Tuesday 25 August 2015

Match Report: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool

Sports - Football - Premier League - Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool maintained their unbeaten run keeping Arsenal waiting for their first home win of the season as both sides played out a thrilling goalless draw at the Emirates with plenty of action, chances and controversies.

Arsenal keeper Petr Cech

It was the first time James Milner wore the captain's armband for Brendan Rodgers' men as Jordan Henderson missed out due to injury.
Arsene Wenger's men meanwhile were weakened at the back through illness and injury to centre-backs Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny respectively.

Arsenal keeper Petr Cech saves from Liverpool striker Christian BentekeAnd it certainly was a game of two halves with the Reds dominating the first half, Christian Benteke and Philippe Coutinho working dangerously well together, hitting the bar, the post and pulling some breath-taking saves out of under-fire Gunner keeper Petr Cech.

The home side were all over the place, however, they should have been ahead early on when Aaron Ramsey had the ball in the back of the net in the eighth minute, only to be flagged and disallowed offside, cruelly borderline.

Arsenal have only seen two wins in the last eleven games officiated by Martin Oliver and can make it two out of twelve with this match which is not a nice read.

Sanchez reacts after failing to convert a chanceBut the Community Shield winners came back strong and took over play in the second half, Ramsey and Olivier Giroud keeping Red stopper Simon Mignolet busy and Alexis Sanchez just finding the post on the hour-mark.

Both goalkeepers worked hard, showed top quality, earning and deserving the clean sheets. Their teams showed great potential up front but major leaks, not being able to keep or clear the ball in the middle or at the back of the field, which should be worrying for both.

Liverpool will welcome West Ham at Anfield next Saturday afternoon, whilst Arsenal will travel to Newcastle for the lunch time kick-off.
Both sides will surely challenge for the top four this season, all depending on whether they can fix the leaks and find more security and solidity at the back, not just relying on their keepers alone.

Pictures taken from the BBC and Sky Sports websites.

Arsenal Team: 33 Cech; 5 Gabriel (booked 65'), 21 Chambers, 24 Bellerin; 19 Cazorla (c), 34 Coquelin (15 Oxlade-Chamberlain); 17 Sanchez, 11 Özil, 16 Ramsey; 12 Giroud (14 Walcott 73'). 4-1-3-1
Subs not used: 2 Debuchy, 3 Gibbs, 8 Arteta, 13 Ospina, 20 Flamini.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet (booked 85'); 12 Gomez (booked 79'), 6 Lovren, 37 Skrtel (booked 61'), 2 Clyne; 7 Milner (c), 21 Lucas (46 Rossiter 76'), 23 Can (booked 67'); 10 Coutinho (18 Moreno 87'), 9 Benteke, 11 Firmino (33 Ibe 63'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 17 Sakho, 27 Origi, 28 Ings, 34 Bogdan.

Match Stats: Arsenal-Liverpool: 1st & 2nd half
Attempts: 3-11 & 16-4
On target: 1-5 & 4-3
Offside: 5-4 & 0-0
Goal kicks: 2-5 & 1-4
Corners: 2-6 & 5-2
Free kicks: 5-1 & 8-1
Throws: 5-6 & 7-10
Possession: 61%-39% (HT) & 66%-34% (FT)

Referee: Martin Oliver
Attendance: 60,080 

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Match Report: Liverpool 1-0 Bournemouth

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 1-0 Bournemouth

Christian Benteke's first goal for Liverpool on his debut at Anfield handed his side a controversial 1-0 winner against newly promoted Bournemouth.

Liverpool v Bournemouth

The Belgian striker netted the winner from close range on 26 minutes, but Eddie Howe's men had a valid reason to protest as Philippe Coutinho should have been flagged offside in the build-up to the goal.

Brendan Rodgers' men made it two unconvincing 1-0 wins out of two, becoming the fourth side after Manchester City, Manchester United and Leicester with 100% record after the second round of Premier League games.

The home side started with an unchanged side after their 1-0 win at Stoke last Sunday, but it was the Cherries who started the more promising, skipper Tommy Elphick netting a header, only to be disallowed for a foul on Dejan Lovren. Harsh from referee Craig Pawson.

Liverpool v BournemouthThe early threat seemed to give the Reds the much needed wake-up call, and they soon took over the ball and play, Coutinho especially omnipresent and always creating.

The Brazilian was heavily involved in Benteke's match winner for Liverpool, as under new rules for this season, he should have been flagged offside as he was affecting play, moving towards the ball in the build-up to the goal.

But it was not to be for the visitors, the flag stayed down, the goal, scoreline and result stood, 1-0.

Reds keeper Simon Mignolet was not really tested, but the Belgian keeper will still be happy with the second consecutive clean sheet after both Matt Ritchie and Eunan O'Kane both shot wide for Bournemouth in the second half.

Liverpool went closest to scoring again late on, Benteke hitting the bar and missing out on a second in the final seconds.

Three more points in the bag for the Reds, but no illusions about the display and much needed improvement and development still.

Images from the BBC website.

Liverpool Goals: 9 Benteke 26'.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 12 Gomez (booked 75'), 6 Lovren, 37 Skrtel, 2 Clyne; 14 Henderson (c) (23 Can 52'), 7 Milner; 20 Lallana; 33 Ibe (11 Firmino 70'), 10 Coutinho (18 Moreno 81'); 9 Benteke. 4-2-1-2-1
Subs not used: 4 Toure, 27 Origi, 28 Ings, 34 Bogdan.

Bournemouth Team: 1 Borac; 11 Daniels, 3 Cook (booked 91'), 5 Elphick (c), 2 Francis; 10 Gradel (15 Smith 81'), 6 Surman, 32 O'Kane (booked 34') (4 Gosling 87'), 30 Ritchie (booked 76'); 17 King (24 Tomlin 61', booked 77'), 13 Wilson. 4-4-2
Subs not used: 7 Pugh, 14 Mings, 23 Federici, 25 Distin.

Liverpool-Bournemouth Match Stats:
Possession: 54.9%-45.1%
Shots: 18-13
On taget: 2-2
Off target: 11-6
Blocked: 5-5
Corners: 6-8
Offside: 1-0
Fouls: 11-18
Bookings: 1-4

Referee: Craig Pawson

Sunday 2 August 2015

Match Summary: HJK Helsinki 0-2 Liverpool

Sports - Football - Pre-Season Friendly - HJK Helsinki 0-2 Liverpool

Liverpool Goals: 27 Origi 73' & 10 Coutinho 78'.

HJK Helsinki Team: 1 Örlund (35 Sahlgren HT); 15 Peiponen (2 Lehtinen 85'), 6 Heikkila, 3 Boah (4 Ojala 58'), 11 Lampi (16 Moren HT); 13 Kolehmainen (91 Maissi 71'), 28 Schüler (26 Malola HT); 99 Kandji (8 Savage 80'), 10 Atom (20 Klinga HT), 22 Mandy (7 Lingman 71'); 18 Jallow (14 Havenger 71'). 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: Sauramea, 27 Sorsa, Alho, 80 Zemeli.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 2 Clyne, 37 Skrtel, 6 Lovren, 12 Gomez (57 Maguire 81'); 14 Henderson, 10 Coutinho (68 Chirivella 81'), 7 Milner; 33 Ibe, 20 Lallana, 28 Ings (27 Origi 63'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: GK Fulton, 40 Kent, 60 Allan.

HJK Helsinki-Liverpool Match Stats: 1st & 2nd half
Attempts: 1-6 & 1-5
On target: 0-2 & 1-4
Offside: 0-2 & 0-0
Goal kicks: 5-1 & 4-0
Corners: 2-5 & 0-4
Throws: 9-9 & 1-3
Free kicks: 4-8 & 6-2
Bookings: 0-0

My ByTheMinLFC Tweets:
- Phil Coutinho starts & new man Allan Rodriguez De Souza is sub (line-ups)
- Hey everyone! Sonjahaha here to cover all the HJK Helsinki v Liverpool action, a couple of min left till kick-off... XxXxX
- And the home side have kicked off... Helsinki playing to the right, Liverpool to the left... Win a throw straight away...
2' Liverpool won the ball back straight away but don't do much with it, they give away another throw-in... 0-0
5' 1st free kick to Liverpool after Atom & Kolehmainen both take on Milner... Henderson ends that attack with a shot right into gk Örlund.
6' a couple of corners to the home side, no real threat though yet... Both sides still finding their way... 0-0
8' Coutinho takes 1st LFC corner short, deflected to another corner; Skrtel attempt ends in another corner; Ibe puts it out for a goal kick.
11' Helsinki with a promising build-up from the right, nr 15 Paiponen dpes well, but sees ball blocked away in the box, disappointing, 0-0
14' Ibe from right, gets denied well by the hosts' left-back, Liverpool keep the ball, press back from the left... Lallana shot into gk, 0-0
16' Ibe with a shot from the right this time, into the side-netting. More promising build-ups from the Reds... But still 0-0.
18' Lallana rolls the ball into keeper Örlund's gloves again, keeping him busy but not much challenged, 0-0
19' free kick to the Reds in their own half, near the mid-circle, not much else produced from it worth describing... 0-0
- Halfway through the half Helsinki can be happy with a lot of possession, Liverpool with more chances but not much close, 0-0.
24' Helsinki win a free kick just outside the mid-circle in Liverpool's half, again not much from it, more a comfy kick about here, 0-0
26' Ings a bit over-enthusiastic there, gives away a fk, but the Reds counter quickly, Ibe on the right again, brought down by Schüller, 0-0
28' Ings heads the free kick high, shame, 0-0
29' Very quiet ground, a bit of applause here & there, Helsinki give the ball away again after a longer comfy spell, 0-0
30' Milner sees promising ball deflected out for a throw-in, keeper Örlund ends with the ball, all too comfortable. Again. 0-0
31' Kandji all over Gomez, concedes a free kick, Coutinho takes the ball well to Milner whose shot is easy to collect for Örlund again. 0-0
33' Kandji brings down Lallana this time, closer to the box, Milner short to Henderson on the left, pass blocked, HJK did well there, 0-0
34' Gomez pressing from the left again, a bit of ping pong, LFC keep it, try to press, but end up giving it away, 0-0
35' ball doesn't stay long with Helsinki & their nr 11 Lampi gives away a free kick on the right again; Henderson back to Milner, shot...
-... deflected/blocked out for a goal-kick, still 0-0
37' Helsinki with a rare counter, don't last long, blocked back to LFC who come from preferred right again, Ings runs but sees it out, 0-0
39' Liverpool look the hungrier but not really dangerous, Helsinki comfortable & confident so far, 0-0
5min to go till the break, LFC with a throw-in on the right, Coutinho whit a shot from outside the box, deflected, corner, nice one, 0-0
- another LFC corner taken by Coutinho, blocked, Lallana pass from left, blocked, ball away, 0-0
- Last seconds, Coutinho wins a free kick against Heikkila but it's quickly lost in the boy & that's the HT whistle 0-0, fine, that's it.
- HJK v LFC HT 0-0 my stats: attempts: 1-6, on target 0-2, offside 0-2, throws 9-9, free kicks 4-8, corners 2-5, goalkicks 5-1; both too comfy
- Well then, here we go, Liverpool kick off the second half, unchanged, 3 changes for Helsinki I think I heard; 11 Lampi replaced by 16 'Moren...
- Helsinki 35 Sahlgren comes on for nr 1 keeper Örlund & I think I overheard 26 Malolo on for 28 Schüller... Lallana shot soft to gk, 0-0.
- Yep, just confirmed these three HT changes for Helsinki plus one more, 20 Klinga on for 10 Atom... See next retweet... Still 0-0 meanwhile...
52' Clyne wins free kick for LFC near the centre circle, ends nowhere, goal kick, still quiet 0-0, Helsinki keep the ball, back kickabout
54' LFC & Ibe stubborn from the right, not letting Helsinki go, that's for sure, but not getting close atm, 0-0 & home side get ball back
56' and that was the first ball Mignolet had to collect!!! And he didn't muck it up! #relief 0-0
57' LFC corner to Lallana who whacks the ball towards goal but just high, corner from it, not much... Another corner eventually... 0-0
58' another change for Helsinki nr 15 (no name shown in French TV) replaces nr 3 Boah & a couple of minutes later another chance goes...
... begging for Liverpool, Coutinho I think the man looking most frustrated at the moment... Next to Ibe... And Lallana... And LFC, 0-0
63' first sub for Liverpool nr 27 Origi replacing 28 Ings, see if that'll break the deadlock! He gives away a free kick straight away, 0-0
- Hahaha, French telly just replaying all the frustrated faces & reactions by the players, definitely fits the general feeling! 0-0
66' and first time the French commentators get loud Lallanaaaa strong shot just about gloved out for a corner by Sahlgren, close one, 0-0
67' Liverpool corner comes to nothing, Helsinki win a free kick, comes to nothing, mirroring the whole match = nothing 0-0
70' Ibe pressing and pressing again, wins a corner, he's the only light I have seen today in this dark, trist display; corner, away, 0-0
- Looks like Ojala was the last sub on nr 4 not 15 whilst Helsinki make more changes... Check next retweet... Just under 20min to go... GOAL!
- Liverpool take the lead, nice advance by Ibe from the right again, ball ends at sub Origi's feet, who makes no mistake, 0-1 to the Reds!
- There ye go! My retweets confirm the last Helsinki substitutions & Liverpool's goal, all in Finnish! AAAAAND GOAOAOALLLL! 0-2!!!!!
- Coutinho's right foot doubles the lead for the Reds after a nice one-two build-up off a Lallana corner. Finally they've woken (us) up! 0-2
80' And another Helsinki change (I've lost count): 8 Savage on for 99 Kandji; and a couple of Liverpool changes coming up...
81' 57 Maguire & 68 Chirivella come on for 12 Gomez & 10 Coutinho & replacing two happier players with that! 0-2
- Helsinki change, 2 Lehtinen replaces 15 Peiponen; the right nr 15 this time... I know, exactly what you thought! 0-2 with 5ish min to go
- Liverpool kicking the ball around comfortably now, now they can, couple min to go, 2-0 up thank to sub Origi & Coutinho, feel better now!
90' another promising free kick for Liverpool, skipper Henderson takes it, low smacker just wide, keeper went for it, still 0-2, 3min added.
- can see the Liverpool fans singing loud, not much sound on the French channel though... And that's FT 0-2
- Liverpool win a frustrating match, 0-2 in Helsinki, tanks to Origi 73rd & Coutinho 78th min, waking up an otherwise quite dull game.
- HJK v LFC FT 0-2 stats: attempts: 2-11, on target 1-6, offside 0-2, throws 10-12, free kicks 10-10, corners 2-9, goal kicks 9-1.
- So, LFC's stubbornness more than quality paid off & they leave Helsinki 0-2 victors. That's all from me Sonjahaha, till next time #YNWA XxXxX

To read more of my tweets follow me on twitter => @Sonjahaha
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