FA Premiership
14th March 2009 @ 12:45pm, Old Trafford
Liverpool hit 4 for the second time in a week with a magnificent victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Despite a sloppy Reina challenge handing United a 1-0 goal lead from the penalty spot, the reds took a 2-1 lead in to half time before adding another two goals to hand United their heaviest defeat at home for 17 years.
Apparently when Ronaldo scores at Old Trafford United never lose. Not any more. A few other records were broken today as well but back to the game and Liverpool were magnificent. What’s more, Liverpool looked like they had a lot more in the tank. This was a relatively simple stroll to victory.
Liverpool were without Xabi Alonso due to injury and shortly before kick off the reds were forced to re-shuffle after Arbeloa picked up an injury while training. Hyypia was drafted in just before kick off and Carragher moved to right back.
The opening 5 minutes weren’t promising but the reds gradually gained control of the game, with plenty of possession but little outlet.
But United won themselves a penalty against the run of play when Reina foolishly brought down Jung Si Park. Reina guessed the direction of the penalty right but Ronaldo had too much power behind it and converted the strike. 1-0 to United and their fans started to sing through their wide range of 3 songs.
If we’ve learned anything this season though it is that the reds are at their most dangerous when the chips are down and just like when United scored first at Anfield this season – this game was in no way over.
Torres was dangerous all game and Nemanja Vidic couldn’t cope when the Spaniard harried him to coolly slot the equaliser in the middle of the first half. As the second half was coming to an end Gerrard broke away in to the box but was brought down by Evra. The reds captain slotted the penalty home to put the reds 2-1 up front just before half time.
The second half started with the reds under the cosh, as United threw everything they had at the reds. A triple substitution followed as United brought on their £30+ million pound man Berbatov, alongside Scholes and Giggs. But almost immediately Liverpool were providing the attacking impetus and Gerrard was clean through on goal when Vidic decided to cynically haul him down. Quite rightly Vidic was sent off.
From the resulting free kick Fabio Aurelio sent in a free kick straight past the statue-esque Van der Saar. Torres and Gerrard were both removed from the action, or rested as we like to call it, and with the next bit of action Andrea Dossena scored for the second time in a week when he skilfully lobbed Van der Saar in the dying minutes of the game.
There wasn’t many United fans left in the ground by now as the reds celebrated their 4th goal. Liverpool have played better but I suppose 4 will do for today.
Rafa took off his glasses and put them back in their case. Never mind ‘Rafa’s rant’ as the media like to call it. We’d like to give special thanks to ‘Rooney’s Rant’.
Match Video
Torres equalises for the reds
Gerrard puts the penalty away
Aurelio free kick and Vidic sending off
Dossena scores the 4th
Post Match Interviews
Rafa Benitez:
“We have good players, a good mentality and great character. We knew we had to win, but even after conceding we had to push forward and believe we could do it. It was a good game, but today we’ve played better.”
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Hyypia, Aurelio, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard (El Zhar 90), Riera (Dossena 67), Torres (Babel 81).
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Insua, Ngog, Arbeloa.
Booked: Carragher, Mascherano, Skrtel.
Goals: Torres 28, Gerrard 44 pen, Aurelio 77, Dossena 90.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick (Giggs 74), Anderson (Scholes 73), Park (Berbatov 74), Rooney, Tevez.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Nani, Evans, Fletcher.
Sent Off: Vidic (76).
Booked: Ferdinand, Van der Sar.
Goals: Ronaldo 23 pen.
Att: 75,569
Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).
Forum Match Thread
http://www.lfcreds.com/reds/index.php?topic=14863.0
Bnaging result! What was the son liverpool fans were singing about fergie? heard it on the telly go on for ags but couldnt make it out though? Someone post an aswer pleae niceone!
Grt play
i just wnt liverpool to keep it up like this
It was a magnificent and memorable victory.Our players were
simply magic and played as a solid unit.The mancs were swept off their feet.I think it will take them a while to
realise what hit them on Saturday afternoon.
Keeping feet on the ground and hope for more such performances from our lads. WWNWA !
We spanked them like their daddy giving Rooney greater reason to hate Liverpool!.No matter what bitter old Fergie says we dominated the match restricting them too hardly any chances.One of the best results we’ve had in recent years proving that Man Utd are NOT invincible at home!
Yes sir,they can be beaten and they can be hurt providing the opposition believe and are not intimidated by the home crowd!
I am still in 7th heaven…………and I think it will take me a long time to get back down to earth. Let’s just keep that momentum going for the visit of Villa on Sunday. A nice week’s rest to sooth those aching bones. COME ON LIVERPOOL…..all is not lost.
Can I also just say fair play to Dossena. Hes not had the best season so far but 2 goals in 2 games against Manurenited and Real Madrid playing left midfield. Fair play to him. Both great finishes aswell.
Absolutely brill performance, i still havnt come down from the ceiling!! Gerrard is the best player in the world, as Zinedine Zidane quite rightly said, and on his day there isnt a better striker than Torres. They were definately at the top of their games at “the theatre of dreams”!!! what a bulls**t name!! That prick Ferguson, what game was he watching to say that they were the better team. After their goal went in we stepped up and were all over them right up until the final whistle. I was loving it when a camera focused on Rooney, just to see the look on his face! I hope he regrets saying what he did now, tosser!! I just wish we could play like this more often then we could cut out some of the draws against lower teams, especially at home where weve had is it 6 draws so far, not good enough. Win some of those we’d be champions easily this season. But never mind, champions league should be ours this season for the 6th time.
COME ON THE MIGHTY REDS!!
This is what represents the BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD..!!!!Rooney must learn from this n who said Liverpool plays defending…here we ATTACK….YOOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE…
I am so glad that the team that beat Real Madrid turned up for the match in Old Trafford, since our performance has been a bit inconsistent.
Proud that in the last week, the team has become more like the teams of the 1970s-1980s. Way to go.
YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When you walk through a storm
hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone,
You’ll never, ever walk alone.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone,
You’ll never, ever walk alone.
Come On You Reds. Amazin Match. YNWA!
amazing
Whether this result re-ignites our titile ambitions remains to be seen, however, my hope is that it goes some way to displacing some myths that have been gathering momentum this season.
The first thing concerns our manager. From all quarters this season people have suggested Rafa has taken this club as far as he can, that our best is behind us. Clearly if the last 2 games shows us anything, it shows this team can scale new heights under Rafa. Personally I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Liverpool under Rafa Benitez yet.
Second, those that have suggested Rafa has wasted money on sub standard players and has contributed to us having a weaker squad than utd should look to yesterdays game and use it as a model. With no Agger, Alonso or Arbeloa we were able to outclass the world and european champions in a way which nobody has on their own patch since 1992. And oh yeah, we had no Robbie Keane either. What a shame. OK overall we probably don’ have the squad of utd but that is purely down to resources.
Thirdly, we’ve had to listen to people calling us a two man team or the ‘Gerrard and Torres show’. Admitedly, those two were the difference yesterday, however, this massively underscores the contributions made by Masch, Aurelio, Sammi, Skrtel and Kuyt, whom I thought was superb yesterday. On the other hand, Gerrard and Torres are so important to us. The fact they’ve only statred together 9 times this season may be a bigger reason why we’ve slipped behind in the title race, rather than Rafa being a ranting clown,picking the wrong team, signing the wrong players or using negative tactics. Let me ask people this. Would the gap between us and Utd be closer if Gerrard and Torres had started together as many times as Rooney and Ronaldo? That brings me on to my next point. It has been shown that without that particular pair, utd are a decidedly average team. Both went missing yesterday and utd posed very little threat. Any they call us a ‘two man team’.
Before I talk about my final irritating myth, I want to point out something else. In head to heads against the other big 3 this year we’ve come out on top. With 2 wins against utd and 2 against chelsea and a draw at Arsenal. Utd’s record in this mini league puts them 3rd. So what does this say? It says to me that Utd’s table topping form has come against the teams they are expected to beat. The teams that they can afford to play a weakened team against and still win. A product of better more expensive players in reserve. A product of more resources.
Clearly Liverpool’s strongest 11 is as good as anyone else including utd. Teams tend to play their best 11 available players agaisnt the strongest teams. When we’ve done this agaisnt the top teams we’ve won more than any other side in the big four. Progress?
The final myth that irritates me is the suggestion that the current utd team is the best in history. Really? Yesterday, we showed that when they are given little space to play and come up against some pace they look quite ordinary. Blackburn did the same recently at old trafford and were unlucky not to win. Unfortunately, most teams go to old trafford looking to enjoy a day out rather than take utd on. Fulham sat back and admired utd last week in the FA cup and they were at home! Yet the media will tell you that utd gave us a ‘masterclass’ in how football should be played. Anyway enough of that, let’s keep believin that we can catch them nd we just might!
A win at united… just as I predicted (smug)
Four…one…. better than I thought (gloat)
Now lets keep it up for the champions league.. I dont think united will slip up any more… but it would be nice to be wrong.
Nice to see Fergie doing his bit for comic relief… with the red nose and that.. oh and the joke about the better team….just hilllllarious
If we play like this next season we could do it.
We really could…..the three big ones.
That was a Real Mad performance from the boys dream in the ‘Theatre of Dreams!’
Liverpool knocked the stuffing out of the Mancs to celebrate 100 wins under Rafa and who knows which way the title will go? It is Utd’s title to lose in some repsects but yesterday there was a reminder of who’s breathing down their necks.
We never know when we’re beaten and let’s hope this will propel us to a barn storming finish to the season.
You just never know with Liverpool FC.
well done rafa and the boys
magic
With stunning wins over Real Madrid and now Man Utd…..the real Liverpool has finally stood up.Oh what a great sight to savour and cherish for a veryyyyyyyyyy long time.
Fergie has crap in his eyes how can he say “his team was best” what a n-b jocky keep it up boys and great comment Rooney (tosser)
Another great day
magic@ old trafford ynwa
Fantastic result, especially after Rooneys mouthing off episode. This really rubbed his nose in it. The team in general were superb, as they were against Madrid, just a shame that we cannot be consistantly as good agains the lower teams like Hull, Stoke and Boro etc as we would have been Champions this season. We can only hope now that as Stevie said after the match that our result against the scum can give hope to other teams, and just might give us a sniff, but somehow i doubt it. We have to concentrate on the Champions league for the rest of the season, and just hope scum slip up. But great performances this week lads, you have made a old man very very happy i can tell you. El Tel
YNWA. i’m proud to be a liverpudlian.
14/03/2009
DANCING DAY!!!!!!
You´ll never walk alone great reds!!!!!!!!!
Greatings from Chile
Brilliant game, my heart swells with pride. I love u Reds. You are the best team in the world. mwaahhhzzz
True class always shine through. bet Rooney regrets his comments now…
You’re awesome glen!!! Unbelievable. i was taking a college test today so i missed it. What an amazing turnout.
I’m from Brazil and a big Liverpool fan . The today’s game was absolutely sensational. A great victory.
Sincerely , nothing compares to Liverpool F.C.
Come on , Reds , let’s go to the top.
I believe it .
Awesome guys, absolutely awesome. Fergie the tosser says his was the better team, what game was he watching.
Torres and Gerrard dream team:)
No wonder we are Europe’s best.
Jesus answers prayers!
What a great result. Keep it up.