RAFA retained his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation that has served the team so well in the recent unbeaten run of 6 matches and the only changes were Arbeloa for Hyypia in defence with Carragher and Skrtel in the middle. Arbeloa and Aurelio were tasked with the job of patrolling the sides. Xabi, the new proud dad, was restored in the middle of the park in place of Lucas and sat in front of the defence along side Mascherano whilst Babel and Kuyt was out wide. Gerrard and Torres was retained at the front and the crowd at Anfield was holding their breathe for the GT show.Reading won the toss for the kick-off and opted to attack the Anfield Road end instead, a phychological ploy as every team in EPL knows that Liverpool prefers to attack the KOP end in the second half. Presumably, this psychological ploy might have worked as we started poorly and our passing was of our usual sub-standards; wayward and crucially, we looked like we playing Barnsley!
On the 5th minute, the referee of the day, Mr. Andre Marriner made the first of mistakes in the match, in awarding a freekick to Reading penalizing Arbeloa who had made a brilliant tackle to dispose Long. Replays showed that Arbeloa was spot on with his claim although it was to no avail. The Liverpool defence had anticipated a long pun into the penalty box but in the end it was driven a cross the penalty box for Matejovsky to hit a brilliant first timed half-volley that sailed across to Pepe’s right leaving him with no chance whatsoever to save it. In truth, it was a brilliantly executed free kick which left Pepe standing and had hardly moved as the ball nestled into goal. The Anfield crowd had been stunned but was not broken knowing that the team in red had plenty of time to get back into the match.
It was all Reading in the next 10 to 15 minutes, taking over the midfield as their confidence grew and the Liverpool players had a spell of misplaced and wayward passing. Slowly but surely Liverpool clawed back into the match with Alonso trying his hand at the goal from just outside the penalty box and it sailed agonizingly millimeters wide of Hahnemann’s left post.
Shortly afterwards, the GT combo showed glimpses of it brilliance again when Gerrard made a telling through pass to his partner in crime, Torres who bore down on Hahnemann’s goal only to have the Reading keeper beat him to it by hundredths of a second. It would have been a different story had Torres had been fresher and rotated and not played in San Siro against Inter last week.
By then on 19th minute, Liverpool were in control of the midfield and Reading rarely threatened the Liverpool defence. But Babel, who had been penetrative on the left side of the attack, fed the ball to Mascherano in the middle of the park, just outside the penalty and he cleverly worked his way past Hunt and blasted a rocket shot to Hahnemann’s left giving the keeper no chance in the Reading goal. It was Mascherano’s first goal and it came in front of the adoring Kop and the Anfield stadium went wild celebrating this gem of a goal from their beloved Monster Masche!! So did all his Liverpool team mates. It was no less than what the lad deserved after his Monster performances in the red shirt since his move from Upton Park.
Rafa's 4-2-3-1 was now in full motion. Hahnemann had to be on his best to prevent a second when Ryan Babel sneaked past two defenders and smashed the ball on target goalwards. There was little backlift that would suggest Babel’s shot would sting the Reading keeper’s hand until it cannoned off Hahnemann’s hands into safety. Babel surely is a gem waiting to be cut into the perfect player for the GT combo given time to mature – probably for next season.
Babel then had a goal chalked off for offside in one of our more effective attacks from the right – a thunderbolt of a diving header but it was a correct decision by the linesman as Babel had been a fraction of a second too slow to react to the Reading defenders moving out.
Three minutes after the restart, Babel earned a free kick about 35 yards outside Hahnemann’s goal and our skipper chipped in a beautifully weighted cross into the penalty box and Hahnemann opted to stay on his line but his defenders hesitated and provided Torres with a free header which was duly accepted for his twentieth (20th) league goal and it was 2-1 to the home team. Torres header was headed with full confidence of a striker on form and he headed it magnificiently across Hahnemann’s right and was dutifully beaten by the pace of Torres’s header. The era of the new crown prince of Anfield, Mr. Torres has just begun …… hopefully with many more goals to come from a the humble Spaniard who is just 23 years old but already with vast international experience and a bag full of tricks and pace which scares the hell out of opposition defenders.
Tackles were starting to fly all over the pitch and frustration were boiling all over as Reading players had trouble keeping up the pace of the match. When Long was subbed by Dave Kitson, the former duly threw his shirt to the ground in front of the manager and was rightfully cautioned by Coppell as a mark of disrespect for the club.
Shortly after Kitson came on, he had a paper thin claim for a penalty after Carragher out muscled him with the ball slowly rolling towards goal before Reina picked it up. Had the claim been given by ref, Andre Marriner it would have been as frivolous as the one awarded against us in the Chelsea match.
There were several half chances created thereafter but the Reading defence, with some luck managed to clear the ball to safety for throw-ins or corner kicks. Frustration began to take its toll on the visitors’ players and Bikey who was lucky to have not been yellow carded earlier, was finally given one for pulling Gerrard down as he was bearing towards their goal. Bikey had already made several rash challenges on Torres, Gerrard, Alonso earlier in the match.
In the final minutes before the end, Reading had a claim for penalty when the ball hit Gerrard’s hand in the penalty box but in truth it was ball to hand and as Gerard’s hands were inwards covering his chest more than anything and the claims were rightly waved away. Seconds later, Hunt came close when Pepe Reina had trouble hold on to his shot. Pepe needed a second chance to hold on to the ball and the Spanish stopper quickly grabbed the ball with several Reading players bearing him down. Immediately after that, Gerrard was subbed by Hyypia to defend another Reading long ball into the Liverpool penalty area.
Hahnemann was instructed to go forward as a last throw of the dice for the freekick but it was cleared by the Liverpool defence and the ball duly landed on Alonso’s feet in the middle and Alonso tried one of his exquisite 70 yard shot from his own half with Hahnemann still behind him. Unfortunately for Alonso, his attempt landed several inches wide of goal. It would have been a fitting end to Alonso’s great day had that gone in after being restored to the team and becoming a father few days ago.
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt (Benayoun 80), Gerrard (Hyypia 90), Babel (Riise 83), Torres.
Subs Not Used: Itandje, Crouch.
Goals: Mascherano 19, Torres 48.
Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Bikey, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Oster (Kebe 72), Harper, Matejovsky (Cisse 74), Hunt, Doyle, Long (Kitson 63).Subs Not Used: Federici, Sonko.
Booked: Long, Ingimarsson, Matejovsky, Bikey, Cisse.Goals: Matejovsky 5.
Att: 43,524Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
No comments:
Post a Comment