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Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 0:0 West Ham
Stubborn Hammers denied Liverpool, keeping them at bay in an entertaining goalless draw at Anfield. Brendan Rodgers' men will see it as two points dropped rather than one point won in their challenge for European qualification. West Ham meanwhile can be happy after fighting on and coming out of this fast-paced clash with a point easing their relegation concerns.
The guests' keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and defender James Collins deserved to share the man-of-the-match award for me with two brilliant, stubborn and solid performances all round by both men, keeping their side in the game throughout.
Anfield remembered the Hillsborough 96 before kick-off with a minute of silence. The home side settled into the game quickly after a sloppy start with fowls and giveaways.
Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge were all denied again and again by Jaaskelainen an the Hammers' back line in a high-pace and action-packed first half.
The second half continued in similar fashion, Sam Allardyce's men keeping the Reds out and eventually threatening to nick something out of this game with Kevin Nolan proving a regular threat and thorn in Liverpool's eyes.
Jack Collison came closest when he saw his header cleared off the line by Lucas Leiva with only a couple of minutes remaining.
Both sides battled on and blocked each other out till the final whistle, but the stats don't lie.
The Hammers had the more and harder work to do to hold on to the draw, frustrating the Reds, who remain in seventh, three points behind their local rivals Everton in sixth.
West Ham meanwhile drop to 12th on 37 points, six points clear of the drop zone and three points away from the magical survival line of 40 points.
They haven't won at Anfield in half a century! The gladder they can be with the point!
Liverpool v West Ham:
Liverpool: 25 Reina; 3 Jose Enrique, 5 Agger, 23 Carragher, 2 Johnson; 21 Lucas, 8 Gerrard; 10 Coutino, 14 Henderson (11 Assaidi - 71.), 19 Downing (15 Sturridge - 26.); 7 Suarez. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 1 Jones, 16 Coates, 30 Suso, 33 Shelvey, 37 Skrtel.
West Ham: 22 Jaaskelainen; 17 O'Brien (booked 85.), 19 Collins, 5 Tomkins (18 Pogatetz - 83.), 20 Demel; 32 O'Neil, 21 Diame; 7 Jarvis, 4 Nolan (14 Taylor - 62.), 12 Vaz Te (10 Collison - 62.); 9 Cole. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 13 Henderson, 11 Maiga, 29 Chamakh, 33 Potts.
1st & 2nd Half Stats:
Liverpool-West Ham
Attempts: 6-8 & 11-4
On target: 3-0 & 4-1
Offsides: 2-0 & 2-0
Corners: 6-1 & 7-1
Free kicks: 1-3 & 4-4
Possession: 84%-16% (16.), 66%-34% (HT), 75%-25% (57th min), 65%-35% (FT)
Sky Stats:
Tackles/Success: 18-28788.9%-86.2%
Passes/Success: 597-314/82.2%-64.6%
Crosses/Success: 21-15/9.5%-40%
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Man of the match: James Collins
Sports - Football - Premier League - Newcastle 1:0 Liverpool at HT
Kevin Nolan fired the Magpies ahead on 15, taking advantage of an unalert Liverpool defence. The Reds put on the pressure at the end of the first half, Sotirios Kyrgiakos coming closest but failing to make honours even, the Magpies taking a 1-0lead to the dressing room at half time, with their new manager Alan Pardew who can be so-far-so-good-happy.
1st half summary:
- Liverpool are coming to St James' Park with everything else but an enviable away record with only two wins in the last 17 Premier League games and those make all the away wins they have had this calendar year on the road. A win would take them up to 6th.
- After the turmoil of this week at the Tyneside, seeing Chris Hughton replaced by Alan Pardew as Newcastle manager and controversial owner Mike Ashley hogging the limelight and causing outrage and protests amongst the Toon Army once again, Pardew and the Magpies are desperate for a result. A win could see them climb up from 14th to 8th.
- Liverpool have won their last four games against Newcastle, scoring a total of 14 goals. They won 5-1 on the last visit to St James' Park in December 2008.
- The Magpies have lost seven of their last eight games against the Reds. The exception was a 2-1 home win in February 2007.
- New Newcastle boss Pardew makes two changes following the defeat at West Brom: Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton come into the midfield replacing Wayne Routledge and Danny Guthrie. For Liverpool, Fernando Torres returns form his short paternity leave and takes Ryan Babel's place in attack.
- David Ngog and Fernando Torres kick off the game for Liverpool at St James' Park.
- Maxi Rodriguez sends the first attempt of the night high over the bar, a nice build-up, turn and right-foot shot, ends up a waste.
- Shola Ameobi tries a cheeky sneak-through in the box with the back of his left, doesn't quite get it, easy pick-up for Pepe Reina.
- Glen Johnson on his 50th appearance for the Reds, loses the ball clumsily with a dreadful first touch, but gets a free kick out of it, after falling dramatically against Danny Simpson's block.
- The free kick is cleared, eventually the ball ends up in the box again, a shot from the edge by Sotirios Kyrgiakos is pushed away by Toon keeper Tim Krul.
- First corner of the evening goes to Liverpool, nothing from it, ends up in Krul's gloves nice, soft and easy.
- Kyrgiakos gives a stupid free kick away, jumping on top of Andrew Carroll knowing he can't get to the ball. Joey Barton takes it, Carroll knocks it down from the right side of the box and crosses it to give Kevin Nolan an easy goal in the bottom right-hand corner, his 8th of the season. They made it look easy, Liverpool's defence not covering and made to pay for it. 1-0 after 14:35 minutes, Tyneside relieved and on a high.
- Barton misskicks the next free kick from about 25 yards out, given against Johnson for a stupid tackle from behind on Jonas Gutierrez which he is booked for aswell, but the nearly had Pepe Reina worried again, but ended up safely in the Spaniards gloves.
- Wonderful pass by Johnson, headed over by Ngog, should have made more of that, at least on target.
- Torres goes down tackled by air after he is unable to connect to the ball just outside the box, Liverpool get a free kick out of his act. The Spaniard takes it and smacks it right into the wall, Ngog's shot from it goes wide and out for a goal kick.
- Reina holds on well to Carroll's low shot, still 1-0 with half an hour gone, 47%-53% in possession, Liverpool playing some nice football, connecting well, but need to keep going to find and get something out of it.
- Newcastle give away a corner after a little bit of confusion about who was claiming the ball, the corner cleared but not far outside the box, Raul Meireles' shot bounces off the goalkeeper Krul and is cleared off the line by Jose Enrique.
- Ameobi shot it deflected wide, just, the home side's first corner of the night, taken by Barton from the left, leads to nothing as a free kick is given against Carroll and his foul on Kyrgiakos.
- Free kick given against a raging, ranting Kyrgiakos, the ref calms him down, Barton takes it from a similar distance to where the goal was scored from, but it is cleared, no threat.
- Rodriguez goes down in the box, nothing given, Liverpool putting the pressure on at the end of the first half. Replays showed it was the slightest of touches by Steven Taylor on Maxi's ankle, no reason to go down in that dramatic fashion. The Argentine is still not happy though.
- Kyrgiakos heads Meireles' corner from the left wide, best chance of the half for the Reds, with the last move of the half, Newcastle 1-0 ahead at half time.
Newcastle: Krul; Jose Enrique, Campbell, Simpson, Taylor; Nolan (scored 15), Barton, Guttierez, Tiote; Carroll, Ameobi.
Subs: Harper, Perch, Guthrie, Routledge, Smith, Lovenkrands, Ranger.
Liverpool: Reina; Johnson (booked 19), Kyrgiakos, Skrtel, Konchesky; Kuyt, Meireles, Lucas, Maxi; Torres, Ngog.
Subs: Jones, Aurelio, Kelly, Cole, Poulsen, Jovanovic, Babel.
1st half stats:
Newcastle-Liverpool
Attempts: 3-6
On target: 3-2
Offsides: 1-1
Corners: 1-3
Free kicks: 5-11
Possession:
47%-53% after 30 minutes
46%-54% at HT
Referee: Lee Mason
Man of the half: Kevin Nolan
