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 Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:34 pm Post subject: Liverpool 2 PSV 0 |
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November 23, 2006
DANIEL CRAIG insisted last week Steven Gerrard would be the ideal replacement when he steps down as James Bond.
Tongue-in-cheek it may have been from the latest 007, a die-hard Liverpool fan whose family hail from The Wirral.
But Gerrard certainly lived up to the billing last night as he produced a good impression of the Man with the Golden Gun to clinch top spot in Champions League Group C.
The Anfield skipper — clearly revelling back in his preferred central midfield role — powered through the centre to drill the killer opening goal 20 minutes after the break.
Yes, Peter Crouch also got back on the scoring trail with a point-blank header into an empty net to add a little gloss.
But make no mistake — the hero of this victory was Captain Marvel, who was the mastermind behind just about everything his side created.
Gerrard won every loose ball he contested, constantly chipping away at the PSV backline with a host of delightfully creative passes.
And of course, he came up with the opening goal.
Yet it was still an evening of some concern for Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, who saw Xabi Alonso and Mark Gonzalez crocked in the first period before Jermaine Pennant also left the pitch injured in the second half.
First to go was midfield kingpin Alonso, sold horribly short by a simple 10-yard pass — ironically from Gonzalez — after only 14 minutes.
Csaba Feher was quick to pounce but as he slid in his knee caught Alonso on the hip and the Spaniard limped off five minutes later.
Ten minutes before the break, Gonzalez was heading back to the dressing room on a stretcher — holding a torn hamstring in agony after stretching to deliver a cross.
And Pennant made it the unhappiest of hat-tricks for the Reds when he was also carried off 11 minutes from time — even if his hamstring problem was merely a spasm.
Apart from Gerrard, there was not a great deal to cheer about football-wise with both sides already guaranteed a place in the next phase.
Two months ago, the Anfield skipper was left on the bench for all but the last 15 minutes of the goalless first meeting between these two and even went within an upright of winning it.
Last night, Gerrard was on a one-man mission to show the PSV fans what they missed in September with arguably his best display this season.
One marvellous curling dink into the box split the PSV backline but was a yard too strong for the reaching Crouch.
Alex stretched to turn Gonzalez’s low ball away from the lurking Crouch.
And when the England hitman did finally find space, his header was a foot wide from a neat Pennant cross.
Manuel Da Costa came up with an even more crucial intervention, arriving from nowhere to stop Dirk Kuyt’s cutback from reaching his fellow striker Crouch.
Yet for all their possession, Liverpool were hardly ruffling too many feathers in an Eindhoven defence that arrived at Anfield on the back of seven successive clean sheets.
They have not done too badly up front either — rattling up 10 wins in a row in all competitions to cement a place at the top of the Dutch league.
If it had not been for a superbly- timed Steve Finnan tackle, the visitors could well have snatched the lead as well. For once, Jamie Carragher had to rely on someone else at the back to help him out.
Arouna Kone left the Reds centre- half for dead with a neat turn and was about to pull the trigger when Finnan slid in.
Kone’s blond perm gave him something of a Djibril Cisse look with one difference — the Ivory Coast striker could actually play a bit as well.
So can PSV’s Mexican left-back Carlos Salcido.
He had Reds keeper Pepe Reina desperately backtracking with an outrageous lobbed effort from almost 50 yards, which was a foot too high.
If that was supposed to inspire the Dutch, it was actually Liverpool who suddenly seized the initiative.
Finnan started the move with a neat ball in to Kuyt, who eluded Alex with a smart spin.
Gerrard steamed forward, collected the pass then drilled a neat finish beyond keeper Heurelho Gomes.
A minute from time, Crouch popped up almost on the line to nod Kuyt’s header across goal into an unguarded net — and that was that. It was hardly the performance Benitez demanded to restore confidence for a stuttering Premiership campaign.
But after the way they were dropping last night, the Kop boss was simply glad to come off with 11 men still on the pitch.
Thank God for Liverpool that Gerrard was one of them.
DREAM TEAM
STAR MAN - STEVEN GERRARD (Liverpool). Golden eye for goal.
LIVERPOOL: Reina 6, Finnan 7, Carragher 7, Agger 6, Riise 5, Pennant 7 (Bellamy 6), Gerrard 8, Alonso 6 (Zenden 6), Gonzalez 6 (Garcia 6), Kuyt 5, Crouch 6. Subs not used: Hyypia, Fowler, Paletta, Dudek.
PSV: Gomes 6, Kromkamp 6, Da Costa 7, Alex 7, Salcido 7, Mendez 6 (Beerens 5), Simons 8, Feher 5 (Tardelli 5), Afellay 6, Farfan 6, Kone 7. Subs not used: Reiziger, Cocu, Addo, Lamey, Moens.
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