Reds in surprise Euro defeat to Fiorentina

Liverpool's hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stage have suffered a blow after they slumped to a surprise 2-0 defeat against Fiorentina.

The Reds went into the clash on the back of a six-match winning streak but rarely looked like extending it as Fiorentina claimed all the three points courtesy of a first-half double from teenage striker Stevan Jovetic.

The Reds were without hamstring injury victim Javier Mascherano, and really missed his composure and passing in midfield, with his replacement Fabio Aurelio struggling to fill the Argentinian's boots.

Rafael Benitez's troops failed to register a single shot on target in a first half which saw young striker Jovetic beat Pepe Reina on 28 and 37 minutes.

The opening goal came when Cristiano Zanetti's throughball found the 19-year-old, who coolly slotted past Reina from 15 yards.

And it was 2-0 to the hosts when Juan Manuel Vargas' fierce cross into the box from the left was deftly turned past the Reds stopper at his near post.

Benitez stirred his misfiring men at the interval, and they created three early second-half chances, with Sebastian Frey saving shots from Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt, and Lucas Leiva steering a free header from a corner inches over the crossbar.

Jamie Carragher whistled a 25-yard drive narrowly wide of the upright on the hour mark, Fernando Torres volleyed high and wide on 76 and Steven Gerrard looped a header just off target in the closing stages.

But the Italians held on for three vital points which means they are now level on points with Liverpool in Group E and three behind leaders Lyon who saw off Debrecen in Hungary.

The Reds will now look to pick themselves up in time for Sunday's crunch match with Chelsea.
Liverpool head to Stamford Bridge hoping to repeat last season's 1-0 success against the Londoners. The Reds brought an end to Chelsea's 86-match unbeaten run on home turf courtesy of Xabi Alonso's deflected strike, but they will have to be at their very best if they are to conjure up another three points against Carlo Ancelotti's men.

Torres double sinks Hammers

Fernando Torres scored twice to help Liverpool overcome battling West Ham. The victory, Liverpool’s fourth successive win, lifted Liverpool into third place in the Barclays Premier League.

The Hammers, still looking for their first win since the opening day of the season, started off brightly and came within a whisker of taking the lead within only two minutes.

The Jamaican-born Hines, making his second Premier League start, stole possession from the napping Carragher on the edge of the box but could only curl his shot against the upright.

The Reds though, adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation with Torres as the solo striker, poured forward and grabbed the opener on 20 minutes thanks to a dash of Spanish magic.

The West Ham midfield lost the ball to Emiliano Insua and his through-ball found Torres on the left who weaved around James Tomkins before blasting over the on-rushing Green.

But the home side were back in the game in the 28th minute when referee Andre Marriner adjudged that Hines had been pushed by Carragher in the box.

Up stepped Italian Diamanti for the spot-kick and although the ball flew over Pepe Reina, the Liverpool bench were incensed, claiming the striker had kicked the ball twice after slipping.

Liverpool fought back and grabbed the lead again with Kuyt's boot getting on the end of a towering Gerrard header from an inswinging Benayoun corner.

For all of Liverpool's possession, West Ham's frontline was always threatening and stunned the visitors on the stroke of half-time when Cole outjumped three defenders to nod in the equaliser.

The second period was a case of West Ham hanging on with a handful of players suffering from cramp as Liverpool poured forward looking for the winning goal.

The Reds finally clinched the game in the 75th minute when substitute Babel’s cross was headed into the corner of the net by Torres from eight yards.

Watch all the Liverpool goals here.

In their next match, Liverpool begin their quest for the Carling Cup with a third round tie against Leeds United at Elland Road. The two teams haven't met since Leeds' relegation from the Barclays Premier League in 2004 and, last time, Harry Kewell and Milan Baros were the Reds' scorers in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Elland Road.

Liverpool’s poor form continues

Anfield fans were left frustrated when Liverpool crashed to their second Premier League defeat in nine days against Aston Villa, as Rafael Benitez's side continued their stuttering start to the new Premier League campaign.

The first loss to Villa in eight years leaves last season's runners-up six points behind Tottenham and Chelsea after three matches - and with as many losses as in all of its last campaign. The defeat also ended Liverpool’s 31-match unbeaten home league record stretching back to December 2007, when Manchester United were the last winners at Anfield.

Liverpool started brightly and could have been ahead in the first minute when Benayoun’s back-header from a Torres chip beat Friedel but dropped inches wide.

Against the run of play, Villa took the lead after 33 minutes when Lucas gave away a free-kick in midfield. Young swung the set-piece towards the near post, and it was the unfortunate Lucas who rose to head the ball past Reina for an own-goal.

Villa grabbed a second on the stroke of half-time when Curtis Davies headed in Nicky Shorey's corner at the near post.

The Kop urged Liverpool forward as they lay siege to Villa's goal after the break. And as the pressure mounted, with Dirk Kuyt heading against the post after Carragher flicked on Gerrard's cross, Torres threw Liverpool a lifeline with 18 minutes remaining as he steered in a simple finish following good work from Emiliano Insua.

Hope was revived inside Anfield, but was snuffed out inside three minutes when Gerrard's badly-mistimed tackle on Reo-Coker resulted in a penalty, which Young converted calmly.

Watch all the Liverpool goals here.

Rafa knows that his Liverpool side needs to improve dramatically on their performance if they wish to stake a claim for the Premiership title. Immediate attention is needed on the handling of set-pieces as all five goals that Liverpool have conceded so far this season have come from either free kicks or penalties.

This Saturday, Liverpool will play their second away game of the campaign against Bolton Wanderers. The Reds have enjoyed a good record at the Reebok Stadium in recent seasons - last term, goals from Kuyt and Gerrard secured a comfortable 2-0 victory, while back in 2007-08, Aurelio scored his first goal for Liverpool in a fine 3-1 victory, with Gerrard and Babel also on target for Liverpool.

Reds disappoint in opening game defeat

It was a disappointing day for Liverpool fans as the Reds slump to an opening day 1-2 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

The home team had the better of the exchanges in the opening 45 minutes, and full-back Assou-Ekotto fired Spurs into the lead just before half-time with a powerful drive into the top corner.

Indeed, Liverpool would have been more than 1-0 down at half-time had Anfield old boy Robbie Keane not do his former team mates a favour by missing a couple of clear chances.

The first half also saw centre-backs Carragher and Skrtel involved in an ugly head collision which left Carragher with a head wound that required several stiches, while Skrtel appeared to be badly shaken with a bruised chin and jaw.

The Reds showed greater determination in the second half, and was rewarded with a well-deserved penalty in the 54th minute when Johnson was brought down by Spurs keeper Gomes after breaking clear into the box.

Gerrard gave the Reds hope by converting the penalty, but it was a short-lived one, as debutant Bassong restored Tottenham's lead with a towering header from a freekick.

The introduction of Benayoun, replacing Babel who was having a quiet game, did make the Reds look more lively, and Liverpool were unfortunate to have a strong penalty appeal waved away with five minutes remaining as Andriy Voronin was shoulder charged off the ball by Assou-Ekotto after being put through by Benayoun.

Minutes later, Assou Ekotto was at the centre of another spot-kick claim as Torres' centre appeared to be blocked by the hand of the Tottenham defender.

Watch all the Liverpool goals here.

Assistant manager Sammy Lee was sent from the Liverpool bench by referee Phil Dowd as tempers frayed over the rejected penalty claims, and the Reds were unable to find an equaliser on what will go down as a day to forget at White Hart Lane.

The Reds must now put in a much better display when they entertain Stoke at Anfield this Wednesday to avoid further slip ups in the title challenge. At this early stage, the Reds are already playing catch up to the other Big Four teams i.e. Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal, all of whom won on the opening day.

Last season, Premier league new boys Stoke fought out 0-0 draws with Liverpool both at home and away, and will be looking to frustrate the Reds again.

Gerrard, Carragher to be fit for Spurs opener

We have good news all round concerning Liverpool's injury crisis going into this Sunday's Premier League opener at Tottenham.

Carragher is making good progress after twisting his ankle in last Saturday's 2-1 friendly defeat to Atletico Madrid, and is expected to play at White Hart Lane.

Skrtel is also reported to be in training and is expected to be fit in time to face Spurs. The Slovakian central defender has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in the friendly against Thailand on July 2.

Meanwhile, Liverpool is confident that Gerrard will be fit to lead the Reds out at White Hart Lane. The Reds skipper had earlier pulled out from the England squad for last night's international friendly against Holland in Amsterdam due to a tight groin (match ended in a 2-2 draw).

Gerard is desperate not to miss out on the chance to get the club’s title charge off to a flying start. Interestingly, it will be the sixth successive campaign that Liverpool have started away from home - Liverpool have never started with a home game under manager Rafa.

The Reds' Spanish trio of Torres, Reina and Riera also returned from their international friendly against Macedonia without any injury scares. We are especially pleased with that since Torres has come back injured from international duty three times in the past two years. Both Torres and Riera scored in the 3-2 win over Macedonia, showing that they are close to returning to top form.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham believes Liverpool can win the Premier League title this season. The Reds finished in second position behind Man United last season however, Sheringham believes Liverpool could be lifting the title in 9 months’ time.
"I’m going for Liverpool," Sheringham said. "They looked so good at the end of last season.
"They will be the team to beat. United fans won’t like me saying it, but it’ll be their year.

All Reds fans are certainly looking forward to a good start against Tottenham this Sunday, and build up the momentum to challenge for the Premiership!

Reds can win Premier League 2009/10

I am looking forward to the new 2009/10 season of the English Premier League with hope and excitement.

It has been almost two decades since Liverpool last won the Premier League (I think it was called the First Division back then). And the time has come for us to reclaim the crown, and not let MU break our record for the most number of titles!

Last season, we came agonisingly close, finishing second, despite Torres playing only 20 games due to injury. If Torres and Gerard stay fit, I reckon we have a team that is strong and experienced enough to push for the title. Most squad members from last season are still around, except for Arbeloa and Alonso who have moved on to Real Madrid. Rafa has spent the money well to bring in exciting new talents Glen Johnson and Aquilani as replacements - these two players will add attacking flair to the side.

We definitely need to attack more and make extra effort to win games - we had too many draws last season which proved to be our undoing. Glen is an attacking right back who likes to go forward - he can put in those high quality crosses for Torres et al to bang them in. I have not seen enough of Aquilani to comment, but from what I have read about this guy, he is a great passer of the ball, just like Alonso. The guy is also more dangerous and has a better strike rate than Alonso - sadly however, he is still injured so we need to wait to see what the guy can do.

Meantime, we have Lucas who is more than capable of filling in for Alonso. Lucas has been in good form during the pre-season, scoring a goal in the recent1-2 friendly loss to Atletico Madrid. I must admit that I am somewhat disappointed with Liverpool's poor pre-season form, who only managed wins against an outclassed Singapore side and minnows FC Lyn.

Results from Liverpool's pre-season friendlies:
St Gallen 0, Liverpool 0
Rapid Vienna 1, Liverpool 0
Thailand 1, Liverpool 1
Singapore 0, Liverpool 5
Espanyol 3, Liverpool 0
FC Lyn 0, Liverpool 2
Liverpool 1, Atletico Madrid 2

I hope the team will put all those pre-season games behind them now, and give Liverpool a good start to the League competition when it opens this weekend.

By the luck of the draw, we will be playing in the first match of the season, the same team that we played in the final match of last season i.e. Tottenham Hotspur.

We easily brushed Spurs aside 3-1 in that last home match played at Anfield. However, this weekend's match will be an away game, and I am sure all of us still remember that this was one of only two away games that Liverpool lost throughout the whole of last season. We will be looking to avenge that defeat, which was caused by an unfortunate own goal by Carragher and a heart breaking last-minute goal scored by Russian striker Pavlyuchenko.

Both teams' central defence are facing injury problems going into the match. Liverpool defender Carragher took a knock on his ankle during the Atletico Madrid game, and both Agger and Skrtel are also racing to be fit in time for this weekend's game. Spurs has a much bigger crisis at hand, with Michael Dawson, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate all sidelined by injury. Redknapp has signed Sebastien Bassong from Newcastle as replacement, but the player will miss the Liverpool game as he is suspended for the first two matches. The game may also see ex-Liverpool striker Peter Crouch playing in his first match for Spurs against his former team mates.

Previous league results between these two teams:
2008/09 Liverpool 3, Tottenham 1
2008/09 Tottenham 2, Liverpool 1
2007/08 Liverpool 2, Tottenham 2
2007/08 Tottenham 0, Liverpool 2


Enjoy your football!