddlers", but there was no need in those days when football was the people's game.

With so many off-field kerfuffle's going on, there was an inevitably subdued atmosphere, especially among those Koppites who taught the football world how to sing.

More noise came from the 2,000 Sunderland followers, although the first 45 minutes contained very little for either camp to cheer. Liverpool continually gave the ball away in the final third. They had most of possession but were regularly thwarted by Sunderland's central defenders, Nyron Nosworthy and Jonny Evans.

Jermaine Pennant raised the heartbeat slightly when he skipped past two defenders as he cut in from the right and pulled the ball back. The header from Fernando Torres was as limp as the afternoon's mood and Craig Gordon collected the ball comfortably.
Liverpool were defending the Kop end in the first half and there was one moment of cheer when Martin Skrtel flew to make an important interception to halt a rare Sunderland raid with the lively Kenwyne Jones cutting in towards goal. Skrtel received a grateful handshake from Sami Hyypia.

Benitez was hopping about like a demented puppeteer in the technical area signalling instructions, but all his directions seemed to end in cul-de-sacs. His counterpart Roy Keane was a figure of fist-shakes and bellowed demands. They call it encouragement.

Benitez brought on Steve Finnan for Fabio Aurelio to provide more experience at left back, a flank where most of Sunderland's rare advances had threatened some danger.
With Liverpool attacking the Kop end the supporters found their voices and the sound of "Attack, attack, attack" came as the pace increased.

A breakthrough came 12 minutes into the second half when Carragher turned Daryl Murphy by the corner flag and his cross was perfect for the 6ft 7in Crouch to head home.

MyRAWK Admin: Yay! for Crouch!

Liverpool had the taste. Crouch launched a bicycle kick shot that Gordon saved with his legs and Phil Bardsley cleared off the line from Crouch. It was the prelude to Liverpool's second goal and again Crouch was involved, with a flick-on that Torres chased and buried.

Sunderland battled on. There was no lack of effort or spirit, but their claims for a penalty when Murphy drove the ball at Carragher and may have caught his arm were far-fetched. They had every reason to feel that life was treating them badly when referee Rob Styles responded to an assistant's flag and awarded a penalty when Pennant went down in instalments just as he seemed to be away from Nosworthy. Steven Gerrard tucked it away with Gordon getting a hand to the ball.

Man of the match Peter Crouch (Liverpool) 8
• Scored once from three attempts• 59 percent accuracy from 39 passes made

Best moment Crouch’s superb delivery of the opening goal

Worst momentThe assistant referee’s decision to flag for a penalty that brought Liverpool’s third goal

Match Highlights: