No New No 2 For Rafael Benitez

Ayestaran has not yet officially left the club but has had a major fall-out with the man he has sat beside for 11 years with Tenerife, Valencia and now Liverpool.

The Premier League leaders are in discussion over the termination of Ayestaran's contract and an announcement is expected this week.

Benitez said: "It was a great week, we scored four and six in front of our own fans and that makes me happy. But on a personal basis I am disappointed with what's happened. He [Ayestaran] is talking to the club, but the situation will not change."

Sources at Anfield do not expect Benitez to appoint a successor. The situation came to a head during training last week at Melwood, and Ayestaran was immediately sent on leave and was not at Anfield on Saturday for the 6-0 win over Derby.

Now it is believed Benitez will take a more hands-on role in training with first-team coach Alex Miller assuming greater responsibility. Ayestaran's fitness work will be absorbed by the two fitness coaches Paco de Miguel and Antonio Gomez. Liverpool have also imported a new goalkeeping coach in Xavi Valero, who had a spell as Wrexham's keeper.

Ayestaran was in sole control of team administration and fitness training, but during the summer Benitez changed some of the training regimes in an attempt to avoid another sluggish start to the season.

I'll Take Your Golden Boot - Torres Warns Drogba

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has warned Didier Drogba that he will not walk way with the golden boot as easy as he did last season.

Drogba notched 20 goals last season to claim the prize, but Torres believes he can scoop the award ahead of Drogba and the rest of the Premier League's top strikers in his first season in the Premier League.

"I am happy with my work at Liverpool," Torres told the Daily Star. "But really I warn the fans they have only seen 60 per cent of the real Torres.

"To be the top scorer in the Premier League will not be easy, but in the first few weeks I have shown it will not be a parade for Drogba to repeat his success of last season."

Torres scored twice in Liverpool's 6-0 win over Derby on Saturday, to take his Premier League tally to three.

"On Saturday I realised how to be a hero at Anfield," Torres added. "The people were happy with my goals and it was a sensational experience.

"I am not obsessed with the number of goals I score this season and at the moment I am still a nobody in the Premier League.

"My challenge is to triumph in Liverpool and become the best striker in the club's history.

"I know that this will be difficult, but I am prepared for the adventure."

Momo Underlines Reds Commitment

Momo Sissoko has revealed he was offered the chance to join Juventus in the summer, but rejected the move because Liverpool are a bigger club.

The powerful Malian faces tough competition to secure a spot in Rafa Benitez's midfield this season with Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano all rivals for a place in central midfield.

Juventus were eager to bring in Sissoko after bidding £10million but while the 22-year-old's representatives engaged in discussions with the Turin giants, Sissoko insists his heart always remained on Merseyside.

While accepting he will have to be at his best to win playing time, Sissoko is more than content at Anfield.

"I believed that Liverpool are a much bigger club than Juventus and decided not to speak to them any longer," he told the Daily Star Sunday.

"I'm a Liverpool player and I want to show to the people here, to everyone, that I'm already at a big club.

"I'm happy to be in Liverpool. I did want to stay despite the interest. That's why I signed a new contract.

"There are five midfielders for two positions. I'm happy in Liverpool and I want to play for the club as long as I can."

LiverpooL 6 - 0 Derby County

Liverpool made it 10 home goals in a week to underline the belief at Anfield that they are genuine Premier League title contenders.

They followed up the four they put past Toulouse in the Champions League on Tuesday with six unanswered goals to crush Derby.

Spaniards Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso grabbed two each, Ryan Babel netted his first for the club and substitute Andriy Voronin also got onto the scoresheet.

It is the first time Liverpool have led the top flight for five years and their best start to a league season since 1998.

You had to feel sorry for Derby. Fresh up from the Championship, they simply could not cope with the variety, pace and skill Liverpool possessed - or indeed the pots of money that has seen boss Rafael Benitez build his squad.

Benitez made five changes from the side that beat Toulouse in midweek, with Peter Crouch not even on the bench and Dirk Kuyt and Torres being paired up front.

Derby duo Claude Davis and Tyrone Mears both passed fitness tests for the Premier League's bottom club, but Dean Leacock missed out with a toe problem.

Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher watched from the directors' box, as both were still injured for Liverpool, who recalled Steve Finnan, Alonso, Jermaine Pennant and Babel along with Torres.

Without Paco Ayestaran - his assistant for 11 years at three clubs - alongside him, Benitez watched his team start with confidence and cruise through the game.

Ayestaran has shocked the Liverpool backroom by deciding he wants to leave, after what is believed to be several recent differences with Benitez.

How this affects the smooth running of Liverpool long term remains to be seen, but the players set about finding the gaps in Derby's rearguard with single-minded determination.

Daniel Agger saw a 25-yard shot clip Bob Malcolm and force Stephen Bywater into a flying save. The goalkeeper was in action again when he fielded Torres' header powered in from Pennant's cross.

Mears ventured forward to blast a 20-yard shot over the bar, and Stephen Pearson wasted possession after robbing Javier Mascherano and chasing 40 yards before a poor pass let Liverpool off the hook.

But that was about it from Derby in the first period as they became increasingly occupied by the Red tide coming their way.

Kuyt cracked a 25-yard shot just over the angle and Mascherano saw a long-range effort skim the far post.

Derby were battling hard, trying to restrict the space in front of their defence, but it was becoming increasingly difficult and Mears was warned by referee Alan Wiley for a succession of fouls.

After one on Pennant, Alonso took the free-kick 35 yards out on the left. As his low drive swerved into the box Kuyt ran across Bywater's line of vision and the ball nestled in the back of the net.

Kuyt should have made it two when Pennant raced away on the left to lift in a cross for the unmarked Dutchman to head over from eight yards.

Two minutes later Pennant's pace and skill severely embarrassed Malcolm and, from yet another cross, Kuyt was there again to lift his effort over the bar.

Liverpool were pouring forward now, and after one sustained run from Finnan, the cross was controlled superbly by Torres before the striker cracked his effort over the top.

Derby were praying now to get to the break without further damage but they were to be disappointed. The second goal came in first-half injury-time when Pennant set up Babel, who side-stepped two diving defenders before belting in his first goal for the club.

The second period started just as ominously for Derby. Pennant, Torres and Kuyt combined to set up Alonso from 10 yards, but the Spaniard lifted his effort into the Kop.

The third was not long coming. Mascherano dispossessed a dithering Malcolm 30 yards out and pushed the ball to Torres. The Spaniard then took on a beat three defenders in a run across the box before burying his shot into the bottom corner on 56 minutes.

Three minutes later the hapless Malcolm was withdrawn to save him further punishment, and Gary Teale came on.

Liverpool were playing at such a pace and with outstanding control, Derby just could not handle it and continually gave the ball away or made forced errors.

Liverpool's response was to take off the excellent Pennant, to a rousing ovation, with Yossi Benayoun coming on. Derby then took off Mohammed Camara - another defender out of his depth - and replaced him with James McEveley.

Andy Griffin was booked for pulling back Torres on 65 minutes, with the Liverpool attacks incessant. The fourth came on 69 minutes when Babel crossed from the right, Benayoun's effort was blocked and Alonso placed an 18-yard shot into the bottom corner.

Next on was Andriy Voronin in place of Babel and virtually his first touch produced the fifth. Kuyt surged into the box on the right and fired in an angled shot that Bywater could only push out for the Ukrainian to force home from a couple of yards.

It got worse for Derby a minute later when a poor back-pass by Andy Todd was snapped up by Torres, who rounded Bywater to run the ball into an empty net.

Mohamed Sissoko came on for Mascherano between the fifth and sixth goals, Darren Moore being sent on by Derby for Griffin on 80 minutes, and Derby survived without any further damage.

Preview: LiverpooL vs Derby County

A midweek Champions League masterclass versus Toulouse saw Liverpool progress to the group stages on a 5-0 aggregate scoreline. With Crouch opening the scoring in 19th minute and Hyypia doubling it up on the 49th, it was left to Kuyt to add the finishing touches with a quick brace just before the final whistle: nice stuff from a squad that have shown their quality in depth so early in the season.

Rafa must be well pleased that his striking options are getting off the mark with each week that passes, plus his defence have kept 3 out of 5 clean sheets, although it really should be 4 as the Chelsea penalty was a big mistake.

Pity that Carragher got injured against Sunderland as he is so integral to the back-line, but having said that they managed well enough against Toulouse. Another key player out is Steven Gerrard with a niggling hairline fracture. Again, Liverpool have not dropped the pace in his absence and indeed there is a case to be made for him not automatically getting back into the squad when fully recovered. The saying goes “If it ain't broke, don't mend it"...I wonder if Rafa is familiar with it? Probably not, and anyway, he's too busy stroking his lovely goatee, and modeling himself on The Rock's character in the movie 'Be Cool’: Eliot Wilhem.... Rafa can do the eyebrow raise!.. oh yes.

With Derby stuttering to their EPL start the Anfield faithful will be expecting nothing other than 3 points and a clean sheet. And why not? Liverpool have been moving the ball around very well, very confidently, and the added creativity that Rafa sourced with the likes of Babel, Torres and Voronin, has shown its worth already.

Competition for starting places is toughening up and the frontline are all worth a start, while midfield and defence cannot be guaranteed either. All of which makes for a brilliant time to be a Liverpool supporter and, for once, to genuinely consider the EPL title heading to Anfield's already bulging silverware cabinet. The Rafa-revolution is upon us!


Billy's Getting Rammed

Losing to Blackpool (14th,The Championship) 6-7 on penalties, midweek in the Carling Cup ....you've got to be struggling to write the Saturday pep talk? Surely?

If it wasn't bad enough to be sitting bottom after 4 games and only taking 1 point from 12, then walking off the pitch the other night and knowing you're going to be traveling to Anfield to face a seriously in-form Liverpool squad...well, that pretty much pushes it over the edge into NIGHTMARE territory. Walls crawling with snakes, spiders from Mars, and a never-ending loop of the Spurs game.

There is always speculation in the paper about Derby's coming and goings of late, and this week has been no different. Is Earnshaw off to Charlton? Is David Nugent moving from Portsmouth to join them? Are Celtic considering allowing a move for Miller? Busy days, busy nights. As yet nothing has been confirmed but it certainly leaves you with the impression that this is one unsettled club.

Derby are simply lack the quality to cope with the Premiership just now. More new signings may yet help them, but it's not looking good. Young talent such as Giles Barnes won't be allowed to stay if the right cash comes in because it would be madness to assume that he alone will decide their fate... so of course the board will take the cash - if it's full of the right amount of decimal points, that is.

Tottenham really went to town early doors against them, but they did show battling qualities vs Manchester City and Pompey, so it's not a complete loss, more a case of getting a break to give them a boost and a breather from all this relegation talk ...and all before the first month is over!


FORM GUIDE

Liverpool
Aug 28th vs Toulouse (H) WON 4-0 (UEFA CL)
Aug 25th vs Sunderland (A) WON 2-0 (PREM)
Aug 19th vs Chelsea (H) DREW 1-1 (PREM)
Aug 15th vs Toulouse (A) WON 1-0 (UEFA CL)
Aug 11th vs Aston Villa (A) Won 2-1 (PREM)

Derby
Aug 28th vs Blackpool (H) DREW 1-1 (CARLING CUP , lost 6-7 pens)
Aug 25th vs Birmingham City (H) LOST 2-1 (Prem)
Aug 18th vs Tottenham (A) LOST 4-0 (PREM)
Aug 15th vs Man City (A) LOST 1-0 (PREM)
Aug 11th vs Portsmouth (H) DREW 2-2 (PREM)


TEAM NEWS

Liverpool: Steven Gerrard is doubtful as Benitez doesn't want to rush him back. Jamie Carragher suffered a broken rib and collapsed lung against Sunderland, and don't have a return date yet. Aurelio is still sidelined with an Achilles injury.

Squad from : Reina, Finnan, Agger, Hyypia, Arbeloa, Riise, Pennant, Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard, Benayoun, Sissoko, Voronin, Crouch, Kuyt, Torres, Babel, Itandje



Derby: Mears (D) and Barnes (M) are still on the injured list but are expected back in September. At the time of writing there was no further injury news.

Squad from: Bywater, Edworthy, Todd, Moore, Camara, Fagan, Oakley, Jones, Pearson, Howard, Earnshaw, Price, Leacock, McEveley, Griffin, Lewis, Feilhaber



PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool: Fernando Torres has a great opportunity against Derby to really show everyone what he can do. In La Liga he had the pacy wingers to feed him in and Liverpool can do the same if the team selection is suited to his style. He has the pace to arrive late, and also to drift out to pick up the ball. Feed him good crosses and give him space to run into and he's your man. Derby are definitely vulnerable to a team with width and pace and players willing to run straight at them, but more importantly a deliverer of a great ball will be their undoing. This could be the Torres Show if it all goes to plan.

Derby: Matt Oakley has scored twice so far, and players and fans alike must be so grateful for that as their strikers appear to be AWOL come Saturday afternoon. He made his Premier League debut back in 1995 vs Liverpool so there are happy memories for him along the way. Oakley is a creative player and Derby will need his vision and experience to avoid an onslaught.


PREDICTION

It's almost impossible to find a form line that could be held up to scrutiny in favour of Derby taking even a point from this game, so I'll opt for the obvious and genuinely most likely outcome - Liverpool to win, and keep a clean sheet.

Liverpool 3 - 0 Derby

Liverpool In For Boumsong

Italian sports daily Tuttosport claims that Liverpool are set to make a surprise move for out-of-favour Juventus stopper Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Tuttosport has claimed that Liverpool are set to pounce for Juventus stopper Jean-Alain Boumsong.

The French international centre-back is out of favour at the Old Lady and, with the arrival of the likes of Jorge Andrade over the summer, his prospects in the first team are limited at best.

Recently, Boumsong has been linked with clubs ranging from Barcelona to Lyon. Predictably, none of the rumours have as yet come to fruition.

Boumsong himself has recently claimed that he forsees a stay at Juventus, saying, "I have Juve on my mind, ready to start the new season. I'm ready to work and looking forward to enjoying time on the pitch.

"There is a 99% chance that I will be at Juve after August 31."

But Tuttosport insisted that Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is set to look to the ex-Newcastle United defender to play stopgap after the injury to Jamie Carragher.

Neither club has confirmed the news at this time.

Champions League Final Draw

UEFA Champions League holders AC Milan will begin their trophy defence against fellow European title-winners SL Benfica and Celtic FC as well as FC Shakhtar Donetsk after the group stage draw was made at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

The 32 teams were split into eight sections of four and while Milan were joined by Benfica and Celtic in Group D, last season's runners-up Liverpool FC must also play two former European champions, meeting FC Porto and Olympique de Marseille along with Beşiktaş JK in Group A. PFC CSKA Moskva, hoping to reach the final in their home city, will take on Group G rivals FC Internazionale Milano, PSV Eindhoven and Fenerbahçe SK.

One place in the group stage is yet to be filled, as the second leg of AEK Athens FC's third qualifying round tie with Sevilla FC was postponed to Monday 3 September due to the death of the Spanish club's midfielder Antonio Puerta on Tuesday. The eventual winners will play in Group H against Arsenal FC, FC Steaua Bucureşti and SK Slavia Praha, newcomers to this stage.

The group stage fixtures will be played on 18/19 September, 2/3 October, 23/24 October, 6/7 November, 27/28 November and 11/12 December, though Milan's last game will be on 4 December due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. The winners and runners-up from each pool will progress to the first knockout round in the spring, with the final set for Moscow on 21 May. Teams finishing third in each section will have the consolation of going into the UEFA Cup Round of 32.

2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage:

Group A:
Liverpool FC (ENG), FC Porto (POR), Olympique de Marseille (FRA), Beşiktaş JK (TUR)

Group B:
Chelsea FC (ENG), Valencia CF (ESP), FC Schalke 04 (GER), Rosenborg BK (NOR)

Group C:
Real Madrid CF (ESP), Werder Bremen (GER), SS Lazio (ITA), Olympiacos CFP (GRE)

Group D:
AC Milan (ITA), SL Benfica (POR), Celtic FC (SCO), FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

Group E:
FC Barcelona (ESP), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), VfB Stuttgart (GER), Rangers FC (SCO)

Group F:
Manchester United FC (ENG), AS Roma (ITA), Sporting Lisbon (POR), FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)

Group G:
Inter Milan (ITA), PSV Eindhoven (NED), PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS), Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)

Group H:
Arsenal FC (ENG), FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU), SK Slavia Praha (CZE), Sevilla FC (ESP) / AEK Athens FC (GRE)

Benitez Happy With Options

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was delighted with his side's 4-0 Champions League thumping of Toulouse at Anfield, which he says emphasised the strength he now has in his squad.

The Reds welcomed the French side to Anfield with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, and had to complete the job of making the group stages of the Champions League without Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

However, they never looked like being troubled and goals from Peter Crouch, Sami Hyypia and a late Dirk Kuyt double saw last season's European Cup finalists safely into the last 32 of this year's competition.

Benitez made seven changes to the side that started the 2-0 win at Sunderland on Saturday, with Crouch starting just his second game of the season alongside Kuyt, both of whom got off the mark for the season.

With Yossi Benayoun also looking in good touch and young South Americans Sebastian Leto and Lucas Leiva making their debuts, Benitez is delighted with the strength of his squad.

"I was very pleased with the performance, we played well and you can see the competition now for places with players working to impress right to the end," said Benitez.

"I know Peter Crouch has been out of the last two games and he has now scored eight in his last 10 games in Europe.

"But if the team keeps winning and everyone else scores goals as well, I will be happy.

"I was able to bring in Benayoun, Leto and Lucas for this game and they all did well."

Benitez has long been looking to have a big squad of quality players and he now believes he has good options in every position.

"You can see the quality in every position. I have two players to choose from now for every place and the players know that," added Benitez.

"I now do not need to talk a lot about one or two star players all the time, I have players everywhere who want to play and have the ability to play."

Despite his side's dominance, Benitez was not happy with some sloppy aspects of play in such an important match for the club.

"I was a little bit worried in the first half because we kept giving the ball away and they caused problems on the counter attack," he added.

"We needed to be awake and alert and needed the second goal to kill the game off and then we started enjoying our football.

"It is important to be in the group stage. These kind of games you must treat with caution and now I'm pleased to be looking forward to see the draw and see how far we can go."

As Anfield paid its tribute to murdered 11-year-old Rhys Jones before the game, Benitez insisted that football was very much overshadowed.

Benitez hugged the boy's mother Melanie before the match and shook the hand of father Steve and elder son Owen, 17.

Along with the tragedy in Liverpool, Benitez was also shaken by the sudden death of Sevilla's Antonio Puerta after he collapsed during a game at the weekend.

"Football must take a back seat when such tragedies happen. It was very emotional for me and all you can do at this point is offer your respect and support."

Champions League: LiverpooL 4 - 0 Toulouse

Liverpool eased themselves into the Champions League group stages with a 4-0 home win over Toulouse, putting the Reds through 5-0 on aggregate.

On the 800th anniversary of the city the Reds claimed their 50th home European Cup win - plus £12million into the bargain - and it was never easier.

Without Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, they still outplayed an uninspired French side to reach the last 32 of the competition.

Liverpool shuffled their pack again and still produced a side that played fluent, quick-passing football that Toulouse never matched.

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.

Dirk Kuyt gained his reward with the third after 87 minutes, drilling a shot in off the far post, and he added a fourth in injury time.

Hyypia captained the side as Javier Mascherano and Mohamed Sissoko were paired in central midfield with Argentinian winger Sebastian Leto making his debut on the left.

Crouch and Yossi Benayoun also both returned to the starting line-up to good effect.

Before the match moving tributes were paid to murdered 11-year-old Rhys Jones, with his parents standing on the touchline as both Everton and Liverpool's theme tunes - Z Cars and You'll Never Walk Alone - were played.

However, last season's beaten finalists had to put all the emotion aside as they went about their job of trying to finish the tie and they set about the French with quick passing and movement.

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.

The French started to make chances and Andre Gignac got through on the right when only a fine block from Alvaro Arbeloa halted the surge.

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.

Benayoun again was the creator for Kuyt, setting up the Dutchman for a low drive that flashed inches wide of a post. Toulouse responded with a header from Pantxi Sirieix that dropped a yard wide.

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.

Mascherano's powerful run to win a corner on the right set up Liverpool for their second after 49 minutes.

And it came from Hyypia's head as he stood unmarked eight yards out to power home a Benayoun corner.

Toulouse looked disheartened by now but they sent on striker Bryan Bergougnoux for Gignac after 54 minutes but up to that point the French side had barely offered a serious threat and were being thoroughly outplayed.

After 68 minutes Benitez sent on another of his South American imports, youngster Lucas Leiva for his debut, with the £5million Brazilian replacing Sissoko.

Kuyt saw one header bounce wide before almost adding a third after 74 minutes.

He drove in from the right and saw his shot hit Mauro Cetto and deflect onto the crossbar and over. A minute Later Ryan Babel replaced Leto.

Toulouse then took off Achille Emana, sending on Fabio Felix, but Liverpool were all but home by now.

Crouch, with some clever juggling from a John Arne Riise cross, lifted another chance just over the top.

Steve Finnan took over from Daniel Agger for the final minutes, while Moussa Sissoko replaced the injured Jeremy Mathieu.

Kuyt gained his reward for a night of constant running by drilling home the third off the far post after 87 minutes, and then forcing in his second in injury time.

LiverpooL Linked With 'The Beast'

Liverpool have tabled a bid of 20million euros (£13.5million) for Real Madrid striker Julio Baptista, according to Marca.

The Brazilian - nicknamed 'The Beast' - spent last season on loan at Arsenal but failed to shine consistently, although he did net four goals as the Gunners beat Liverpool 6-3 in a Carling Cup tie at Anfield in January.

After helping Brazil win the Copa America over the summer he was linked with a move for AC Milan, but it is now claimed Rafael Benitez has entered the bidding with an offer that may be enough to tempt Real to sell.

They are looking to raise money to enable them to make a fresh move for Sevilla full-back Daniel Alves, and Marca claims they could also be ready to sell Roberto Soldado to Benfica.

Lucky Escape For Carragher

Jamie Carragher narrowly avoided suffering a collapsed lung during Liverpool’s 2-0 victory away to Sunderland. An X-ray yesterday revealed that the defender suffered a broken rib, but, more alarmingly, that he developed a pneumothorax, a condition synonymous with a collapsed lung.

The club confirmed that Carragher will miss the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League third qualifying round tie at home to Toulouse tomorrow, when his team start with a 1-0 lead, but he may face a longer layoff. A pneumothorax, caused by an accumulation of air in the pleural cavity, could have been more serious. Carragher was described last night as being “in good spirits”.

Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, will be relieved that Sami Hyypia has been declared fit to face Toulouse after breaking his nose against Sunderland. Central defence is an area where Liverpool’s much-vaunted strength in depth is lacking, which is one reason why Benítez was so disappointed to see Gabriel Heinze, who can operate at left back or in central defence, move from Manchester United to Real Madrid last week.

It is possible that Benítez will intensify his search for reinforcements before the transfer window closes on Friday, having sold Gabriel Paletta, the Argentine defender, to Boca Juniors for an undisclosed fee. As part of the deal, Emiliano Insúa, the 18-year-old left back, turned his loan move to Anfield from Boca into a permanent transfer.

Champions League: LiverpooL vs Toulouse

Injury-hit sides, Liverpool and Toulouse will lock horns in the second-leg of Champions League Third Qualifying round at Anfield On Tuesday.

The Reds have the advantage having won the first-leg away courtesy Andriy Voronin goal. However, it was the match that saw skipper Steven Gerrard suffer from a hairline fracture of his toe and that has apparently not healed as the commanding midfielder misses out.

Centre-back and stand-in skipper Jamie Carragher is also out as he suffered a broken rib in 2-0 win over Sunderland in the Premiership on Saturday.

The French side also have key players namely Dominique Arribage, Daniel Congre and Albin Ebondo missing out with injuries.

The Reds boss Rafa Benitez said on Monday: "Both players (Steven & Jamie) will not be available for this game.

“It's a shame because they are both important players for us, but we have enough players and enough competition within the squad to cope.

"Carra is improving which is good news. I need to talk to the doctor to find out more and to see how long he will be out for.

"It's clear that with Steven we need to take care of him. He could be available for the game at the weekend but we'll have to see. Again I will need to talk to the doctor first because I don't want to run the risk of losing him for a long time.

"This week we will keep him training and keep him fit and then see about the Derby game on Saturday."

On brighter side for the Merseysiders, centre-back Sami Hyypia, who had a broken nose from the Stadium of Light clash, will be fit to play tomorrow.

"I think he will be okay," added Benitez. "The break was in the right place and so I don't think it will be a problem for him.

"We have Sami and Daniel Agger available and we can also use Arbeloa as a centre back so we have enough players in that position."

Carragher Could Have Broken Rib

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was happy after his side's 2-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, but the Reds must now wait for news on injuries to Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher.

Speaking at the post match press conference, Rafa confirmed Hyypia had a suspected broken nose and Carragher could possibly have broken a rib.

Goals from Momo Sissoko, Liverpool's 7,000th league goal, and Andriy Voronin gave the Reds their second away win of the season and Rafa was quick to praise his players.

"The team was very good and we showed we have a better squad this season," enthused Benitez. "It was special for Momo to score our 7,000th goal and he's now in the record books.

"I thought Torres, Voronin, Pennant and Babel caused the Sunderland defence a lot of problems. We created a lot of chances and we could have finished off the game a lot earlier.

"It's not good as a manager for my heart seeing us miss chances, but Voronin scored a good goal to get us the win."

Sunderland 0 - 2 LiverpooL

Mohamed Sissoko picked an historic moment to score the first competitive goal of his career as Liverpool saw off battling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Sissoko's 37th-minute strike was his club's 7,000th league goal and earned the praise of Rafael Benitez, whose joy was tempered by injury scares involving Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher.

Benitez said: "Sissoko can score more goals. He does not score many but now he has scored the 7,000th he will be in the record books all his life. I am really pleased for him."

Hyypia went off with a suspected broken nose and Carragher followed with a possible broken rib in a game which Benitez's men wrapped up four minutes from time through Andriy Voronin.

Voronin fired home after a fine pass from strike partner Fernando Torres on an afternoon when only the heroics of Craig Gordon in the home goal kept the scoreline down.

"I am really pleased but I wish we could have finished the game earlier for my health," added Benitez. "I think we showed the strength of our squad today."

Sunderland boss Roy Keane was not too downbeat about his team's display, which he regarded as a vast improvement on his side's dismal 3-0 capitulation at Wigan last week.

And things might have been even better for his spirited side had substitute Anthony Stokes slotted away a 24th minute chance after being sent clear in the box by Michael Chopra.

Keane said: "No-one likes losing football matches but I am slightly happier than I was last weekend and sometimes you have to lose games to teams with bigger and stronger squads.

"We showed good bits of quality ourselves and you are always in with a chance at 1-0 with five minutes to go. It would have been nice to have tested their keeper a little bit more."

Liverpool were well on top from the start and could have grabbed the lead after just 25 seconds when Greg Halford's dreadful back pass let in Voronin, who shot wide.

Xabi Alonso screwed a rising shot just wide in the 14th minute after Ryan Babel had cleverly laid off a Steve Finnan right-wing cross, but the expected succession of chances did not materialise.

Once again Paul McShane and Nyron Nosworthy held firm in the centre of the home defence, marshalled superbly by captain Dwight Yorke, and frustration slowly grew among the visitors.

That frustration should have increased in the 24th minute when Stokes, on for Richardson, squirmed a shot under Reina only for Daniel Agger to boot clear from the edge of the six-yard box.

That missed opportunity came back to haunt the home side in the 37th minute, when Sissoko latched onto a ball back by Voronin to fire past the helpless Gordon.

Gordon would go on to twice deny Torres with superb low saves which showed why Keane had no qualms about paying £9million for the former Hearts stopper.

Sunderland rallied in the second half and Ross Wallace's deep cross into the Reds box in the 68th minute was punched away by Reina under pressure as the Stadium of Light crowd sensed a comeback.

But Liverpool's front pair oozed class and Gordon was required again in the 79th minute to produce a point-blank save to deny Voronin in front of goal.

"Craig was a bit busy but that's what he's there for," added Keane. "When you play against teams like Liverpool if you think your keeper is not going to work hard you are in cloud cuckoo land."

Finally Voronin extinguished those lingering Stadium of Light dreams with four minutes to go with a clinical finish to wrap up a productive afternoon for Rafael Benitez.

Benitez added: "With Torres running at defenders and Voronin running in the lines, they are always going to pose problems for defenders."

Rafael Benitez Turns On The Premier League

Benitez was disappointed that an arbitration panel on Tuesday ruled that a signed letter did not oblige Manchester United to sell Gabriel Heinze to Liverpool for £6.8 million. The Argentine defender is now likely to join Real Madrid after they agreed a fee last night with Manchester United believed to be £8.1 million.

"I would like to ask the Premier League a number of questions," said Benitez. "How can a player with a signed agreement be treated like this? He has a document which is clear, but the Premier League prefers to believe the word of someone else who made a mistake.

''I know there were accusations made against Liverpool in the hearing, which were unbelievable. How can this be allowed?

''Then I want to ask the Premier League why it was so difficult for Liverpool to sign Javier Mascherano, when we had to wait a long time for the paperwork, but it was so easy for Carlos Tevez to join Manchester United?"

Argentina midfielder Mascherano joined Liverpool from West Ham in the January transfer window and the deal took weeks to clear as the row over third-party ownership of players at Upton Park raged on. The Tevez move from West Ham to United took less time to approve.

Benitez also broadened his complaint to the fixture schedule.

"I would like to ask the Premier League why is it that Liverpool always play the most fixtures away from home in an early kick-off, following an international break?" he said.

"We had more than the top clubs last season and we have four already to prepare for this season. It's going to be very difficult for us to win the Premier League because the other teams are so strong, but I want our supporters to know that despite the disadvantages we have, we will fight all the way.

"We will fight to cope with our more difficult kick-off times and all the other decisions which are going against us."

A spokesman for the Premier League denied any bias against Liverpool. "We try to ensure dealings with all our member clubs, including the scheduling of fixtures, are as fair as possible," he said.

"We are disappointed to read Rafael Benitez's remarks in the media, especially as channels exist for every member club to raise any issues directly with the League."

Heinze had been planning to appeal against the Premier League's decision before news came through of Real Madrid's move.

Heinze Loses Reds Appeal

Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze has been denied the opportunity to join Liverpool after a Premier League arbitration panel ruled against the Argentinian.

The 29-year-old had claimed that the Red Devils had agreed that he could leave Old Trafford for £6.8million, after sending a letter to Heinze's agent stipulating such a fee.

However, the Premier League panel ruled that that did not represent a firm obligation to sanction a deal and also applied principally to an international transfer.

A Premier League statement confirmed: "The Premier League Board appointed panel have heard submissions of evidence from both parties and has ruled to dismiss the player's case.

"The hearing concluded that nature and intention of the disputed 13 June 2007 letter, especially when taken in context of verbal discussions and Manchester United FC's transfer policy, was unambiguous in that it envisages only an international transfer.

"Furthermore the hearing finds the letter constitutes an 'agreement to agree' and did not create an obligation or binding agreement for the club to transfer the player to any particular club.

"In other words the letter is evidence of an intention to negotiate, both between the parties and with potential buying clubs and not evidence of any intention to create legal relations."

Ref Dropped After Penalty Blunder

Premier League referee Rob Styles has been dropped from this weekend's matches after awarding Chelsea a controversial penalty in Sunday's match at Liverpool.

Styles gave Chelsea a penalty when Florent Malouda went down despite minimal contact from Liverpool defender Steve Finnan and Frank Lampard converted the spot kick to give the London side a 1-1 draw at Anfield.

"(Styles) looked at the video with the decision and he's admitted that he got it wrong," chief of referees Keith Hackett was quoted as saying on Sky Sports News on Monday.

"I've left a message with (Liverpool manager) Rafa Benitez to apologise on behalf of the PGMO (Professional Game Match Officials) for the error," Hackett added.

"I did in pre-season say to managers and the general public that accountability exists and we do, at the PGMO, expect referees to get the big decisions correct.

"On this occasion this is wrong and therefore Rob will not be officiating next weekend."

Benitez was incensed by the penalty decision that left Liverpool, who had taken the lead through Fernando Torres, in seventh place with four points from two games at the start of a season in which he is determined they win their first championship title since 1990. Chelsea are second with seven points from three games.

Styles also appeared to book Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien for a second time in the match shortly after the equaliser but did not send him off.

However, Hackett explained that Styles, having booked Chelsea captain John Terry still had his yellow card in his hand when he raised his arm to indicate a free kick.

"He showed the card to John Terry, then held the card to indicate an indirect free kick," he said.

"In fairness, he forgot to put the card away so it was a basic... admin error as against an error in application of law but it is again something where we'll look closely at the video to ensure we don't get a repeat of that."

Hackett said a linesman at Saturday's Fulham game against Middlesbrough had also been dropped. The London side were denied an equaliser when a shot by striker David Healy appeared to have crossed the line, a fact confirmed by television replays.

LiverpooL 1 - 1 Chelsea

Liverpool and Chelsea played out a draw which suggested the Barclays Premier League season could be a war of attrition right to the end.

The two clubs have played each other 16 times in three seasons and familiarity clearly breeds contempt with nine bookings and Hampshire referee Rob Styles coming in for flak from both sets of players as he fought to maintain order.

Fernando Torres' excellent first goal for Liverpool was all but forgotten as the yellow cards were waved, five for Chelsea and four for Liverpool. Captains Steven Gerrard and John Terry were among the bookings.

Chelsea battled away after going behind and were rewarded with a controversial penalty that Frank Lampard drove past Jose Reina.

Steve Finnan was adjudged to have brought down Florent Malouda, but the incident looked more like the Frenchman jumping between Finnan and Jamie Carragher before crashing to the ground.

The incident set the tone for the rest of a fractious match in which Styles almost lost control. In the latter stages he appeared to book Michael Essien for a second time without sending off the Ghanaian only for the fourth official reveal the booking had been issued to Terry.

Broken toe or not, Gerrard was there to skipper Liverpool against a Chelsea side who had their own captain Terry back from injury.

It was never a cordial meeting between international skipper and his deputy, the pair involved in frequent verbal exchanges during an increasingly feisty clash.

Chelsea included Essien in their defence, who was pressed into service despite a groin injury because Jose Mourinho was without defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira.

Chelsea used Essien at right-back and John Obi Mikel as a holding midfielder, with Salomon Kalou trying to push on from midfield to aid Didier Drogba.

Malouda, who chose Chelsea ahead of Liverpool when he moved from Lyon in the summer, and Shaun Wright-Phillips were also quick to attack in a brave Mourinho system.

Liverpool went for a straight-forward 4-4-2 with Riise keen to exploit any unfamiliarity to right-back from Essien.

And the threat was demonstrated when Riise appeared in yards of space to take a Steve Finnan cross-field ball only for Petr Cech to come flying off his line to avert the danger.

Essien was booked for sending Alvaro Arbeloa flying on the touchline, then Chelsea's vulnerability on their right flank saw them a goal behind on 16 minutes.

Gerrard played the ball with the outside of his right foot, finding Torres heading into the area.

The Spain international took on Tal Ben-Haim, leaving the ex-Bolton man in just a couple of yards before squeezing a clever side-foot shot just inside Cech's far post.

Anfield went wild and the £20million man was an instant hero as he was mobbed by his delirious colleagues.

Chelsea responded with a Drogba free-kick that was deflected wide and Kalou saw a six-yard box chance disappear as he failed to shoot quickly.

Gerrard mopped up with a ferocious challenge on Drogba to clear.

The match got more heated and Dirk Kuyt was booked for a trip on Lampard.

The atmosphere deteriorated further after Chelsea complaints to referee Rob Styles over challenges on Malouda and Terry, the latter involved in an exchange of words with the perpetrator, Torres.

Pennant was then booked for dissent after being penalised for a foul.

Gerrard was next into the book for a foul on Mikel, the half ending with Torres limping away after a heavy challenge and plenty of exchanges between England colleagues on both sides.

Chelsea brought on Claudio Pizarro for Kalou at the break, to provide better support for Drogba. And the Peruvian made an instant impact.

First he nodded on a Lampard corner for Terry to head just over, and then he stretched at the far post to head wide himself.

Much of Liverpool's play in the opening half was geared to containment, but they were more adventurous attacking the Kop end and Gerrard and Xabi Alonso both saw chances go wide while a Riise free-kick was charged down.

But on 61 minutes, Chelsea were level from the penalty spot. It was a controversial decision by referee Styles to penalise Steve Finnan for a challenge on Malouda.

It looked as if Malouda had jumped between Finnan and Carragher before tumbling and Carragher was booked for arguing before Lampard drove the spot-kick home.

The bookings continued and Ben-Haim's for dissent soon after was the third caution in four minutes.

On 67 minutes, Ryan Babel replaced Pennant, who had just set up Riise for a power drive just wide.

Lampard was soon booked for dissent, with Terry following, Chelsea fuming at what they perceived as a Torres dive looking for a free-kick.

There was more argument involving Essien before the free-kick went Liverpool's way. The Ghanian appeared to be booked for a second time but Styles later confirmed that only Terry had been yellow-carded.

What was certain was that the game had deteriorated into a nasty, spiteful battle.

Cech did well to keep out a close-range Riise effort as Liverpool pressed again. Crouch taking over from Riise with seven minutes left.

Kuyt's flicked header just cleared the bar before Alex came on for his Chelsea debut in place of Malouda.

Chelsea were now intent on the point, which they achieved after Babel skimmed a late effort inches wide.

Preview: LiverpooL vs Chelsea

Despite Steven Gerrard damaging his toe in midweek, Rafael Benitez looks set to include him in his starting XI today. Playing in central midfield, Gerrard was outstanding against Premier League opponents Aston Villa and Toulouse in the Champions League. He was dynamic when running with the ball, passed with penetration and continually made threatening forward runs. To cap his performance against Villa, he scored with a match-winning free-kick.

However, while manager Rafael Benitez will be delighted with Gerrard's potency, he will have been concerned that he showed less enthusiasm to make recovery runs. This is not a problem for Liverpool when he is one of three in central midfield, but with Jermaine Pennant and John Arne Riise playing in such advanced positions, as they did against Villa, it left just Xavi Alonso patrolling the midfield. Alonso may be an excellent passer of the ball but he is not athletic enough to protect large areas. The same happened in Toulouse, only with different personnel.

Villa and Toulouse were not good enough to take advantage but today's opponents are. For these reasons, Benitez has continually declined to play Gerrard in a two-man midfield.

Chelsea are masters at breaking quickly from defence and this is largely due to the positions that their wide players break into when possession is regained. These positions are infield and into the areas vacated either side of the holding midfield player.

Benitez will not want to interfere with Gerrard's forward play but he has to think of the team's solidity. So I cannot envisage Benitez asking his wide players to be quite as adventurous in their positional play. But if he does, then one way of safeguarding that area would be for his full-backs to support attacks from an infield rather than an outside position, thus staying in contact with Chelsea's wingers.

Yet Chelsea were equally open to the counter-attack against Birmingham last Sunday. Manager Jose Mourinho played with two strikers, two wide players and Frank Lampard breaking forward in a similar fashion to Gerrard. All eyes have been on Fernando Torres since his move to Liverpool and, against Villa, he demonstrated good attributes. After a slow start, he created a chance for himself following indecision in Villa's rearguard. Striding on to a loose ball, he controlled it quickly and fired a left-foot volley over the bar. Despite the inaccuracy of his finish, it showed his speed of thought and deceptive pace. He doesn't play right up against centre-halves but finds space short of them, or makes runs beyond them if they come out of their defensive line to mark him.

For any front player to be really successful he has to form a good understanding with his fellow striker. The telepathic understanding between John Toshack and Kevin Keegan - and between Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush - made them almost unstoppable. With the advent of squad rotation and lone strikers, forwards have struggled to create similar partnerships. The early signs look encouraging for the combination of Torres and Dirk Kuyt.

Playing slightly deeper, Kuyt can link up the play while Torres seems aware of where to find space through clever movement. The first goal against Villa was a product of the two linking up. One-twos, letting the ball run for each other and combination play between strikers will always cause problems but they need to play together as often as possible to gain that understanding. But will Benitez, who rotated his forwards again last week, give them that opportunity?

The injury to Ricardo Carvalho is a blow for Chelsea even if John Terry and Alex are now available for selection. Today should have provided the opportunity to compare Carvalho to Jamie Carragher. Carvalho and Carragher are brilliant readers of the game, always ready to intercept or make last-ditch clearances. Carragher may lack technical ability and genuine pace but his understanding of the game more than makes up for it as it does in Carvalho's case for a lack of physical presence.

Team details (probable):

Liverpool: Liverpool: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant, Gerrard, Alonso, Arbeloa; Kuyt, Torres.

Chelsea: Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Ben Haim, A. Cole; Wright-Phillips, Lampard, Mikel, Malouda; Drogba, Pizarro.


Some useful info: Chelsea will miss Ricardo Carvalho today. Chelsea's win percentage dropped to 29 per cent last season when he was absent from the starting XI. Jamie Carragher is equally important to Liverpool. Last season Rafa Benitez's side conceded 0.66 goals per game on average when Carragher played and 1.33 without him.

Benitez Speaks Out

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists he would rather focus on the team than his war of words with Chelsea chief Jose Mourinho.

The pair will go head-to-head on Sunday in the season's first major showdown at Anfield.

The charismatic Mourinho could not wait for the season to start before he declared the heat was on Benitez to deliver this campaign following his £40million summer spending spree.

The Liverpool boss could not resist responding to his Blues counterpart, saying: "I thought Jose had said he wouldn't be talking about other clubs this season. Maybe he's already forgotten that.

"You only have to look at who are the clubs who have spent most over the last five seasons and there are two, Chelsea and Manchester United, and they have won most of the trophies.

"If you analyse who finished top of the table last season, who have spent more money in those years, it is clear and simple there are two teams ahead of the others in terms of money, spending and also titles won.

"And I always say that (Chelsea owner Roman) Abramovich has done a really good job, that is the key."

Benitez insists he is under no more pressure now, after spending big over the summer on players such as Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun, than he was before as he prepares for Sunday's encounter.

"I do not feel more pressure because I have bought players, and I would rather it was not about me and Jose all the time, I would prefer it to be about (Steven) Gerrard, (Chelsea captain John) Terry and the other players, and I think we will be okay together this season," he continued.

"We are both professionals and we have our responsibilities. But it is better if we do not talk too much about each other.

"I really don't enjoy it and want to concentrate on my team, I do not like talking about other managers every day."

Benitez is expected to include captain Gerrard in the side despite suffering a hairline fracture to his big toe on his right foot during the midweek UEFA Champions League clash at Toulouse.