Thursday 30 December 2010

Inapt Reds sunk by fighting Wolves

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 0:1 Wolverhampton

Last night at Anfield, Liverpool suffered their eighth league defeat of the season and are down to 12th, giving Wolves their first away win since March and lifting them off the bottom of the league table.


Mick McCarthy's men seemed more on the ball from the start, giving the home side only little of the ball and their fans little to sing about apart from sarcastic "Hodgson for England" chants.

Liverpool hadn't played since their 3-1 defeat at Newcastle on 11th December, but had their skipper Steven Gerrard back after his six-week injury layoff.

Little was to be seen of him and the home side's star striker Fernando Torres, with Wolves not giving the Reds over two seconds on the ball. Watching the game, it seemed that the Wolves were the hungrier fighters and the Reds were the struggling failures.

Glen Johnson was lucky to get away with just one booking, the Liverpool defender hugging and wrapping himself around the Wolves attack on more than one occasion.

The Wanderers took the lead on 56, thanks to Stephen Ward's fine finish after a mix-up between Red defenders Martin Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos handed Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's pass-ball through to the defender.


The goal, lead and result was more than deserved with the Wolves on top for most of the game and fighting hard against an absent and impotent Liverpool.

Skrtel saw his late headed strike hit the back of the net, but it was rightly disallowed as offside.

It is Wolves' first win at Anfield in 26 years, and they well and truely outplayed the home side. Roy Hodgson called it a bad day at the office.

It has been more than just a bad day this season, from what I have seen, I would call the whole side a total embarrassment full stop.

Or as the Wolves fans put it themselves, "How bad must you be? We're playing away"

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson (booked 76), Konchesky (Aurelio 73), Kyrgiakos, Skrtel; Meireles (Cole 73), Gerrard, Lucas, Kuyt; Torres, Ngog (Babel 62).
Subs not used: Jones, Agger, Maxi, Poulsen.

Wolves: Hennessey; Elokobi (booked 31), Stearman, Ward (scored 56, Fletcher 78), Berra; Zubar, Foley, Hunt, Jarvis (Edwards 89); Milijas, Ebanks-Blake.
Subs not used: Hahnemann, Batth, Jones, Mujangi Bia, Bent.

BBC stats:
Liverpool-Wolves
Attempts: 9-7
On target: 5-3
Corners: 2-8
Free kicks: 11-8
Possession: 55%-45%

Sky Sports stats:
Liverpool-Wolves
Attempts: 7-6
On target: 3-2
Offsides: 5-4
Corners: 2-8
Free kicks: 11-8
Possession: 56%-44%
Passing Success: 73.8%-64.5%
Tackles/Success: 16/68.8%-20/75%
Territorial Advantage: 39.9%-60.1%

Referee: Peter Walton
Man of the match: Stephen Ward

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