Jamie Carragher’s face at the end said it all. A red face, reminding us of a tireless performance but really, really was Carra’s face red through his effort or through his anger and disappointment? He must have been seething with himself and the destiny of the match. Where do you point your finger this time? It wasn’t the best performance, but I don’t think you could really put a finger on the attitude and commitment of the lads as was the case on Saturday.
Martin Kelly was given his European debut due to a Glen Johnson injury. Lyon aren’t a mythical European side, but the circumstances made this tie intriguing and more than that crucial. Kelly defied all this with a flawless performance that though had been cut short due to an injury. He showed tidy defensive skills, and as is today required from a right or left back, comfort on the ball and impressive distribution, highlighting all this shortly before half-time when an awesome cross of his was met by Aurelio’s head that prompted their keeper, Lloris to a point blank save.
The rather quiet Anfield crowd summed up the anxiousness that is at the moment surrounding this club. The fact that Steven Gerrard was substituted just after 20 minutes as a precaution tells you something how much a gamble was to start his captain, how desperate the manager was to tonic his starting eleven, and in hindsight how much this fourth consecutive defeat will wrinkle his guts.
And it was looking smooth enough to not even get close to that. Yossi Benayoun opened the score. A good mate of mine calls him a ‘beautiful player’. Most people would call this a well taken goal. Like my mate I would call it ‘beautiful’, as there is always something graceful in every move of this player. And considering everything this was a rose sprouting from a piece of concrete. After three games without a goal, you’ll even appreciate any species of weed. Liverpool came close to add to this but the half-time whistle put paid to it.
The second forty-five minutes saw Liverpool’s tempo admittedly rather flattening as a return to winning ways was to be preserved in all manners. Pepe Reina looked self assured as any other day and pulled two great point blank saves in succession from the same action. It didn’t matter much though as the order of the night and the current plight or the reds dictated for the rebound to be met by Gonalons head – in for Cris due to a self-inflicted head injury. A draw looked a lukewarm reaction after three defeats and thus in Liverpool’s fashion of extremes, on the ninetieth minute Delgado poked in to inflict a proper slash rather than just a wound.
It all takes me back to the 2002-03 season when following a sublime season that still wasn’t enough Liverpool went into a freefall and the rest is history. In Gerard Houllier’s words of that season, Sunday provides an opportunity to turn a corner, but really at the moment all I can see ahead is a high brick wall, that requires men of steel to run through it.
Martin Kelly was given his European debut due to a Glen Johnson injury. Lyon aren’t a mythical European side, but the circumstances made this tie intriguing and more than that crucial. Kelly defied all this with a flawless performance that though had been cut short due to an injury. He showed tidy defensive skills, and as is today required from a right or left back, comfort on the ball and impressive distribution, highlighting all this shortly before half-time when an awesome cross of his was met by Aurelio’s head that prompted their keeper, Lloris to a point blank save.
The rather quiet Anfield crowd summed up the anxiousness that is at the moment surrounding this club. The fact that Steven Gerrard was substituted just after 20 minutes as a precaution tells you something how much a gamble was to start his captain, how desperate the manager was to tonic his starting eleven, and in hindsight how much this fourth consecutive defeat will wrinkle his guts.
And it was looking smooth enough to not even get close to that. Yossi Benayoun opened the score. A good mate of mine calls him a ‘beautiful player’. Most people would call this a well taken goal. Like my mate I would call it ‘beautiful’, as there is always something graceful in every move of this player. And considering everything this was a rose sprouting from a piece of concrete. After three games without a goal, you’ll even appreciate any species of weed. Liverpool came close to add to this but the half-time whistle put paid to it.
The second forty-five minutes saw Liverpool’s tempo admittedly rather flattening as a return to winning ways was to be preserved in all manners. Pepe Reina looked self assured as any other day and pulled two great point blank saves in succession from the same action. It didn’t matter much though as the order of the night and the current plight or the reds dictated for the rebound to be met by Gonalons head – in for Cris due to a self-inflicted head injury. A draw looked a lukewarm reaction after three defeats and thus in Liverpool’s fashion of extremes, on the ninetieth minute Delgado poked in to inflict a proper slash rather than just a wound.
It all takes me back to the 2002-03 season when following a sublime season that still wasn’t enough Liverpool went into a freefall and the rest is history. In Gerard Houllier’s words of that season, Sunday provides an opportunity to turn a corner, but really at the moment all I can see ahead is a high brick wall, that requires men of steel to run through it.
posted by jean paul at 11:39 pm
1 Comments:
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