Draw takes Reds through to the next round

Sports - Football - Europa League - St. Bucharest 1-1 Liverpool

Job done as far as Liverpool are concerned.

Apart from Pepe Reina's blunder which gave the home side the equalizer - the ball embarrasingly squirming under the goalkeeper and over the line off Eder Bonfirm's speculative header (61) - the Reds did not have much to worry about.

It was not as confident and comfortable as their 4-1 home win against Steaua, the Romanian side pushing more, dominating in possession and chances this time round, but not getting much out of it, not creating much of a threat against Liverpool.

Milan Jovanovic put the visitors ahead in Bucharest on 19, heading the ball into the bottom corner from Ryan Babel's cross.

It was all just procedure from there, Reds boss Roy Hodgson can be happy with his B-team making it through, having eight regular first-teamers either missing through injury or being rested.

He will be glad his gamble payed off as Liverpool qualify for the knock-out stage of the Europa League.

St. Bucharest: Tatarusanu; Gardos, Latovlevici (Szekely 80), Geraldo, Eder (scored 61, booked 81); Tanase, Nicolita (booked 63), Gomes, Bicfalvi (Angelov 46); Surdu (booked 20), Stancu.
Subs not used: Lungu, Emeghara, Abrudan, Martinovic, Matei.

Liverpool: Reina; Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Wilson, Kelly; Cole (Ngog 75), Poulsen, Shelvey, Pacheco (Lucas 89); Jovanovic (Eccleston 78), Babel.
Subs not used: Jones, Skrtel, Flanagan, Ronbinson.

BBC stats:
St. Bucharest-Liverpool
Attempts: 10-3
On target: 3-1
Corners: 10-4
Free kicks: 7-7
Possession: 60%-40%

Sky Sports stats:
St. Bucharest-Liverpool
Attempts: 16-5
On target: 4-1
Offsides: 2-5
Corners: 10-4
Free kicks: 9-8
Possession: 64.6%-35.4%
Passing Success: 85.2%-75.2%
Tackles/Success: 16/87.5%-15/80%
Territorial Advantage: 52.9%-47.1%

Referee: Bulant Yildrim
Man of the match: Sotirios Kyrgiakos

Latics beat dire Reds

Sports - Football - Premier League - Match Report

Wigan 1-0 Liverpool

Liverpool continued their disappointing season with yet another defeat against Wigan; their ninth in the Premier League this season, seven of which have come on the road.

At the DW stadium, the visitors looked clumsy, chaotic, uncoordinated, like headless chickens, and everything else but confident with the ball, losing possession too constantly and too easily.

Even Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, who are normally their team's talismen and saviours, wasted golden opportunities on more than one occasion.

The first half was a lost cause, the second looked more like an act of desperation than recuperation, for the Reds that is.

Wigan in contrast showed great perserverance and determination - it was clear they were not going to give anything away without a fight.

Wigan took the lead deservedly in the 35th minute thanks to Dirk Kuyt's loss of possession just outside the box.

Emmerson Boyce put a superb cross through to Hugo Rodallega who made no mistake of putting the ball into the back of the net, leaving Pepe Reina helplessly stranded.

Further chances came fiew and far between the two sides - man of the match Charles N'Zogbia coming closest when his goal-bound shot was denied and cleared off the line by Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

Liverpool had uncharacteristically five names added into the referee's book, including Torres and Gerrard in the last 10 minutes, reflecting their desperation and frustration which grew more and more in the second half.

The substitutions did not make much of a change or impact for Liverpool, which the Reds desperately needed on this night and are in need of in general, if they want to keep just a glimmer of hope to end the season in the top 4!

Wigan Kirkland; Caldwell, Scharner, Boyce, Bramble; Figueroa, N'Zogbia, McCarthy, Diame (Thomas 81), Moreno (Moses 67); Rodallega (Scotland 85). Bookings Bramble 40. Subs not used Stojkovic, Amaya, Gomez, Sinclair.

Liverpool Reina; Insua, Kyrgiakos, Carragher, Macherano; Benayoun (Aquilani 68), Gerrard, Lucas (Johnson 54), Rodriguez, Kuyt (Babel 81); Torres. Bookings Insua 22, Lucas 29, Kyrgiakos 33, Torres 79, Gerrard 82. Subs not used Cavalieri, Agger, Riera, Ngog.

1st half stats:

Wigan-Liverpool

Attempts: 1-5

On target: 1-0

Offsides: 1-2

Corners: 0-2

Free kicks: 4-5

2nd half stats:

Wigan-Liverpool

Attempts: 5-2

On target: 1-0

Offsides: 0-0

Corners: 3-3

Free kicks: 8-3

Sky Sports stats:

Wigan-Liverpool

Possession: 37%-63% (BBC: 50%-50%)

Passing Success: 73.1%-78.7%

Tackles/Success: 35/82.9%-44/88.6%

Territorial Advantage: 57%-43%

Referee: Andre Marriner

Man of the match: Charles N'Zogbia