Déjà Vu Draw For LFC At St James' Park

Sports - Football - Premier League - NUFC 1:1 LFC

Liverpool were held to yet another frustrating draw, 1-1 against Newcastle at St James' Park, dropping two points against former Red boss Rafael Benitez in the Super Sunday clash.

Philippe Coutinho gave the visitors the lead with just under half an hour gone, a smacker from 25 yards out, giving keeper Rob Elliot no chance.

It was the Brazilian's 17th goal from outside the box in the Premier League - three more than any other player since his debut in February 2013, giving LFC a deserved lead as Jürgen Klopp's men were dominating possession, play and chances, as always.

But that didn't last long, just seven minutes later, former Red Jonjo Shelvey's fine cross found Joselu, who was able to break too easily between Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip, the latter desperately running back, kicking the ball against the Magpie and in, rolling over the line oh so slowly to make it 1-1.

The Merseysiders have conceded nine goals in the last four Premier League games, as many as in their previous 12 matches!

It was so so so agonising for the Reds, chance after chance going to waste for themselves and then the lead given away so easily, ringing very familiar bells after the frustrating draw in Moscow.

Daniel Sturridge got a rare start, wasting chance after chance. The striker has only scored 10 Premier League goals in the two years under Klopp.

Mohamed Salah created plenty, wasted chances too though, Georginio Wijnaldum coming close as well and Sadio Mané back after suspension with not much to shout about.

After the break, Liverpool continued dominating, but Newcastle kept them at bay.

Substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had the best chance late on, heading over, whilst Mohamed Diamé came close for the homeside off a corner in the dying seconds.

The Reds have had 126 shots on goal in six games in September, with only 34 on target and just one win in all competitions.

October started just as frustrating, dropping another two points, although Liverpool haven't lost a Premier League game in October for the last seven years.

I'm going sober for October - please click here to help and sponsor me and Macmillan Cancer Support!

The international break will give everyone a breather - remember how rosy everything was before the last internationals after thrashing Arsenal?

Fingers crossed, there will be no injuries and the Reds can reshuffle, reform and rekindle their fire and form.

They better do so, because the next opponents are: Manchester United!

Newcastle goal: Joselu 36'.

Liverpool goal: Coutinho 29'.

Newcastle team: 1 Elliot, 22 Yedlin, 6 Lascelles, 2 Clark, 19 Manquillo, 23 Merino (14 Hayden 74'), 8 Shelvey, 11 Ritchie, 30 Atsu, 17 Pérez (booked 55') (10 Diamé 90'+1'), 21 Joselu (9 Gayle 79').
Subs not used: 26 Darlow, 27 Gámez, 20 Lejeune, 7 Murphy.

LFC team: 22 Mignolet, 12 Gomez (booked 58'), 32 Matip, 6 Lovren, 18 Moreno, 14 Henderson, 5 Wijnaldum, 10 Coutinho, 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 84'), 19 Mané (29 Solanke 74'), 15 Sturridge (9 Firmino 74').
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 7 Milner, 17 Klavan, 23 Can.

Match Stats: NUFC 1-1 LFC
Possession: 32%-68%
Shots: 8-17
On target: 5-2
Corners: 1-5
Fouls: 11-6
Yellow cards: 1-1

Referee: Craig Pawson
Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho
Ground: St James' Park
Attendance: 52,303

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and Sky Sports match coverage.

Week 34: Premier League Action Summary

Sports - Football - Premier League - Sunday Action Summary

Chelsea dropped two points at Anfield after a dramatic last-minute equaliser by the master of controversy Luis Suarez. Oscar had headed the visitors ahead comfortably and totally unmarked early on in the first half. After a disappointing first half, Liverpool came back strong and super-sub Daniel Sturridge equalised for the Reds soon after coming on following the break. Just when the Reds looked like they were going from strength to strength and on the brink of turning the game around, Suarez conceded a penalty with an obvious handball, which Eden Hazard netted nice and easy sending Pepe Reina the wrong way.

The home side kept on digging and pressing but Rafael Benitez looked like he was going to leave Anfield with a win against his former side. But Suarez nicked a late header into the back of the net with the last breath of the match, over six minutes in to added time. The Uruguayan was lucky to still be on the pitch at that point after replays showed he had bitten Branislav Ivanovic's right arm earlier on in the match which overshadowed the whole improved performance by the Reds in the second half! Unbelievable as it sounds, a hefty fine and suspension must surely follow, it has to! And it certainly would not be surprising if this was Suarez's last game for Liverpool! He has surely reached the last line, final straw! Sad shame but true!

Tottenham scored three goals in seven minutes to beat Manchester City and deny them any further chance in the title race. After Roberto Mancini's men took an early lead at White Hart Lane thanks to an early Samir Nasri goal, the home side never looked like a threat. However, Andre Villas-Boas' changes paid off late on in the second half, starting off with Clint Dempsey's tap-in equaliser, followed by substitute Jermain Defoe's stunning strike and last but not least provider-turned-scorer Gareth Bale's drop shot, taking City's defence to bits, turning the game on its head and closing the gap to Chelsea in fourth to one point with a strong 3-1 win. Tomorrow Manchester United can win their 20th title if they beat Aston Villa at Old Trafford, ending the reign of their City rivals.

Catch up and read up on all yesterday's results and matches under my Saturday Action Summary!

My Predictions => Actual Results:
Fulham 2-1 Arsenal => 0-1
Norwich 1-1 Reading => 2-1
QPR 1-0 Stoke => 0-2
Sunderland 1-1 Everton => 1-0
Swansea 2-2 Southampton => 0-0
West Brom 3-1 Newcastle => 1-1
West Ham 3-2 Wigan => 2-0
Tottenham 1-2 Man City => 3-1
Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea => 2-2
Man United 2-1 Aston Villa => (tomorrow)

Week 28: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

QPR's crucial win over Southampton made up for their alleged few too many drinks during a recent tour. It was only their third win all season and their first in seven, since beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the 2nd January. Harry Redknapp kept his men together and Rangers recorded a much-needed win in the relegation battle reducing the gap to safety down to four points with ten games remaining.

OMG!

What was Rafael Benitez thinking with his rant? That neither helped his cause, his side (eventhough they ended up winning against West Brom, just, 1-0 thanks Demba Ba) nor did it win over any fans! The Spaniard is an experienced manager and should know better than to have a tantrum with the press or fans! If it was some kind of genius tactic to distract the media and fans attention, focus and critics away from his side and players, then fool me! Actions speak louder than words, games, goals, points rather than rants, chants and moans.

TOP & FLOP!

Tottenham outplayed Arsenal with Gareth Bale unable to do anything wrong at the moment. Whilst one side of London is up and rising on a high, the other side is in free fall. A lot of fans are calling for Arsene Wenger's head. However, rather than shaking up and changing the management, how about the Gunners finally make use of the funds they have collected over the years to strengthen their squad? Ok, it's too late to make changes to the squad this season. They can only hope to make it into the top for to qualify for the Champions League. If they fail to do so, it will just show it is time for change, to make use of their resources rather than seeing heads rolling and more question marks raising.

HERO!

My vote obviously goes to the hat-trick heroes Shinji Kagawa and Luis Suarez, the prior keeping his side top of the lot by far (= 12 points) thrashing Norwich 4-0 at Old Trafford whilst the latter is stirring and spicing up the will-he-stay-or-will-he-go-now discussions sinking Wigan 4-0 at the DW Stadium. Sir Alex Ferguson can now focus on their bid to remain in the Champions League in their secound-leg home bout against Real Madrid (1-1 at the Bernabeu), whilst Brendan Rodgers can remain hopeful with his side's bid to qualify for Europe next season. 

ZERO!

That's how many league defeats both Spurs and United have suffered so far this year, the last two undefeated Premier League sides in 2013. The prior last saw defeat at Everton beginning of December, whilst the latter last fell at Norwich back in November 2012 and both seem to go from strength to strength. The worst league run goes to Sunderland who haven't won in their last five (DLLLD) and Reading who lost their last three games. The Black Cats climbed up to 14th thought after their draw against Fulham whilst The Royals remain deep in trouble in 19th, but just one point from safety.

My Predictions => Actual Results:
Chelsea 3-0 West Brom => 1-0
Everton 2-0 Reading => 3-1
Man United 4-0 Norwich => 4-0
Southampton 0-0 QPR => 1-2
Stoke 1-1 West Ham => 0-1
Sunderland 1-2 Fulham => 2-2
Swansea 2-2 Newcastle => 1-0
Wigan 1-1 Liverpool => 0-4
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal => 2-1
Aston Villa 0-1 Man City => 0-1

Week 16: Premier League Tops & Flops:

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

It was a Super-Sunday-and-a-half! First one the list was the big title clash, the Manchester derby. The first half wasn't too riveting, Fergie's men were all over City after the home side did not take advantage of their early dominance and fell two goals behind thanks to their sketchy and leaky defence. But in the second half, Roberto Mancini's side made a comeback and looked like they would grab a point. However, Robin van Persie had a different idea and netted a free kick deep into injury time, a typical United winner, 2-3, in Fergie time.
The Sunday afternoon kick-offs did not lack any of the excitement either. Everton never gave up and made a great comeback of their own against Tottenham to beat them 2-1 at Goodison Park. And former West Ham players Glen Johnson and Joe Cole returned to Upton Park to haunt their former employers, scoring one each to make it 2-3 to Liverpool and add the Reds to the comeback list of this Sensational-Sunday!

OMG!

I couldn't believe it when I saw Rio Ferdinand hit by a coin, one in a rain of coins I may like to note! I thought those times of abuse and hooliganism were long gone! Fool me! I hope the FA will act promptly and accordingly, banning those idiots from football, for good! What do they think they are doing? It won't change their side or the scoreboard. If anything, it will only change the attendance, minus them hopefully!!!

TOP!

Liverpool were without any senior striker for their clash against West Ham. With Luis Suarez suspended thanks to his five bookings accumulated, it was questionable where the goals might come from for the Reds. Glen Johnson answered that question with a boom-and-a-half! The former Hammer created an unstoppable right-foot blockbuster smacker cracker to open the scoring and mute the home fans and any of his mockers and critics.
Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres was finally on the scoresheet and his compatriot interim manager Rafael Benitez will be more than happy and relieved by that and the first three points he has bagged for Roman Abramovich and Chelsea, who are now third, then points behind league leaders United.

FLOP!

The only disappointment of the weekend was Aston Villa's goalless home draw against Stoke. Both sides created nothing and cancelled each other out through fowls and more fowls. It was not nice to watch and no surprise when Stoke's Ryan Shotton saw red. It maybe was harsh on him as the second tackle did not look like much of a contact, but in this kind of game, it was more of a surprise not more players were cautioned or sent off, such was the physical and abusive style and action.

HERO!

RVP won the game and saved the day for the red side of Manchester, eventhough his free kick did take a big deflection off Samir Nasri. Wayne Rooney was in the right spot at the right time twice for United and made it look all to easy for the Red Devils. But Ashley Young should have been on the scoresheet aswell before half time after he was nowhere near offside when Antonio Valencia created a fine advance and cross from the right. But it all came well for United in the end, at the very end that is, thanks to RVP and the red side of Manchester now sits at the top of the table, six points ahead of their blue rivals.

ZERO!

Mario Balotelli was a waster and Joe Hart a sleeper at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The feisty Italian misfired anything and everything that came his way before he was rightly taken off by Mancini and the England goalkeeper seemed unmoved for the first and half-asleep by the second United goal. It was cringing to watch. And to top it off, the third and winning goal for United was... Ok, it was a wicked deflection off Nasri, but still! It was on the side the goalkeeper should have and keep covered! But it just didn't seem his day! To avoid such mishaps from happening again, it seems Hart will need an extra cup of coffee or to take a Dextro energy tablet before the next game at Newcastle!

My Predictions => Actual Results
Arsenal 3-1 West Brom => 2-0
Aston Villa 1-1 Stoke => 0-0
Southampton 2-2 Reading => 1-0
Sunderland 1-2 Chelsea => 1-3
Swansea 2-1 Norwich => 3-4
Wigan 2-0 QPR => 2-2
Man City 1-0 Man United => 2-3
Everton 2-1 Tottenham => 2-1
West Ham 1-3 Liverpool => 2-3
Fulham 2-2 Newcastle => 2-1

Week 15: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW! & OMG!

Manchester United went behind for the 14th time in 22 games at the Madejski stadium in a thriller of a game or shall I rather say thriller of a first half! It was a smacking opening goal for Reading after Patrice Evra's giveaway. Anderson found the leveller, a let-down by keeper Adam Federici. Following a Wayne Rooney corner, Jonny Evans was inexplicably bundled over by Reading's number 16 Jay Tabb and a penalty was given. Rooney netted from the spot to turnaround the scoreline from 1-0 to 1-2 within three minutes!

It was once again a typical United turnaround and comeback. Reading made it four goals at 2-2 inside 19 minutes after Adam Le Fondre headed in a corner with all the space in the world, another defensive nightmare. And the total was five goals in 23 minutes after Sean Morrison headed one in to make it 3-2. Rooney, with time and space after some great pace and delivery by Ashley Young and Evra, completed an easy finish to make it all square again at 3-3 after half an hour. Rafael was taken off after being booked and tormented by Reading and Sir Alex brought on Chris Smalling to replace the young Brazilian on 31 minutes.

Robin van Persie walked the fourth goal in for United on 35. And the ball looked over the line on 40 after RVP smacked in the rebound off a fine save but the officials thought it was blocked by Shaun Cummings. However, replays showed the ball was over a yard over the line and the scoreline should have been 3-5! It was only the third time in Premier League history that there have been seven goals in the first half! United only had one substitution left shortly before the break after Anderson had to go off injured with Phil Jones replacing him. It was 3-4 at half time and full time, both teams unable to recreate the thrills and spills of the first 45 minutes.

TOP!

After Jonjo Shelvey's whacking strike had hit the post and Luis Suarez's free kick came off the cross bar after a tremendous hit and bend, it looked like it was not going to be Liverpool's afternoon against Southampton. But Daniel Agger rewarded his side's play when he headed in Glen Johnson's cross and earned his side a well deserved win.
The Manchester Derby is going to be a cracker next weekend with three points on the line and three points being the gap between the two local rivals at the top of the table after City drew at home against Everton!

FLOP!

Rafa Benitez's misery continues at Chelsea after a fine start and goal by Juan Mata was followed by a second half turnaround from the Hammers. The super subs made the difference for West Ham at Upton Park and Carlton Cole, Mohamed Diame and Modibo Maiga took Roman Abramovich's Blues apart in the second half!
Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill will know the feeling too well as the pressure increased on him after his side fell to a 2-1 defeat at Norwich and were left just one point safe the Premier League relegation zone.

HERO!

Two late Miguel Michu goals sank Arsenal at the Emirates and left the Gunners down in tenth position of the Premier League table after their worst start to a season under Arsene Wenger. The Swans meanwhile can be more than happy with their third win out of four, unbeaten since end of October (1-0 at City) and in seventh position..
Jermain Defoe was the hero for Spurs, with his left-foot 2-0, then right-foot 3-0, thank you very much and say no more.
Carlos Tevez saved City a point against battling Everton with his spot kick, see if he can do the same against his former side and local rivals United next Sunday! Their unbeaten run is on the line too!

ZERO!

Tottenham's Gareth Bale was booked for diving, against Fulham's Steve Sidwell, for the second consecutive game. There was a tackle but the forward did perform a scene of a drama queen, which made me cringe. Sandro opened the score for Spurs, through Mark Schwarzer's gloves and in. It was a goal the American goalkeeper would like to forget but will most probably find again and again under one of those blooper lists and clips!

My Predictions => Actual Results
West Ham 1-1 Chelsea => 3-1
Arsenal 1-1 Swansea => 0-2
Fulham 1-2 Tottenham => 0-3
Liverpool 3-0 Southampton => 1-0
Man City 2-0 Everton => 1-1
QPR 0-0 Aston Villa => 1-1
West Brom 2-2 Stoke => 0-1
Reading 0-2 Man United => 3-4
Norwich 2-1 Sunderland => 2-1
Newcastle 2-2 Wigan => 3-0

Week 14: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Week

WOW!

Tottenham came out all guns blazing at White Hart Lane, man of the match Gareth Bale turning from provider to scorer to own-goal scorer/conceder. The Welshman's runs against Liverpool were extraordinary, no one could keep up with him when he found Aaron Lennon in the box for an easy tap-in opener. And the midfielder's free-kick completely deceived Pepe Reina to make it 2-0. The Reds were awoken, finding and keeping the pressure up after a difficult start in an entertaining encounter, but Spurs' back line kept solid and earned them the win and deservedly so.

OMG!

The Swans certainly shocked West Brom scoring three goals inside 39 minutes! Man of the match Pablo Hernandez was a force on the left wing and set up the first two goals. In the ninth minute, Miguel Michu slotted home Pablo's low cross from the left and not even two minutes later Pablo's nice cross found Wayne Routledge and was turned in off Jonas Olsson to make it 2-0. And Routledge made it three for the Welsh club six minutes before the break after Nathan Dyer and Hernandez helped setting up Ben Davies for his left-wing cross across the face of the goal that Routledge fired home with ease. West Brom started the second half brighter but were unable to recover from the early onslaught. 

TOP!

It was all calamity for Ali Al Habsi again conceding two goals in three minutes at the DW Stadium. Mario Balotelli opened his Premier League account for the season for City seizing on Al Habsi's fumble following Gareth Barry's shot. But James Milner created an unstoppable smasher from outside the area, a top quality curler into the top corner of the net! It made all the difference and Wigan's fight was flawed! City ended up with the three points and still unbeaten, keeping United on their toes at the top of the table.

FLOP! 

Mark Clattenburg returned to work at Southampton in their 1-1 draw against Norwich. A dreadful goalkeeping error by Paulo Gazzaniga lead to the equaliser! The first goal by Rickie Lambert was scruffy too and it looked as though there was a handball in the buildup to it. This draw stretched the Canaraies' unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven matches, leaving them in 13th position on 16 points, level with Liverpool in 12th and four points ahead of the Saints and the relegation zone in 18th.

HERO!

It took Robin van Persie 31 seconds to break Kevin Nolan's Premier League record of 56 seconds, opening the score with a deflection off James Collins and winning the game for United against the Hammers. 
Theo Walcott took 52 seconds to whack it in for Arsenal against Everton and what a goal it was! Or maybe it was a lucky deflection as well, after it looked to have clipped Tony Hibbert on the way in leaving Tim Howard stranded. But a fine finish from Marouane Fellaini denied the Gunners a win yet again and the Toffees shared the spoils at Goodison Park.

ZERO!

Rafael Benitez and Fernando Torres were under fire again at Stamford Bridge, the fans making themselves and their discontent heard to Roman Abramovich after Chelsea's goalless home draw against Fulham. Dimitar Berbatov totally outshone his Spanish rival, producing great attacks and counter-attacks with his control and ability, something Rafa and Fernando (and Roman) are still searching for... I wonder how long the Russian's shopping list will be in January, in sales as well as purchases...

My Predictions => Actual Results
Sunderland 2-1 QPR => 0-0
Aston Villa 2-1 Reading => 1-0
Chelsea 2-1 Fulham => 0-0
Everton 2-1 Arsenal => 1-1
Southampton 2-1 Norwich => 1-1
Stoke 2-1 Newcastle => 2-1
Swansea 2-1 West Brom => 3-1
Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool => 2-1
Man United 2-1 West Ham => 1-0
Wigan 2-1 Man City => 0-2

Guess what?! Once again, the auto-predictor has set all my predictions to 2-1, because I'm too useless to remember to log in and enter my own predictions!!!

Week 13: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina and Swansea forward Nathan Dyer were hardcore! After the Spanish keeper rushed off his line and clattered into the striker, it looked like it was serious, but both players overcame the injury scare and continued with their bumps and bruises. It was different to see Jose Enrique going forward. The Spanish defender impressed and should have been on the scoreboard after latching onto Luis Suarez's cross but was disallowed for offside. It was end to end stuff but ended up with Brendan Rodgers unable to get the better of his former side. It was the game with the most passes, surprise surprise, 1,055, ahead of United against QPR with 1,040. It all came to nothing though.


OMG!

The referee was clearly confused.com at Stamford Bridge. After a fine save by City's Joe Hart, Chris Foy gave a goal kick against Chelsea?! Ashley Cole was understandably gobsmacked!!! Mario Balotelli was harshly booked for a dive, I think there the referee went more by impression than by incident. And the fans were nothappyandbooing.com with Rafael Benitez, chanting "you're not wanted here", and holding up signs reading 'Benitez out' - coupled with songs and banners hailing the sacked Roberto Di Matteo. Benitez looked very red!!! Y Fernando Torres?! Donde estas?! It was definitely a game to forget! For the referee, Rafa and Torres!

TOP!

West Brom's goals were very much in contrast to one another. The first one was a brilliant strike by Zoltan Gera, the second a nightmare blunder by Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, which gifted Shane Long a goal and the third was just as much a gift when drama queen Liam Ridgewell went down very easily and the spot-kick was converted by Romelu Lukaku. The first Sunderland goal was a brill deflected free kick by Craig Gardner and Stephane Sessegnon tapped in the rebound of a saved header off a corner, but it ended 4-2, after a fine curl-goal by Marc-Antoine Fortune finished the game off for the home side late on in injury time. It was a game with a little bit of everything and West Brom continuing their brilliant run!

FLOP!

Clumsy goals summarised United's home win against QPR, defensive nightmares with three goals falling in just seven minutes.
Stoke saw a nice turn-tip goal by Charlie Adam off Peter Crouch which won them all three points against Fulham. Dimitar Berbatov was constant threat, denied again and again, with some brilliant saves by Asmir Begovic.
The Gunners have now taken only one point from their past three away games and would have fancied their chances of winning at a ground where they have been unbeaten since 1998. But they were unable to unlock Villa and the sporadic game ended 0-0 with Arsene Wenger est le miserable. 

HERO and ZERO!

Wigan's 3-2 win at the DW Stadium against Reading is easily summarised: Nicky Shorey's free kick was headed in by Sean Morrison to make it 0-1, the equaliser came off a rebound tapped in by Jordi Gomez followed by brill save by Ali Al Habsi. Wigan's Franco Di Santo was given offside, then Gomez headed another chance in to make it 2-1 before Al Habsi slipped one in to level the game 2-2!!! Gomez won the game two minutes into injury time with a hat-trick!!! Al Habsi was understandably more than happy!!! And that was the quickest and shortest I could summarise it! It was a smashing game! *breath*

UEFA are considering to scrap the Europa League and expand the Champions League to 64 teams by 2014... Good idea tu reduce the number of competitions and with it the fixture list, however, it defeats the point of CHAMPIONS League, no???

My Predictions => Actual Results
Sunderland 2-1 West Brom => 2-4
Everton 2-1 Norwich => 1-1
Man United 2-1 QPR => 3-1
Stoke 2-1 Fulham => 1-0
Wigan 2-1 Reading => 3-2
Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal => 0-0
Swansea 2-1 Liverpool => 0-0
Southampton 2-1 Newcastle => 2-0
Chelsea 2-1 Man City => 0-0
Tottenham 2-1 West Ham => 3-1

I once again forgot to log my predictions, so, it went onto auto-predictor again (= all 2-1)... Useless!!! :-P

Final Picks of the Weekend and Season

Sports - Football - Premier League - Final Picks of the Season

So, I haven't blogged in a while and we have already reached the end of the season. A lot has happened over the last month-or-two, so these are my overall picks of the last weeks and season:

Hero: Roy Hodgson and Harry Redknapp are the obvious picks for their achievements at Fulham and Tottenham, reaching the Europa League final and Champions League place respectively.

However, I think Gianfranco Zola should be recognised and lauded just as much for keeping West Ham up under extraordinarily difficult and chaotic circumstances. Most importantly, he kept a good relationship with the players all the way through and to kept them going. The more surprised I was to find out he has been sacked this morning!

Zero: Dirk Kuyt and Dimitar Berbatov have certainly annoyed me most this season! Being over-over-over-paid for their moaning, diving, whining and being bad losers. Rafael Benitez has also to take a real close look at himself. With Rick Parry's departure from Liverpool he was able to clear and reorganise the back room to his will and choice and look what it has brought him. You can always lay the blame to the ownership fiasco, but that does not hold and directly influence everything what is going on on the pitch - it is the players and the coaches, who are all overlooked and coached by the manager.

Champs: As mentioned above, Fulham and Tottenham have to be lauded for their over-achievements. So too Chelsea for their fourth title, first since the departure of the "Great One". But the sides that have surprised me most are Arsenal and Birmingham. I thought the Gunners were going to be the first to drop out of the top four and the Blues I saw battling relegation - how wrong was I! Arsenal will not be happy with their slip late-on in the season, but it came to no surprise looking at the lack of depth and back-up options in their squad - something they will have to look into and change if they do not want yet another repeat of their slip and fall.

Birmingham will be dreaming of a European spot next season, see what/who they will do/change/buy/sell to see that happen, especially interesting and intriguing as they could not be happier with the display, performances and results of their current squad.

Has-Beens: Liverpool were not even a shadow of the side they were last season whilst Portsmouth and West Ham fought on through the storm, holding their heads up high - the prior failing to avoid the drop whilst the latter was able to withstand all the counterweight.

I know Liverpool the Reds have had their problems and turmoil with their owners, the board, their debts, etc., but as a club of such prestige, history, success, large fan base, global reputation et al, it was sad to see the ship sink so low with hardly any fight or uproar.

You Beauty: So many goals! So many thrashes! Chelsea broke all record books with their 108 goals, achieving that last but not least with their 8-0 destruction of Wigan. Not to forget the 7-goal thrashings of Sunderland, Stoke and Aston Villa, also by the champions; Manchester City putting 5 and 6 past Birmingham and Burnley respectively; Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham also enjoying their 5, 6 and/or 7 goal thriller-wins. There were so many goal-feasts this season and juicy and action-packed encounters, it is impossible for me just pin it down to one or two!

Ouch! Referees, own goals and divers - this season these three top my lists of outrage, cringes, complaints and criticism. In this day and age where the cameras and advanced technology pick everything and everyone in the finest detail in the matter of seconds, I cannot believe that they cannot be used to assist and support the officials, prevent very unfair and costly errors and stop the cheaters and whiners.

And finally, to see where my picks have come from, here is a comparison table of the last to seasons. It obviously does not include Birmingham, Wolves or Burnley as they were not part of the Premier League last season. Birmingham have certainly exceeded all expectations ending up ninth, whilst Wolves avoided relegation quite comfortably in the end, 8 points clear in 15th place, and Portsmouth, well, they faced an impossible job to stay up, with or without the 9-point-deduction, they had a too high mountain to climb to avoid the drop.

So, the table shows all 17 teams that were in the Premier League in both seasons, comparing how they fared in the 38 games of both seasons. The + and - numbers indicate how many games they won, drew and lost and how many goals they scored and conceded more or less, and finally how many points they gained or lost consequently. It just shows how bad the season has been for Liverpool...

1) Tottenham:

+7 wins, -2 draws, -5 defeats; +22 goals, -4 conceded; +19 points

2) Man City: +3, +8, -11; +15, -5; +17

3) Blackburn: +3, 0, -3; +1, -5; +9

4) Sunderland: +2, +2, -4; +14, -2; +8

5) Chelsea: +2, -3, +1; +35, +8; +3

6) Arsenal: +3, -6, +3; +15, +4; +3

7) Aston Villa: 0, +2, -2; -2, -9; +2

8) Stoke City: -1, +5, -4; -4, -7; +2

9) Everton: -1, +1, 0; +5, +12; -2

10) Bolton: -1, +1, 0; +1, +14; -2

11) Man Utd: -1, -2, +3; +18, +4; -5

12) Hull City: -2, +1, +1; +6, +16; -5

13) Fulham: -2, -1, +3; 0, +12; -7

14) Wigan: -3, 0, +3; -3, +34; -9

15) West Ham: -6, +2, +4; +5, +21; -16

16) Portsmouth: -3, -4, +7; -4, +9; -22 (includes the 9-point deduction)

17) Liverpool: -7, -2, +9; -16, +8; -23

Total Goals scored: 1053 this season, 942 last season; +111

Pompey Beat Sorry Reds

Sports - Football - Premier League - Match Report

Portsmouth 2-0 Liverpool

Liverpool got well and truely beaten at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth never looked out of control. They took the lead just past the half-hour mark thanks to Nadir Belhadj who connected to a Glen Johnson header after Pepe Reina thought he had saved and cleared Kevin-Prince Boateng's strike off Hassan Yebda's cross.

It was the first real chance of the match for either side, Johnson coping and reacting weakly and clumsy against his former side.

Things went from bad to worse for Liverpool just before half time when Javier Mascherano saw red for a puch-/strangle-hold tackle against Tal Ben Haim. As it is his second red card of the season, he will be suspended for the next four matches, to make Liverpool's Christmas and New Year even more dire.

The second half continued in a hardly better trend for the Reds, wasting chances and tackling clumsy.

Portsmouth keeper Asmir Begovic kept the main and only scare out well (67). After being sent the wrong way by two deflections through the sleeping Pompey defence, he kept the ball out with his right hand, instinctively and decisively.

Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva were once again the most frustrating, not able to keep hold of or aim with the ball, total wastes. Jamie Carragher and Johnson looked just as unable to cope at the back.

Boateng capped off a fine display by providing Frederic Piquionne from the right, who netted the ball from a tight angle with a right-foot bounce-volley (82).

Pompey celebrated a fully deserved win. Rafael Benitez meanwhile is looking greyer and older by the match, leaving his substitutions too late and seeming to lack options, alternatives and hope more and more so.

Portsmouth Begovic; Finnan, Ben Haim, Kaboul, Hreidarson; Yebda, Boateng (Mullins 89), Brown (c), O'Hara, Belhadj; Piquionne (Kanu 93). Bookings Yebda 48, Piquionne 82. Subs not used Ashdown, Wilson, Hughes, Utaka, Dindane.

Liverpool Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua (Aurelio 68); Kuyt, Lucas (Spearing 88), Gerrard (c), Mascherano, Dossena (Benayoun 53); Torres. Bookings Lucas 47, Torres 56, Johnson 60. Red Mascherano 45. Subs not used Cavalieri, Skrtel, Babel, Ngog.

1st half stats

Portsmouth-Liverpool

Attempts: 6-3

On target: 3-1

Offsides: 0-0

Corners: 4-4

Free kicks: 7-4

Possession: 44%-56% (20.min)

2nd half stats

Portsmouth-Liverpool

Attempts: 6-4

On target: 2-1

Offsides:0-2

Corners: 3-5

Free kicks: 7-3

Possession: 60%-40% (2nd half, 59.min)

Sky Sports stats

Portsmouth-Liverpool

Possession: 45.3%-54.7%

Passing Success: 73.8%-74.9%

Tackles/Success: 33/84.8%-22/77.3%

Territorial Advantage: 52.8%-47.2%

Referee: L. Mason

Man of the match: Nadir Belhadj

Liverpool Win In Vain

Sports - Football - UEFA Champions League - Group Stage

Debrecen 0:1 Liverpool

It would have been too good to be true.

Liverpool were in a too sticky situation, in a too deep hole, full stop.

With only one win in the last ten matches in all competitions, a must-win situation for a chance to progress to the last 16, also relying on Lyon to get something against Fiorentina in the other group match and not even counting all the injuries, ifs and buts - the odds were impossible, miserable, against the Reds.

Liverpool did start positive at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium and all-attacking. After just four minutes, Jamie Carragher provided David Ngog with a header from left outside the box, who put the ball into the back of the net and Liverpool in the lead with a cheeky left-back-heeler.

The Reds pressed and pushed on with a lot of possession and chances. Dirk Kuyt was the most frustrating, missing a low open header off a free kick by Steven Gerrard (11) and an easy tap in off a cross by Fabio Aurelio (16).

The second half continued in the same red trend, but now knowing Fiorentina were ahead against Lyon thanks to a first half penalty, minute by minute, the weight grew on the team and fans, knowing they would this win would not be enough anyway.

Debrecen came close to equalise late on reminding Liverpool as they know all too well, one goal is not enough to sit back and wait for the final whistle to declare the win. Pepe Reina blocked Adamo Coulibaly's shot off the line shortly after Gergely Rudolf's solo-attack from the right ended wide.

Rafael Benitez's changes late on were questionable once again, taking off the three best players of the night. But, I guess it was just to waste time and save players and the result at least.

In the end, all the edge and nerves were all for nothing and too late. The game looked more like a lower league match after a promising start. Even with all their chances, I cannot say Liverpool would have deserved to progress ahead of Fiorentina or Lyon.

So, Liverpool are out of the Champions League and can see what they can scrape out of what is left for them in the deep holes they are in: In the Europa League, Premier League and FA Cup. It is all fair in the end, same goes for their league display, run and position.

Debrecen Poleksic; Bodner, Meszaros, Mijadinoski, Foder (Dombi 62); Szelesi, Kiss, Szalaky (Coulibaly 77), Czitkovics; Leczko, Rudolf. Subs not used Pantic, Ramos, Komlosi, Bernath, Varga. Bookings Szelesi 23.


Liverpool Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua; Mascherano, Lucas; Gerrard (Aquilani 92), Aurelio (Dossena 89), Kuyt; Ngog (Benayoun 77). Subs not used Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Spearing, Skrtel.


1st half stats:
Debrecen-Liverpool
Attempts: 1-5
On target: 0-3
Offsides: 0-0
Corners: 0-6
Free kicks: 9-12


2nd half stats:
Debrecen-Liverpool
Attempts: 4-11
On target: 2-4
Offsides: 3-1
Corners: 3-4
Free kicks: 7-9

Sky Stats:
Debrecen-Liverpool
Possession: 29%-71%
Passing Success: 72%-87%
Tackles/Success: 16/88%-20/80%
Territorial Advantage: 42%-58%


Referee: B. Kuipers
Man of the match: David Ngog