Europa League: SC Braga 1-0 Liverpool (1st leg)

Liverpool suffered their first European defeat of the season as they were beaten 1-0 by Braga in the Europa League last 16, first-leg tie on Thursday night.

The home team got the only goal of the evening in Portugal on 18 minutes with Alan comfortably beating Pepe Reina from the penalty spot after Sotirios Kyrgiakos had brought down Mossoro in the area.

Liverpool struggled to muster a response and though Andy Carroll's introduction as an early second-half substitute did inject new life into their play, Braga were able to see out the contest to clinch the win.

The Reds departed John Lennon airport on Wednesday afternoon aiming to build upon Sunday's comprehensive 3-1 victory over Manchester United, knowing they would have to do so without the services of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.

The captain remained behind on Merseyside to have a groin injury assessed, and though Suarez did travel with the squad, his appearances for Ajax in the competition earlier this season ruled him out of action. [Read more…]

Sources: Video courtesy of FootyTube.com and match report from LiverpoolFC.tv

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Luis Suarez – The New Hero

The 31^st of January 2011 was an extremely busy day for Liverpool football club. The club had sold Fernando Torres to rivals Chelsea for a record-breaking £50 million, which upset many fans as they saw the departure of a world class striker as a major step down and that things might look bleak for the future. Fast-forward to March and things seem very different…
On the same day that Torres left the club, Liverpool purchased both Andy Carroll from Newcastle and Luis Suarez from Ajax, who cost roughly the same combined as Torres did. Andy Carroll made his debut on Sunday and will surely offer them something different up front and Torres has not made much of an impact at Chelsea so far. On the other hand, Luis Suarez has come into the Liverpool side and already looks like he will be a fantastic acquisition.
There seems to be a new lease of life for those wearing Liverpool football shirts at the moment. A lot of this is down to the return of Kenny Dalglish to the club, but Suarez has injected more energy and buzz about the time that has not been seen for quite some time.
The Dutch league is often criticised for having a poor standard as several players have come over from the Eredivise with a fantastic goal scoring record and have completely flopped in the English Premier League. Suarez’s goal record at Ajax was 81 goals in 110 games and although it doesn’t look like he will score anywhere near that amount in England, he can offer an awful lot more than putting the ball in the back of the net.
He might actually be the perfect partner for Andy Carroll and could end up with a great amount of assists at Liverpool. There’s no doubt that the Uruguayan forward can score goals, but I think he’ll be more useful playing the way he did against Manchester United on Sunday.
Suarez seems to be able to beat a man (or four) with ease at times and with energy levels that can match Steven Gerrard, it can only be a positive sign for things to come at Liverpool. It will be very interesting to see how his partnership develops with Andy Carroll over time, especially next season. Many wondered if Suarez and Carroll combined would be better than Fernando Torres for Liverpool, but it could turn out that Suarez on his own will do more for the club.
Written by Eddie Smith, a sports writer who blogs about replica football shirts.

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Match Highlights: Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United

Dirk Kuyt netted a superb hat-trick as a rampant Liverpool crushed Manchester United 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.

The Dutch forward became the first Reds player to complete a treble in the fixture since Peter Beardsley back in 1990 as Kenny Dalglish's men put their old rivals to the sword.

The hosts dominated throughout a fiery clash in L4 and they took the lead on 35 minutes when Kuyt touched home from close range after some sublime approach play by Luis Suarez.

The No.18 was revelling in his role alongside the Uruguayan and doubled his tally just moments later when he took advantage of a Nani error to thump a header beyond Edwin Van der Sar.

The Reds maintained control of the proceedings after the interval and Kuyt capped what will go down as a career highlight when he showed great awareness to follow up Suarez's free-kick and fire in the rebound following a fumble from the United stopper.

The visitors did pull a goal back through substitute Javier Hernandez deep into stoppage time but it was a mere consolation on a day that belonged to the red half of Merseyside.

The victory means Liverpool move back into sixth place in the Barclays Premier League standings, six points adrift of Chelsea. [Read more…]

Sources: Video courtesy of FootyTube.com and match report from LiverpoolFC.tv

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Udinese ponder move for Liverpool midfielder

According to OnTheMinute.com, Italian giants Udinese are reportedly keeping tabs on Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen's situation at Liverpool.

Liverpool Echo reports that Udinese could make a move for the 31-year-old in the January transfer window.

The Denmark international recently stated he would consider his options at the end of the season, but is happy at the Reds despite getting little game time since Kenny Dalglish took over the team.

Udinese could decide to bring in Poulsen as a replacement for Gokhan Inler, who has been strongly linked with a move to Napoli.

The Italian side are reportedly ready to make a £3million move for the Liverpool midfielder. Poulsen joined Liverpool last summer from Juventus for £4.5million.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: OnTheMinute.com

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West Ham 3-1 Liverpool: Back to the drawing board

Liverpool's unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with a 3-1 defeat at West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

Goals from Scott Parker and Demba Ba had the Hammers looking comfortable before a late strike from Glen Johnson gave the Reds hope.

It wasn't to be, however, with substitute Carlton Cole finishing off the scoring with just minutes remaining.

Injuries to Raul Meireles and Martin Kelly completed a miserable afternoon in east London.

Liverpool's chances of making it nine games without defeat had been buoyed by the return of club captain Steven Gerrard from a groin injury.

Key to that sequence of results had been the Reds' ability to keep opposition attackers at bay, with Pepe Reina tallying five shut-outs in six games. Kenny Dalglish opted to field three centre-backs in a bid to maintain that miserliness, including 19-year-old Danny Wilson, who found his name on a Barclays Premier League team-sheet for the first time.

Another notable inclusion was the man who now wears No.7 at Anfield, Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan set about making an instant impact on two minutes with an audacious lob into the box which was just too heavy for the onrushing Gerrard. [Read more…]

Sources: Video courtesy of FootyTube.com and match report from LiverpoolFC.tv

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Liverpool’s Changed Expectations

If you had asked Liverpool fans at the beginning of the season if they would take a 6^th place finish in the English Premier League and to get to the latter stages of the Europa League, I’m sure most would have given you a strange look. Unfortunately though, most Liverpool fans would now probably take this offer with both hands.
Liverpool had a dreadful start to the season and therefore sacked Roy Hodgson in early January. There were several changes at the club last month, including Kenny Dalglish being re-appointed as manager, the departure of Fernando Torres to Chelsea and the late signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. Things at Anfield do seem to have improved, but with the season so far through, there is only so much that King Kenny can do in a short space of time.
Fans will now have to be realistic in their ambitions for the rest of the season and accept that there is a lot of rebuilding needing to be done at the club. The acquisitions of Suarez and Carroll are certainly a step in the right direction and they both have youth on their side. If Liverpool can hang on to other players like Reina, Gerrard and Meireles, then there is a good spine to the team and 2 or 3 other good signings could mean that those wearing Liverpool football shirts will be able to compete for a Champions League spot next season.
After a run of four consecutive wins and also clean sheets against Wolves, Chelsea, Fulham and Stoke, fans were starting to look up the league table and fancied their chances of challenging for fourth spot in the league. Unfortunately, a home draw against Wigan has stopped this run and the task to earn a Champions League position has started to fade again. That is not to say that the team cannot get into another run of form again, but there are certainly some very tough games ahead.
Liverpool still have to play Manchester United and Manchester City at home in the next few weeks. They also have matches against Arsenal at the Emirates and a home game against Tottenham and a final day clash with Aston Villa at Villa Park. With only eleven games to go, these are four very tricky matches to win. One team from Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are also likely to miss out on a Champions League place, which shows how tough it will be. I certainly think that with how this season has panned out for the club, a 6^th place finish for Liverpool would be regarded as a reasonable success.
They are also still in the Europa League and few would bet against Liverpool winning the trophy. Manchester City are seen as favourites at the moment, but Liverpool are certainly in with a shout. I would be interested to hear anyone else’s thoughts on this, especially Liverpool fans. Have I been too harsh or is this the consensus among Liverpool fans too?
Written by Eddie Smith, a sports writer who blog about football shirts.

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Europa League: Dirk Kuyt sent the Reds into the last 16

Liverpool will face SC Braga in the last 16 of the Europa League.

Dirk Kuyt headed home a later winner as Liverpool booked their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a 1-0 win over Sparta Prague on Thursday night.

The Dutchman was left unmarked to guide in Raul Meireles's 86^th minute corner after it had looked like the side from the Czech Republic would force extra-time.

It means the Reds are now unbeaten in eight games under boss Kenny Dalglish, who also celebrated his first European triumph as manager.

Ahead of the clash Dalglish opted to make four changes to the side that drew in Prague, with Joe Cole returning to start his first match for the Scot.

There was no doubt that it was a big opportunity for the England midfielder to finally show the Kop the full repertoire of his attacking talents and he was heavily involved in the early exchanges. [Read more…]

Sources: Video courtesy of RuTube and match report by LiverpoolFC.tv

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Europa League: Sparta Prague 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool will take a creditable goalless draw back to Anfield following a laboured Europa League last 32 first leg clash with Sparta Prague.

Kenny Dalglish's first ever continental match in charge of the Reds will not live long in the memory - but it was the visitors who were the happier come the final whistle.

The contest will now be decided on Merseyside in one week's time to see who will face Braga or Lech in the last 16.

All the pre-match hype centred around the inclusion of four Youth Cup stars in the squad, though only England U19 skipper Conor Coady would be in with a chance of taking part after being named on the bench.

Instead it was an experienced Reds side that took to the Generali Stadium pitch on a freezing night in Prague - the one exception being 19-year-old Danny Wilson operating at left-back in a 4-4-2.

Liverpool set about controlling the early possession but it was 13 minutes before either side created an opening worth writing about. [Read more…]

Sources: Video courtesy of FootyTube.com and match report by LiverpoolFC.tv

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