Torres scores against Villa
A 93rd minute goal from Fernando Torres ensured Liverpool took a deserved 3 points at Villa Park.
Not only did Liverpool dominate the vast majority of the game on Villa's own turf but this was payback for a freak defeat at Anfield earlier this season.
Much has been written about Aston Villa this season by the press who appear to court Martin O'Neill's every word, but just as the men from the Midlands bottled it last season they appear to be doing similar this time around.
Liverpool's first half performance outshadowed that of the second half, with Villa turning the tables and enjoying some decent spells in the last 20 minutes.
The reds, playing in white in the Villa Park snowstorm, had plenty of possession in the first half and decent chances fell to both Gerrard and Benayoun. A lapse bit of marking from Dirk Kuyt saw Villa's best chance of the first half stopped by Pepe Reina.
Aquilani tired late on, and Insua and Kuyt were bit part performers for the reds. Carragher's lack of pace was exposed on more than one occasion and even Steven Gerrard is still playing below par.
But after weathering Villa's late storm, the reds kept their momentum and shape and with a bit of grit lacking in recent months, the ball was fed to Fernando Torres.
As usual, Torres fired the goal in to give the reds a deserved late winner. After the number of reversals the reds have suffered this term the goal was especially sweet to send the Liverpool fans on their way home with a glow in their hearts.
The reds are 4 points behind 4th placed Spurs who they meet next in the Premier League, and 7 points off 2nd place.
what a goal
think there were some defensive blunders but pepe was brilliant. now we have two wins in a row our confidence should be stronger. torres needs just one chance 12 goals in 19 games what a ratio. but we have to win games against top 5 clubs to be able to claim 4 th spot. think the top 3 is sealed quite frankly
Well done red men.
Martin O’neills dummy fell out again and he wasnt watchin the same game as the rest of us including Andy toffee blue nose Gray who sugested the away team was the best team and deserved to win.
Dont buy Heskey. Hes crap lazy and most of all he is a big baby.
Dont bring him to our club!
THE MIGHTY REDS LFC
Well it was tight and villa had some good chances but we gave as good as we got at a tough place to go (this season anyway) and in the end we took our chance in true EL NINO fashion.
I was so pleased that for once our defence was unified and both gerrard and torres contributed frequently throughout the entire game and that we play’d at that consistent level for 90 plus minutes.
It’s not the best game you will see thanks largely to lots of unforced errors however the result was key.
Got to thank the always magnificent Pepe Reina for some excellent saves and showing just what an amazing keeper we’ve got at the club. And the one chance wonder that is Fernando Torres truly made my Christmas .
Considering our recent form and the way Villa have been playing I thought we dominated for large spells during the match. OK it wasn’t the best game, but I personally think this could be the turning point, we raised our game compared to both the Wolves game and The Pompey Game, which i though we were lacking creativity. Ok we wasnt brilliant last night but our passing and movement was 100% better, just look at the possesion stats, ok villa had little spells here and there which you would expect because they are a good side. Our main problem is the formation, 4.5.1 isnt good for a club like us, we got away with it for the last couple of years purely because we had the creativity of Xabi Alonso, but so far in Aquallani i have seen a good player but not to the standards of Alonso. I think we can blame the manager to a certain Degree, however you cant really look no further than the players, our confidence has gone, but hopefuly this big win against one of the contenders for the top 4 will push us on for the rest of the season. Come the transfer window the owners need to cough up for a new striker and rafa needs to put him straight up with Torres and revert back to 4 – 4 – 2 with gerrard back in the middle of midfield. There have been rumours of Heskey coming back, in my opinion that would be a step backwards for us, it needs to be big, for the simple reasons we need a new striker to support Torres and if it is a big signing then this club and its players will be given a massive boost going into the new year which is exactly what we all need.
This was a better performance on the whole. We were lucky at times though, Downing should have scored for them but what an instinctive save from Pepe and Carew shaved the post with a header but in the end Torres was the difference, again, and, 3 points. Thats all that matters at the moment.
Now thats more like it, villa who have spent more cash if not just as much as us, under better ownership than us and are happier as a club. For rafa to pick Aquilani and only his second game away from home too, was indeed brave. He could of picked gerrard in the middle, he even left out aurelio in front of insua away from home, but yet again these little facts get left out dont they?
Lucas was great last night, he was trying to push forward also, his energy levels are fantastic, and for me now hes the type of player who can at least doa job for the side. Insua is young , and while people dont remember he has kept his head down and played through the clubs ruff times and come out and done well, he made chances at home to wolves and he yet again was not just coping with milner who has been villas best player this year he had the energy to attcak to. insua is for me a great player in the making but yet again rafa gets f**k all credit for sticking him in and staying by him, well doen rafa for your trust in a young player. insua, kelly, darby, pacheco, eccleston, ayala, plessies, spearing, ngog have all been given chances this year and he is letting them get chances if the play. another point that gets lost in this media crazied sky sports anit liverpool andy gray, loving mr wenger( is great at bringing youth players through)?? what have arsenal done with all the youth, not a lot……….
What a great win at villa, reina had to make 2 saves, not many as martin drunk o’neil said on sky last nite, liverpool had 4 clear cut chances to villas 4 so for me we where not the second best team on that park, liverpool snatched a win, now that will be seen as lucky but when others do it to us, its well needed,,,this country is a joke the way it has a huge go at rafa and the team,, for me what a win last night,, stick that up your a**e,,, andy gray, the mail, the Su* newspaper, sky sports news, talksport and all the rest of you anti Liverpool mob.
Both teams had chances but Torres was the difference again prioving that he only needs one chance and it’s in!.It’s early days yet but Aquilani doesn’t seem to be anything special and certainly not worth what we paid for him.Has Rafa pressed the self-destruct button again??