Too hot to handle!

Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round (2nd leg)

Liverpool 4-0 Toulouse

Crouch 19, Hyypia 49, Kuyt 87, 91

(Aggregate 5-0)

Liverpool through to the group stage with a 5-nil victory on aggregate over French club Toulouse. Goal from Peter Crouch on the 19th minute put the Reds on the front seat before Hyypia and Kuyt wrapped up the match in the second half. The French outfit clearly no match for a revamped Liverpool lineups with Gerrard, Carragher, Finnan, Voronin, Torres and Alonso all were omitted from the starting eleven. Sebastian Leto was given his first start to his Liverpool career and played on the left side of the midfield. Rafa also gave Lucas Leiva a debut as a second half substitute for Momo Sissoko on the 68th minute.

Peter Crouch, left out of the last two matches, returned to score after just 19 minutes and captain for the night Sami Hyypia made light of a broken nose to head home the second just after the break. Crouch and Yossi Benayoun also both returned to the starting line-up to good effect. Benayoun's enthusiasm, pace and skill was at the centre of most of Liverpool's attacks and the opening goal came after when Benayoun worked to get Kuyt into space on the right and his far-post cross was turned in by Crouch's outstretched right leg.

Crouch should have scored again two minutes later when Benayoun popped up on the left and lifted in a cross that the tall striker rose to meet from six yards but planted his header over the crossbar. Crouch continued his wasteful ways when Arbeloa swung over another cross, again heading over, while Kuyt was next to miss with a header from another Benayoun cross.

Within three minutes of the restart it was 2-nil, a Yossi Benayoun corner being nodded in by Hyypia. Liverpool were sailing through the tie and Kuyt provided still more attacking menace yet missed the target when set up by Crouch. The Dutchman was also denied by the crossbar after his shot had taken a touch off Mauro Cetto but he finally got his reward three minutes from time after a fine one-two with substitute Ryan Babel. Deep into stoppage time, Benayoun played him in for his second.



Liverpool: 25 Reina, 17 Arbeloa, 4 Hyypia, 5 Agger (3 Finnan, 81), 6 Riise, 11 Benayoun, 22 Sissoko (21 Lucas, 68), 20 Mascherano, 33 Leto (19 Babel, 75), 15 Crouch, 18 Kuyt
Unused subs: 30 Itandje, 9 Torres, 14 Alonso, 16 Pennant
Bookings: None

Toulouse: 16 Douchez, 28 Cetto, 24 Ilunga, 15 Paulo Cesar, 5 Mathieu (22 Sissoko, 81), 25 Dieuze, 2 Fofana, 14 Sirieix, 9 Elmander, 20 Emana (17 Fabinho, 76), 21 Gignac (10 Bergougnoux, 54)
Unused subs: 1 Riou, 6 Jonsson, 7 Mansare, 8 Batlles
Bookings: None

Attendance: 43,118

Referee
Wolfgang Stark (GER)

Assistant referee
Jan-Hendrik Salver (GER)
Volker Wezel (GER)

Fourth official
Markus Schmidt (GER)

UEFA Referee observer
Günter Benkö (AUT)


YNWA,
Red's Fury™