The Sunday papers overlooked the bigger picture as they hailed a return to winning ways for Liverpool after the dramatic 3-2 win over Bolton Wanderers.
Rafael Benitez called for his senior players to raise their game following the embarrassing defeat to Aston Villa last Monday. The manager had singled out Steven Gerrard for criticism in the aftermath of that game and his words had the desired effect as the Reds’ skipper ran the show for his side at the Reebok Stadium.
Despite scoring the winner that snatched all three points for the visitors, Gerrard wasn’t alone in stepping up to the plate and putting in a shift. Dirk Kuyt deserves credit for his usual faultless work rate, especially the way he played Torres in for our second goal as it wasn’t easy to divert the ball into El Nino’s path from the angle he met the ball.
Gerrard’s goal will no doubt be a contender for August’s Goal of the Month award but Glen Johnson’s first-half equaliser was also one of great technique and finishing. The England full-back has been a breath of fresh air on the right-hand side. He gives us more options than Alvaro Arbeloa or Steve Finnan ever did during their days at Anfield.
Unfortunately, the win only papered over the cracks in terms of the overall performance. Defensively, we were at sixes and sevens. Jamie Carragher had yet another stinker and Emiliano Insua’s marking was lax during the corner that led to Kevin Davies’ opener. Sotirios Kyrgiakos had a mixed debut and gave away the ball on a few occasions but recovered well in the second half. Had it not been for Pepe Reina making some crucial saves, we would have been further behind before Gerrard’s rescue mission.
Looking at the positives, we will be going into the international break having played four, won two and lost two. Admittedly it’s not our best start to a season and it wasn’t the best performance in the world. However, as we proved last season, a win is a win, regardless of how scrappy or poorly fought. A fortnight’s reprieve lies ahead for us long-suffering Kopites before we welcome Burnley to Anfield. Hopefully, injuries permitting, we will come back stronger and ready to right the wrongs of the past three weeks.
Rafael Benitez called for his senior players to raise their game following the embarrassing defeat to Aston Villa last Monday. The manager had singled out Steven Gerrard for criticism in the aftermath of that game and his words had the desired effect as the Reds’ skipper ran the show for his side at the Reebok Stadium.
Despite scoring the winner that snatched all three points for the visitors, Gerrard wasn’t alone in stepping up to the plate and putting in a shift. Dirk Kuyt deserves credit for his usual faultless work rate, especially the way he played Torres in for our second goal as it wasn’t easy to divert the ball into El Nino’s path from the angle he met the ball.
Gerrard’s goal will no doubt be a contender for August’s Goal of the Month award but Glen Johnson’s first-half equaliser was also one of great technique and finishing. The England full-back has been a breath of fresh air on the right-hand side. He gives us more options than Alvaro Arbeloa or Steve Finnan ever did during their days at Anfield.
Unfortunately, the win only papered over the cracks in terms of the overall performance. Defensively, we were at sixes and sevens. Jamie Carragher had yet another stinker and Emiliano Insua’s marking was lax during the corner that led to Kevin Davies’ opener. Sotirios Kyrgiakos had a mixed debut and gave away the ball on a few occasions but recovered well in the second half. Had it not been for Pepe Reina making some crucial saves, we would have been further behind before Gerrard’s rescue mission.
Looking at the positives, we will be going into the international break having played four, won two and lost two. Admittedly it’s not our best start to a season and it wasn’t the best performance in the world. However, as we proved last season, a win is a win, regardless of how scrappy or poorly fought. A fortnight’s reprieve lies ahead for us long-suffering Kopites before we welcome Burnley to Anfield. Hopefully, injuries permitting, we will come back stronger and ready to right the wrongs of the past three weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment