Match Report: Liverpool 3 - 0 Lille

Liverpool kept alive their hopes of silverware this season with a 3-0 victory over Lille at Anfield to win their Europa League last-16 tie 3-1 on aggregate.

Captain Steven Gerrard's ninth-minute penalty gave them the ideal start, after Lucas Leiva had been fouled.

Fernando Torres then struck twice in the second half - his first European goals for more than 11 months - to put his side into the quarter-finals.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg an early Liverpool goal was essential to ease the pressure and, watched by Argentina coach Diego Maradona, they produced just that.

The much-maligned Lucas, returning to the side because of Alberto Aquilani's illness, dribbled into the area and produced a tidy piece of skill to go past Adil Rami and draw the foul.

Referee Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the spot and Gerrard confidently fired home to level things up on aggregate.

Torres had two half-chances to double the lead in the next five minutes as first he cut in from the right at pace only to see his near-post shot deflected wide before then lofting a shot over from Javier Mascherano's free-kick.

Despite going behind Lille still looked like they could be a danger on the counter-attack with Eden Hazard, goalscorer a week ago, and Ludovic Obraniak posing a threat from the flanks.

But right-back Glen Johnson was getting forward at every opportunity and when he found himself in the penalty area he hit a left-foot volley straight at goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.

Daniel Agger's glancing header from Gerrard's inswinging 31st-minute corner was eventually stopped by Landreau on the goalline after the ball got stuck between Dirk Kuyt and Franck Beria.

Lucas, having his best spell for some time, then shot straight at the goalkeeper from 20 yards.

A minute later Hazard burst past Agger and Johnson into the area and had only Jose Reina to beat but the goalkeeper stood tall and the shot deflected behind off his head.

Five minutes before half-time Torres headed Kuyt's hanging cross back across goal but wide of the post.

Lille came out after the break with more purpose and Jamie Carragher produced a perfectly-timed tackle to deny Rio Mavuba three minutes into the second half.

But a minute later Liverpool seized control of the tie with an expert piece of finishing from Torres.

Ryan Babel hooked a ball out of defence with his right foot which looked more like a clearance than a pass but Rami, who had been given a torrid time by Torres, misjudged the bounce of the ball and it ballooned over him.

The Spain striker did not need a second invitation and he sped towards goal before dinking a shot past Landreau with the outside of his right foot.

It was the first time he had scored in European competition since his goal at Anfield in the 3-1 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Chelsea on April 8.

Torres then drilled a shot just wide of the goalkeeper's right-hand post.

Liverpool's advantage was only a slender one and that fragility was almost exposed in the 73rd minute when Obraniak's free-kick picked out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the far post only for the substitute to bundle his shot into the ground and over the crossbar.

As the tie entered its final throes the anxiety began to grow as Liverpool were unsure whether to try to hold their lead or finish Lille off with a third goal.

It almost came when Kuyt's long-range strike was batted behind by Landreau.

But all the pressure was released when Torres followed up a rebound from Gerrard's shot to score his second a minute before time and his fourth in his last two.

It secured a second victory in an important week, with Manchester United to come at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Reina: My Title Desire

Pepe Reina has revealed how a burning desire to help Liverpool land the Barclays Premier League title made a decision to commit his future to the club an easy one.

The custodian, who confirmed on Wednesday he is close to agreeing a new deal with the Reds, is optimistic the experience of a difficult 2009-10 campaign can help Rafael Benitez's side in the long run.

And Reina admits he would love nothing more than to lead Liverpool to a 19th league title.

"The club has been good to me and I am grateful," said the Spain stopper. "My family believes there is no better place to be than here and that's why we'll be here a bit longer - much longer.

"There is nothing I feel more excited about than the chance of winning the league once with Liverpool. That would be a dream and hopefully in a short period it will come true.

"I hope we will build something good from the weak moments we have had this season.

"A proper team, a strong team has to do that and Liverpool is a strong team."

He added: "This is the only trophy we can lift and it is massively important to us. Winning a trophy is always good, no matter how your season has been.

"We know this season hasn't been good enough and we can do better. Everybody knows that. But as long as we have the possibility to win a trophy, that is the main thing. The target was to fight for the title but right from the beginning we did not do well."

Torres Named As Chelsea's Number One Target

Fernando Torres is being touted as Chelsea's number one transfer target as Fleet Street predicts a comprehensive revamp of the club's first-team squad following their ignominious Champions League exit.

Though some reports have suggested that the position of Carlo Ancelotti is under threat after Tuesday night's defeat to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan, the general consensus is that Roman Abramovich will keep faith with the Italian and re-open his chequebook to fund a lavish spending spree.

'Ancelotti may thus be able to consider moves for long-standing targets such as Fernando Torres, Franck Ribéry or Sergio Agüero,' reports The Guardian. 'Torres is emerging as the club's principal target and the Spanish striker's future at Liverpool could be decided by the level of investment attracted to his club in the next few months.'

A concurring Daily Mirror also declares that 'Ancelotti wants to build a "dream team" front pair of Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres next season. Chelsea's wish-list is headed by Liverpool superstar Torres, with the Blues ready to table a £50million bid if they see any signs the Spaniard wants to leave Anfield.

'Chelsea know that Manchester City, who can outbid the Stamford Bridge side, have also targeted Torres, especially after his recent admission that he would not automatically go back to Spain if he decides to quit Liverpool.'

Chelsea have spent relatively little in recent years, with the club committed to the goal of breaking even. However, their early exit from the Champions League is expected to result in that austerity coming to an expensive end.

The Sun quotes a 'senior Chelsea source' declaring: "Carlo has the full backing of Roman and that will mean the kind of money being spent this summer that we haven't seen since Mourinho was in charge.

"Roman believes Carlo is the right man and will give him exactly what he needs to rebuild the team.

"This squad has gone a bit stale and needs to have some fresh blood."

To make room for the new additions, a number of current squad members are predicted to depart.

'Joe Cole will be the first to pay the price for a new attitude because the club are determined not to cave in to his wage demands,' declares The Times. 'The England midfield player is likely to be followed out of the door by Deco, Paulo Ferreira, Hilário and even Ricardo Carvalho.'

'Funds could be raised by moving players on with the likes of Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Juliano Belletti and even Salomon Kalou potentially made available,' adds The Guardian. 'The owner's desire to reinvigorate the squad could also have implications for contract negotiations with Joe Cole and Michael Ballack, whose deals expire at the end of the season, and possibly Nicolas Anelka, who is contracted until 2011.'

And the list of players Fleet Streets believes could be on their way to Stamford Bridge is considerable. A trawl through the backpages finds the club linked with, among others, Torres, Ribery, Agüero, David Villa, Giampaolo Pazzini, Simon Kjaer, Moussa Dembele, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sergio Asenjo.

Riera Launches Rafa Attack

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has hit out at Reds boss Rafa Benitez over a lack of communication with his struggling squad.

The Anfield outfit have endured a miserable season and their only remaining hopes of silverware hang in the balance as they bid to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home against Lille in the second leg of their Europa League last 16 clash on Thursday night.

Spain international Riera has made just two appearances for Liverpool since January, both of which came in Europe's second tier competition, and he is becoming frustrated by his lack of action.

The 27-year-old, an £8million signing from Espanyol in 2008, does not understand why he is out of the picture and is eager for more action to secure a place in Spain's World Cup squad.

He told Radio Marca: "When the coach says nothing to you and you are well, with no physical problems and training well, you cannot help but think it must be something personal.

"If I'm doing something badly and you are my boss, and you value me, then you are going to come and tell me what I have to do to play again. This is what hurts me.

"You see that the team is not doing well and there are no changes. It's a little frustrating because you see that you can help.

"I've been here two years and I know how he (Benitez) is. He's never sorted out a situation with a player by talking with him. He thinks he's in charge and everything else falls on deaf ears.

"His dialogue with the players is practically nil."

Regarding his future, Riera knows his hopes of featuring at South Africa in the summer depend on him playing first-team football.

"I would like to be here for the rest of my career, but players live to play. My objective is to go to the World Cup and for this I have to play," he said.

"Right now the only market open is the Russian one, I have offers from two teams and, looking at my situation, that has made me reflect a lot."

Hamann Slams Riera Over Benitez Attack

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has launched a withering attack on Reds winger Albert Riera after he went public with his frustration at not getting a game under manager Rafael Benitez.

The Spain international said Benitez did not speak to him and claimed he bore a personal grudge.

However, Hamann, who made 283 appearances for the Merseysiders and memorably came on for the second half in their Champions League final comeback against AC Milan in 2005, said Riera should look at himself.

"I didn't read too much into the comments because he's a player who has not played too much football over the last six to eight months," said the former Germany international.

"He is clearly frustrated but you have to say since he signed for Liverpool (in September 2008) he has not done enough to really have an opinion on the manager.

"If Riera is not in the team it is probably because he is not doing enough in training or in games.

"You have players these days who complain about managers and I think these players should look at themselves.

"The first question you have to ask when you are not playing is 'have you done enough to be in the team?'

"These days it happens too often with players who can't get in the team and the first thing they do is blame the manager.

"I can honestly say I have never had a problem with a manager in 15 years of my career and I would never blame a manager for not playing."

Hamann, who does some part-time coaching for Liverpool's youth teams, admitted Benitez had his own individual style of management but said he did not have an issue with it during his two seasons under the Spaniard.

"Every manager has his different styles and he may not talk, as other managers do, to his players but at the end of the day I always had a professional relationship with him," he added.

"Every player is different and he does speak to players. If he didn't speak to Riera on this particular occasion there must have been a reason.

"I never really needed much conversation with the manager because his team selection told you everything most weeks.

"I think he was always pretty honest in terms of his team selection - he always did what he thought was best for the team."

In his interview, Riera told Radio Marca: "When the coach says nothing to you and you are well, with no physical problems and training well, you cannot help but think it must be something personal."

He also went on to say he felt Liverpool were a "sinking ship" after a poor season which has seen early exits from the title race, Champions League and FA Cup.

Hamann disagreed, however, telling Radio Five Live: "I think Liverpool are far from a sinking ship.

"They are having a bad season by their standards but not all hope is lost and there are eight or 10 weeks ahead of them so it is all to play for.

"It (Riera's outburst) is very disruptive and I don't know whether he will play any further part in the rest of the season.

"If he didn't it would be understandable from the manager's point of view."

McMahon Salutes Ayala

John McMahon saluted Spanish defender Daniel Ayala after he gave a commanding performance during the reserves' 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic on Wednesday.

Goals from Lauri Dalla Valle and Daniel Pacheco sealed the Reds' place in the final of the Lancashire Senior Cup, and stretched the unbeaten run to 13 games.

Ayala and Victor Palsson were solid as a rock at the back and McMahon was delighted with the display.

"The game suited Danny as we needed passion and strength and he has got that in abundance," McMahon told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"He won headers, made some strong tackles and did well for us.

"Palsson did well again at centre-half. He has played there a few times now and showed some good signs in this game. Hopefully he can keep on improving.

"It's pleasing to get to another final and to have another game is also an added bonus."

Dalla Valla took his tally to two goals in two starts for the reserves this season and McMahon is pleased with his progress.

"It's the old cliché but that is what he is paid to do and if Lauri keeps doing that that's all we can ask for," he added.

"He is getting better all of the time and when the chances come along, more often than not he takes them.

"Lauri was up against two strong defenders and to play against them was good for his progress.

"It was a really good test for us against a big and strong side. They had a really good intensity about their work and closed us down quickly, so it was a hard game for us."

Spanish starlet Pacheco added the second goal with a superb finish and McMahon said: "Dani needed the game. He has been away with Spain Under-19s at a training camp and he was a little out of sorts and off the pace, so this game will be a big benefit to him.

"He took his goal really well."

Simon Kjaer Calls For Big Liverpool Offer To Tempt Him From Palermo

Palermo's hot property Simon Kjaer has told Liverpool to make him an offer he can't refuse.

The in-demand Denmark defender is believed to have rejected an offer from Manchester City in the January transfer window and he insists it will take a lot to convince him of a future outside Sicily.

Serie A giants Juventus are the latest to show interest in the 20-year-old, with reports in Turin that they will offer £18million striker Amauri in exchange.

But he said: 'I have another three years on my current deal with Palermo.

'It would take an offer to which you can't say no to arrive for me to leave here.

'I am a regular for this team and I have the chance to play in some prestigious competitions with the pink and black jersey.'

The Liverpool-mad centre-half recently admitted he would be keen to join up with compatriot Daniel Agger at Anfield, but he has also attracted interest from Old Trafford, where he is seen as a potential long-term successor to Nemanja Vidic or Rio Ferdinand.

Tottenham Hotspur and Wolfsburg are also among the clubs linked with Kjaer.

Hicks And Gillett Given Three Weeks To Accept £100m Deal

Liverpool's American owners are under more financial pressure to settle their debts than has previously been thought, with the New York-based company bidding to take control of the club imposing a three-week deadline to take or leave their offer.

The Rhone Group's proposed £100m investment for a 40 per cent share would enable the Liverpool chief executive, Christian Purslow, to deliver the entire sum to the Royal Bank of Scotland, the club's bankers, to pay down £100m of debt as the bank has demanded. But the time pressures the club currently faces are also compounded by the fact that Liverpool appear to have just 20 days to deliver some of that £100m figure to the bank. The presumption has always been that the deadline is July, by which time the club's current debt facility expires and must be renegotiated.

Liverpool's predicament appears to leave Rhone Group's partners Steve Langman and Robert Agostinelli in a strong position to take over a controlling stake – despite having offered a price which values the club at a half of the £500m Tom Hicks and George Gillett rejected from Dubai International Capital two years ago. There are currently no other prospective buyers lined up for Liverpool.

One source close to the process has said the half-dozen other potential investors the Anfield club seem confident of securing will not be new prospects but those whose previous bids have come to nothing.

Liverpool indicated last night that there was no precise deadline date for repaying the £100m and that there is some degree of leeway. The ultimate sanction would be RBS taking over, although that is highly unlikely as RBS is a state-owned bank. Running a Premier League club is not high on the agenda of a bank which announced a £2.6bn operating loss for the last financial year. But the endgame for Hicks and Gillett is certainly far closer than has been appreciated.

A 20-day target from today would make the 6 April the deadline for the repayment of some of the money – the start of the new financial year and the day after Easter Monday. Purslow has been saying for several weeks that he wanted his pursuit of new finance wrapped up by "Easter".

RBS does not appear to be anxious about the precise repayment date for the £100m it has demanded, though that may in part be a result of the confidence which the Rhone Group has created. But the pressing deadlines have created additional pressure for Liverpool and another consideration is the club's tortuous struggle to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Non-qualification would create a hole in next season's budget and would make Hicks and Gillett's position at Anfield less tenable. One source with insider knowledge of Liverpool's search for new investors told Sporting Intelligence website that several investors are delaying offers while they wait to see if non-qualification drives down the price. "Qualification is not necessarily the best outcome for would-be investors," the source said.

Rhone is aware of this, though its belief that its own offer of £110m-£115m can come to fruition is also based on the strong relationship formed with Purslow over weeks of negotiations leading up to the bid which was tabled at midnight last Friday.

The mystery surrounding the prospective investors led the Spirit of Shankly supporters' group yesterday to call on Purslow to explain "who exactly are these investors." Langman and Agostinelli are certainly not the "billionaires" they have been widely described as over the past five days, but multi-millionaires who would not be paying their own money to take over the club but investing the funds put into their hands for management.

Though the clock is ticking down on the Americans, RBS is understood to believe that a deal to deliver the club into new hands will be concluded quickly – possibly within two weeks – and that Rhone Group's interest has the potential to persuade other prospective buyers who have dragged their feet to make themselves known.

Mourinho, Benitez, Capello & Ancelotti On Real Madrid Shortlist To Replace Pellegrini

Spanish newspaper Marca reports this morning that Real Madrid have already begun planning to replace Manuel Pellegrini as coach following their shock Champions League exit to Lyon last week.

A sixth successive exit at the first knockout round of the Champions League has focused the search at the Bernabeu to a coach who can guide Real Madrid to success in Europe.

As a result, the four names Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is mulling over are Jose Mourinho (Inter Milan), Rafa Benitez (Liverpool), Fabio Capello (England) and Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea).

Real Madrid have gone through 10 coaches during the past 10 seasons and unless Pellegrini guides the club to a league title success with ease over Barcelona the former Villareal coach will be sacked in the summer.

Marca adds that whoever comes in will have to be a former winner of the Champions League who can restore the club’s status as one of the top clubs in European competition.

Fabio Capello has already had two spells as coach at the Bernabeu whilst Rafa Benitez was reserve team coach at Real Madrid earlier in his career. Arsene Wenger ruled himself out of the running last week.

Can Liverpool Keep Their Season Alive By Beating Lille In The Europa League?

It is probably too far to stretch it by claiming that Liverpool’s next two matches have the potential of redefining their season. First up on Thursday night is the arrival of Lille in the Europa League, followed by a meeting against their old adversary Manchester United on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Looking to end the season on a high which has been lacking for the majority of the campaign, the Reds will head into their second leg with Lille with an uncharacteristic gentle spring in their step this week. Monday night’s swashbuckling 4-1 victory over Portsmouth was up there with Liverpool’s finest attacking displays of the season. Their devastating six minute spell in the first half in which they crashed home three goals to kill the match before the interval was a real confidence booster, in which the Merseysiders passing was top-notch and the team’s morale appeared to be visibly growing on the pitch.

Eden Hazard’s late free-kick handed Lille a slender advantage after their first leg, leaving Liverpool to walk a tightrope knowing that should they concede an away goal at Anfield, then the Reds will need to score three to book a place in the Europa League’s last eight.

Benitez will be forced into at least one change. Maxi Rodriguez is ineligible for European competition, and his place on the right of midfield is likely to go to either Dirk Kuyt or Yossi Benayoun, both of whom were rested as the Reds ran riot against Pompey.

Liverpool’s midfield may be shaken up further as, after netting his first goal since arriving at Liverpool last summer against Pompey, Alberto Aquilani could also be forced to watch from the sidelines with news that the Italian has been struck down with a virus. In Aquilani’s absence, Lucas Leiva will likely step into the breach.

Elsewhere, there is little selection news report. Martin Skrtel (foot) and Fabio Aurelio (thigh) will be out until at least next month. And although Javier Mascherano was limping towards the end of the Portsmouth match, manager Rafa Benitez has since dispelled fears that the Argentine picked up a serious knock. Liverpool’s defence, with Glen Johnson having returned to fitness, picks itself, as does the Reds’ attack which will be spearheaded by captain Steven Gerrard and Spanish super-striker Fernando Torres.

Liverpool, though, are unlikely to find Lille an easy team to turn over. After beating Grenoble 1-0 last weekend in Ligue 1, Rudy Garcia’s men are currently fourth in the French top flight, where they now have real ambitions of upsetting the odds to steal the title from under the noses of Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille.

Lille will also undoubtedly pose a threat to the Scouse backline, being the top scorers in Ligue 1 with 51 goals in 28 matches this season. Unfortunately for the visitors though, star striker Gervinho will be missing with a knee injury, however having only failed to score in four matches this season the Ivorians’ absence should be managed by the Frenchmen.

The player Liverpool will be most concerned about is Belgian youngster Eden Hazard. A 19-years-old and having scored the winner in the first leg, Hazard has already forged himself a reputation to strike fear into the Scousers, being one of the most highly-sought after players of his generation. With his low centre of gravity, excellent technique and pace to burn, it would not be a stretch to place Hazard in the top bracket of players plying their trade in Ligue 1 this season.

Leading the Lille line will be Frenchman Pierre-Alain Frau, who has scored 13 goals in 31 appearances this season and is in the midst of his most productive season for some time. Alongside Frau, Polish winger Ludovic Obraniak, with five goals and four assists this term, will also look to join in the attacks from high on the left-hand side.

Looking more broadly around the Lille team, tough tackling Rio Mavuba will be employed as Lille’s enforcer in the middle of the park, while at the back Adil Rami, the giant centre-half, will not only prove himself robust in a defensive sense, but with three goals already this season he can also pose a threat from set-pieces at the other end of the pitch.

While Liverpool may be confident of claiming a win over Lille in front of the Kop, the bigger question will be whether they can shut out Lille to win the tie on aggregate. On that note the Liverpudlians have reasons to be slightly concerned as Lille have managed to score in every single away trip in the competition so far this season, and so a tense night of nail-biting may be in store on Thursday.

Rafael Benitez Urges Liverpool To Ignore Upcoming Manchester United Clash And Focus On Lille

Rafael Benitez has called for his Liverpool side to focus on the challenge facing them against Lille on Thursday, rather than be distracted by the forthcoming league clash against Manchester United.

After seeing his side defeat Portsmouth 4-1 on Monday, Benitez wants his players to maintain that same level of performance against the French side as they look to overcome a 1-0 first leg deficit, before they think about the trip to Old Trafford on Sunday.

"Now we have two important games. We have to concentrate on the first one [against Lille]," Benitez said on Wednesday.

"After that we will think about Man United but we cannot have an eye on the second one in case we make a mistake in this one.

"We will try to win because we want to progress in the Europa League and after that we will try to beat Manchester United."

Benitez believes the performance against Pompey on Monday has come at the right time for his side, and believes it will give them the belief to challenge for the Europa League - their only remaining chance at silverware.

"It will be positive to keep winning games, for the confidence of the players, but it's also an opportunity to win something," he said.

"We will try to do our best and we know we need to win to progress.

"I think they have quality, they also have some confidence now. The main thing is we will play at Anfield and we know what that means. We will have the fans behind us, so hopefully we will do our job properly and we can play well."

Alberto Aquilani Hands Reds Europa League Fitness Scare

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani missed training at Melwood today after suffering from a stomach upset.

The Italian turned in arguably his finest performance in a Red shirt to date when scoring his first goal for the club in Monday's 4-1 Premier League win over Portsmouth but was unable to take part in this morning's preparations ahead of the Europa League Round of 16 second leg against Lille.

The club are hopeful that Aquilani will be available for Thursday night's clash at Anfield, where the Reds must overcome a one-goal deficit to progress to the last eight of the competition.

Reina Set For New Deal

Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina will sign a new contract within the next month as he believes he can fulfil his dream of winning the Premier League with the Merseysiders.

Liverpool have not won the title for 20 years and another disappointing season saw them fall out of the race well before Christmas.

Reina has become a sought-after property after proving himself one of the best goalkeepers in the top flight.

However, he is more than happy to commit his long-term future to the club.

"It is really close and it (signing a new contract) is because they were good to me and I am grateful," said the Spain international.

"You will see something in a month or so. I am happy here and the club is happy with me so I have no problem at all.

"Talking to my family we believe there is no better place to be and that is why we will be here a bit longer, much longer."

Meanwhile Reina has also echoed team-mate Fernando Torres' calls for significant investment in players to make the club title challengers again.

At the weekend, in an interview with the Spanish press, Torres said the club needed to sign four or five quality players in the summer.

He intimated a failure to do so could be interpreted as a lack of ambition and may lead to him considering his long-term future.

Asked how long it could be before Liverpool would have a realistic chance of winning the title the Spain international said: "It is not a question I can answer.

"I can talk about the players but not the investment - that is not in our hands.

"But I hope we can compete with these kinds of transfers (by Manchester United and Chelsea) and spend some more money in the market, maybe go toe-to-toe with them.

"All I want and the team want is to be competitive as the others.

"There is nothing apart from winning the league with Liverpool once which makes me feel excited.

"That is a dream to get through and hopefully in a short period of time we will see it come true."

Reina's immediate future involves keeping a clean sheet at home to Lille on Thursday night as Liverpool try to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit from their Europa League last-16 tie.

The French side will be a difficult prospect, even at Anfield, but Reina insists the players are determined to turn things around as they are desperate to win some silverware to make up for a disappointing campaign.

"It is the only trophy we can lift this season so it is massively important," he added.

"A trophy is a trophy and it is always good. We are the first ones to know the season has not been good and we should have been better.

"But as long as we have got a possibility of winning a trophy it is important for the club and the players.

"Lille will play defensively with some pace and ability up front playing counter-attack and we have to be aware of that and manage that."

Dirk Kuyt: Liverpool Were Delighted To See Alberto Aquilani Score At Last

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has revealed that the Reds' dressing room was a happy place after Alberto Aquilani scored his first goal in the 4-1 defeat of Portsmouth on Monday evening.

The game marked something of a return to form for the Reds after disappointing defeats at Wigan Athletic and Lille in the last week, and Aquilani's team-mates were also delighted that the Italian had at last found the net after a disappointing campaign for him.

"I was very happy for Alberto, as were all of my team-mates," Kuyt told his club's official website.

"He has been working hard all season to get fit and he wants to show his quality for Liverpool FC.

"He has already been part of a few good goals with assists this season and now he has got his first goal in front of the Kop. We are really pleased for him and hopefully there will be many more goals to follow.

"We were really happy for him in the dressing room after the game and it was a happy place to be. He has been waiting for this moment and it was a great goal. He deserved it.

"Alberto put in a really good performance and the assist for Fernando's second goal was of the highest quality. Hopefully he can keep this going and we are sure he can."

Kuyt was rested for the game against Portsmouth, remaining on the bench as an unused substitute. He was glad of the break ahead of testing games against Lille and Manchester United in the next few days.

"It was very important to get back to winning ways on Monday after a bad week for us," he added.

"Over the last two or three months we have kept lots of clean sheets and we know we can play better. We have to keep doing these things.

"It was a good performance from the team against Portsmouth and we scored some good goals. We can take a lot of confidence from it to take into Thursday's Europa League game with Lille."

Dalla Valle Seals Final Spot

Lauri Dalla Valle and Daniel Pacheco were on the mark as Liverpool Reserves reached the final of the Lancashire Senior cup after a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic on Wednesday afternoon.

The Finn netted the opening goal with a clinical header from a corner just past the hour mark. It was a sweet moment for the No.9 after he scored in last week's Liverpool Senior Cup semi-final victory over Tranmere Rovers.

The corner came after Jay Spearing had almost scored with a rasping 25-yard drive that was brilliantly saved by Wigan's Serbian stopper Vladimir Stojkovic.

Dalla Valla had a quiet game overall but John McMahon has labeled him a natural goalscorer and that's what he does best. He had two chances, had one superbly saved and scored the winner from the other.

The second goal arrived two minutes from time when Pacheco scored after a jinking run and superb finish. The Spaniard was making his return to action after missing first-team games with Wigan and Lille last week because of a training camp with Spain Under-19s.

It was a hard-fought victory and John McMahon's side, with skipper Jay Spearing a calming influence in midfield, worked their socks off against good opposition.

The Reds are aiming for a possible treble this season with the league title in their sights, a place in the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup and now a chance to win the Lancashire Senior Cup.

Since the opening day 3-2 defeat at Blackburn McMahon's side have now gone 13 games unbeaten with 12 wins in the process.

The Reds also meet the Latics in the Barclays Premier Reserve League North next Thursday. McMahon was without the injured Chris Mavinga so Steven Irwin took over at left-back while Spearing and Damien Plessis linked up in central midfield.

Wigan also fielded a team with several experienced players and with former Liverpool and Everton defender Dave Watson in joint charge of their side alongside Graham Barrow, the Latics made a bright start to the game.

Left-winger Rachid Bouaouzan in particular caused Emmanuel Mendy endless problems with his trickery, until the Senegalese defender was forced to leave the field with an injury in the 34th minute.

Liverpool's best chances in the first half fell to Dalla Valle and Pachecho with the Spaniard missing two great clear chances.

After nine minutes Pacheco's superb pass gave Dalla Valle a chance. The Finn showed great strength to hold off the experienced Steve Gohouri but was denied by a superb stop from Serbian stopper Vladimir Stojkovic.

The game was developing into a physical battle with Dalla Valle and David Amoo in particular on the end of strong tackles.

Wigan were always dangerous going forward with the classy Joe Holt and Polish schemer Tomasz Cywka casuing the Reds problems.

Cywka had two great openings - the best of them came from a sloppy Pacheco back pass that cut his defence wide open.

A misplaced pass then gave Pacheco a clear opening just outside the box but the Spaniard could only drag the effort wide of the goal.

Peter Gulacsi then showed his qualities when the Hungarian stopper produced a brave save to deny Cywka.

Bouaouzan then had the best chance of the half after 26 minutes when his curled effort beat Gulacsi but came off the post.

McMahon's side then had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time when Irwin's brilliant cross from the right caused all sorts of problems. The ball fell to Pacheco who had a clear sight of goal but unfortunately he fired wide of the goal.

Liverpool stepped it up after the break and took their goals brilliantly. Wigan had their moments in the second half but the Reds held firm at the back with Daniel Ayala and Victor Palsson outstanding.

Steven Gerrard & Fernando Torres Are Special - Alberto Aquilani

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has hailed captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres as he aims for a Champions League place.

The Italian scored one and made another for Torres during the Reds' 4-1 destruction of Portsmouth on Monday night.

And the emphasis is to continue moving forward with the help of the star duo.

"It's such a pleasure playing with Torres. Everything becomes easier with him. And with Gerrard. [They are] two special champions," he told La Gazzetta Dello Sport, as reported by Romagiallorossa.com.

"I have waited plenty, but I am happy for the win that has taken Liverpool up to fifth place.

"We are hoping to finish in the Champions League places, and we must continue winning like this."

Liverpool clash with Manchester United on Sunday, but before that they take on Lille at Anfield in the Europa League on Thursday needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

Tom Hicks And George Gillett Take Liverpool Further From New Anfield

There are many bridges to cross before Liverpool's co-owners must decide whether to accept the Rhône Group's £110m offer for a 40% stake, but the bid lays bare the icy state the club is in.

The proposal's key detail is that not a penny of all those millions would go to Tom Hicks or George Gillett but, instead, would reduce Liverpool's £237m debts to Royal Bank of Scotland and the American bank Wachovia. Liverpool are only carrying that debt burden, or at least £185m of it, because the two Americans, who arrived as purported saviours in February 2007, borrowed the money to take over, then loaded the club with the responsibility to repay it.

Hicks and Gillett had said they would not "do a Glazer" and saddle the club with their own borrowings. But they did and now the new stadium they promised to build "as soon as reasonably practicable" cannot be contemplated until the debts they imposed are dramatically reduced.

Rhône's bid, the first firm investment offer the chief executive, Christian Purslow, is known to have received, would reduce Hicks and Gillett to a 30% stake each and pay nothing to them for the 20% they have ceded. Intimations from Hicks that the deal is not lucrative enough for him are unlikely to wash if no other firm bids are prompted by Rhône's offer. Hicks and Gillett are pinned to a deadline because RBS, which is 70% owned by the British public and last month announced a £6.2bn operating loss for the 2008-09 financial year, insists Liverpool must reduce their exposure to it by £100m by July.

Hicks and Gillett only ever came to Liverpool because of the unconvincing idea that to build the new stadium on Stanley Park, which has grown barnacles over a decade on the architect's drawing board, rich individuals were needed to stand behind the financing. Arsenal built the Emirates Stadium, a hugely more complex project in inner-city Islington than digging up a Victorian park will be in Liverpool, with no such personal funding or guarantees.

The Emirates was financed with £260m borrowed on the stadium's commercial merits, a genuine mortgage‑style investment recognised as the stand-out sensible Premier League borrowing in a morass of "living the dream" and leveraged buyouts. Having reduced their net debt steadily to £190m, Arsenal are scampering to the end of their fourth season at the Emirates with a Premier League title in realistic sight, while Liverpool, whose takeover dragged them back far behind where they were in 2007, are scrapping earnestly for fourth place.

In their official offer document, Hicks and Gillett set out that they were paying £174.1m for Liverpool, plus £11m that the professionals, including NM Rothschild, the bank, were charging for their services. Hicks and Gillett borrowed all £185m from RBS and took on further borrowing facilities of £113m for investment in the club: £298m potentially borrowed in total. Before their takeover, Liverpool had net debts of £44.8m.

"The families are well aware of the importance of investment in new players to achieve on-pitch success," Gillett and Hicks said of their intentions, "and as such are prepared to commit resources to make appropriate investment in the playing squad."

Of the stadium they said: "Kop [the families' holding company] shares the wishes and ambitions of the fans for the club to be playing top-quality football in a new stadium … Kop recognises that the new stadium will be a catalyst for the regeneration of the local area … Kop has indicated its intention … to commence the process of building one of the leading stadia in Europe as soon as reasonably practicable. Both George Gillett and Thomas O Hicks have experience in developing and/or operating sports stadia."

Among those warm, woolly intentions was one firm commitment relating to the millions Hicks and Gillett had borrowed to buy Liverpool: "The payment of interest on, repayment of or security for any liability due under the [borrowing] facilities will not depend to any significant extent on the business of Liverpool."

That, we now know, did not turn out to be the case. The £237m still owed to RBS and Wachovia is, strictly, due from the holding company, but Kop owns no other business except Liverpool. The club is without question being made to pay the interest and service the debt. In the most recent accounts, for the year to 31 July 2008, interest of £36.5m was paid by Kop, and Kop's income was wholly derived from the club – from television, commercial activities, and enraged supporters.

At 31 January 2009, the total owed to the banks was £313m, which still included the £185m Hicks and Gillett borrowed to buy the club in the first place. Uncertainty over whether the pair would be able to extend their bank loans led to the auditors' famous warning of "a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt" over whether Liverpool would even be able to "continue as a going concern".

That the club's debt is now stated to be £237m indicates that Hicks and Gillett have been forced to put solid money in to reduce it, including £60m as part of last summer's refinancing. Their cash investment is now understood to be £130m, much more than they must have hoped when they borrowed all that money in the sunny bubble of the borrowing boom. Now, in a credit crunch, RBS insists it must reduce the outstanding debts burdening its own hideous balance sheet.

Purslow, a former banker appointed last June to break the Anfield deadlock and find new investment, is understood to have five other parties from around the world who have inspected Liverpool's books, and he will hope Rhône's shrewdly calculated offer prompts others to bid.

Under their proposal, the New York-based Rhône Group would not receive interest payments on their £110m, because it is real investment, for shares, not more debt. Purslow's plan is that Liverpool, with the debt thereby reduced, may then be able to finance building the stadium, which Liverpool predict would have an Emirates-like effect on the club's earning power.

Hicks and Gillett were, in truth, only ever intending to borrow for the new stadium; there is no chance of that until the club's existing debts are reduced and, all the while, the cost has been rising, now to an estimated £450m.

First conceived more than a decade ago, woven into wider regeneration plans for the Anfield and Breckfield neighbourhoods, the new stadium is a more distant prospect for Liverpool now than it was when Hicks and Gillett arrived three years ago promising to build it. The debts with which their takeover saddled the club have to be reduced, to restore the club closer to where it was financially before they arrived, so that money can finally be borrowed to finance a new era.

Such are the charms of the leveraged buyout, at Anfield and Old Trafford, about which the Football Association and Premier League remain resoundingly silent.

Manchester United Angry As Liverpool's Steven Gerrard Escapes FA Probe

Steven Gerrard has escaped disciplinary action over for the use of his forearm against Portsmouth's Michael Brown in Liverpool's 4-1 win on Monday. The decision has incensed Manchester United and led to allegations that the Football Association has employed double standards. Had he been found guilty of violent conduct, Gerrard would have been banned from Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. The collision with Gerrard knocked Brown to the floor.

United's anger stems mostly from the fact that the defender Rio Ferdinand was banned for three games for swinging an arm into the face of Craig Fagan during a 4-0 win against Hull in January. That punishment was increased by one match after Ferdinand appealed. The champions will not make official comment on Gerrard's case but privately they have admitted to being surprised by the verdict and not understanding why the Liverpool captain has been let off. The ruling is also likely to go down badly among Liverpool's rivals for the fourth Champions League place.

The FA says it cannot act because the referee concerned, Stuart Attwell, has maintained that Gerrard's offence did not merit a booking or a red card.

In Ferdinand's case, the incident was missed by the referee, Steve Bennett, who said that he would have shown a red card had he seen it. Attwell has told the FA that he was satisfied with how he dealt with the incident, by awarding Portsmouth a free-kick and speaking to Gerrard.

The United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, feels that his team are punished more severely than other clubs. At Ferdinand's hearing United's legal team cited the FA's failure to charge Liverpool's Javier Mascherano over a similar incident involving the Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford at Elland Road in September.

Attwell's view that he was in control of the incident is unlikely to improve his reputation. The youngest Premier League referee by some distance, at 27, he has become known for mistakes, most notoriously the award of a "ghost goal" in a match between Watford and Reading in September 2008.

Gerrard escaped punishment from the FA last week after making a two-fingered gesture towards the referee Andre Marriner in a 1-0 defeat at Wigan. Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, responded to Monday's incident by substituting his captain.

Alan Hansen: Whoever Invests In Liverpool Had Better Have Deep Pockets

Whatever the outcome of the proposed investment in Liverpool, somebody has to come in and save them because it is clearly crunch time in terms of the club's history.

The mere fact that Fernando Torres chose to speak about the need for "four or five top-class" players to be signed by the club will be a worry for Liverpool supporters because, in a perfect world, he would have said nothing and simply got on with the job.

But it isn't just about signing new players. The most important thing for the club is the building of a new stadium with a greater capacity to generate greater revenue. Without this, it becomes so much more difficult for Liverpool to compete with all of their rivals.

It would be fantastic for Liverpool if they could tempt a figure with a bottomless pit of money to invest at Anfield, like Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan has at Manchester City. That would solve all of Liverpool's problems at a stroke.

That is the dream scenario, but if it doesn't happen, the new investors will have to throw some serious money at the club merely to get Liverpool on a level footing with the rest.

On the pitch, things are not looking great because it looks as though they are going to miss out on Champions League qualification.

To qualify, they are going to have to win 95 per cent of their remaining games this season and they don't look capable of doing that.

If they fail, that's when the problems could really start. I don't know about the intentions of Torres or Steven Gerrard, but if you are in the top 100 players in the world, you want to play in the Champions League because it is the only place to be.

If Liverpool are not in the Champions League, will they accept missing out as a one-off or fear it happening season after season? Should either of them decide to leave, it would leave an enormous hole that would be impossible to fill.

All Liverpool can do is hope that, if they miss out on the Champions League place, either Tottenham or Aston Villa claim fourth because once Manchester City get a taste for it, they will spend the money on new players which will make it harder and harder for Liverpool to compete.

The fact that we are even talking about Liverpool battling it out for fourth spot, 12 months and a day since they won 4-1 at Manchester United, shows just how far they have fallen.

A year ago, you would say that Liverpool's best XI could beat anybody, but you cannot say that this season.

I really expected Liverpool to challenge for the title on the basis of their performances in the closing weeks of last season, but they have not kicked on and performances have patently been not good enough.

So this is the problem facing whoever comes in with new investment. It is a big task of anybody to expect them to find the money for a new ground and a new team.

It has been 20 years since Liverpool won the league. If it goes another five years and the club slips into mediocrity, then you are not only asking for trouble, you are likely to get it.

That is why the next few months are so crucial. If the new investment arrives, then the club will have to either back manager Rafael Benítez to the hilt in the summer or he will have to go. At the moment, you would have to say that the outcome of that one is 50-50.

Results speak for themselves and, too often this season, they haven't been good enough.

Prior to the 2-0 win against United at Anfield in October, there was a sense that the fans were on the verge of turning.

The same was said after the defeat at Wigan last Monday, so this week's games against Lille on Thursday and United on Sunday are absolutely crucial for Benítez and for Liverpool.

Pepe Reina Urges Liverpool To Repeat Portsmouth Performance Against Lille And Manchester United

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has urged his team-mates to produce a repeat performance of their display against Portsmouth in their next games against Lille and Manchester United as they aim to salvage their season.

The Merseysiders brushed Pompey aside at Anfield courtesy of a Fernando Torres brace as well as goals by Ryan Babel and a first in English football for Alberto Aquilani.

Speaking to ESPN after the game, the Spaniard paid tribute to Liverpool’s display, in particular the six minutes spell in the first half when the Reds scored three times.

“Monday night was a must-win game for us, fortunately we did it, we performed really well and let’s hope we can do it on Thursday [against Lille in the Europa League] again,” he said.

“When the team is playing well you know we can score at any minute. It was a good period of time, we were incredible what we have to do is make sure we repeat that on Thursday and Sunday.”

The shot-stopper also confessed that Liverpool have fully deserved the criticism that has come their way this season but insisted they remain a quality side.

“We deserved some criticism, obviously things aren’t going the way we want,” he added.

“We know that the squad is more or less the same as last season. We can perform, we can play good football, we have to prove it.”

Goalscorer Alberto Aquilani bagged the man of the match champagne, on a rare start for the Merseysiders, and admitted he was delighted to grab his first goal for the club, adding: “I am very happy today because we won the game. We need to win a lot of games to get in the top four and this is the first.”