You'll Never Walk Alone

Liverpool title push held up by Stoke

2009-01-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insisted his outburst against Sir Alex Ferguson had no impact on his players as they stumbled to a draw at Stoke.The Premier League leaders missed an opportunity to go six points clear at the top ahead of Sunday's Old Trafford clash between fellow title hopefuls Manchester United and Chelsea.

Benitez had launched a surprising tirade against United boss Ferguson during Friday's pre-match press conference, hitting out at what he saw as Ferguson's complete ignorance of the Football Association's 'Respect' campaign towards officials, and the Scot's complaints about the Premier League fixture list.

But, after the goalless Britannia Stadium clash, Benitez stressed the game had not been affected by his widely-publicised words.

"I don't think so," the Spaniard said when asked if the comments had been a distraction, repeating the answer when pressed on whether it might have had any effect.

He added on Setanta Sports 1: "When you are top you want to win, it doesn't matter which game it is. Today we needed to win, with or without the press conference.

"After 22 years with Ferguson in charge it could have been any moment (to bring it up) so why not the other day? I think it was the right moment to say, 'That's it, now we will talk about everything'.

"I was thinking about defending my team. I thought 'enough is enough' and that's it."

Liverpool stretched their lead to four points with the draw, but nearest rivals Chelsea could trim that to one point at Old Trafford.

United, meanwhile, go into Sunday's match eight points behind their north-west rivals but armed with three games in hand.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard hit the crossbar and the post in the closing stages as the visitors pushed without success for a winning goal.

Stoke had chances themselves though, and Rory Delap hit the underside of the Liverpool crossbar inside the first quarter of an hour, with Richard Cresswell unable to convert from the rebound.

Benitez explained: "We're not happy but it was a difficult game. We could have won at the end.

"It's better than losing.

"Stoke is a very difficult team to play against so every throw-in, free-kick and corner is a problem."

Although Liverpool missed out on two additional points, Benitez was not too worried by the result.

"I think we are at the top of the table so we are still in a very good position," he said.

While United could gain nine points from their games in hand, Benitez was quick to stress: "They have to win."

Stoke manager Tony Pulis also steered his team to a goalless draw at Anfield earlier in the season, and was quick to offer an appreciation of their latest display.

He told Setanta: "I'm very, very pleased with the players. The effort and commitment was first class, and we created quite a few good chances as well."

Pulis has little doubt Liverpool will have a huge part to play in the title race, despite his team's unbeaten record against the Reds this season.

"Liverpool are a great side, they've got some great players and it's a great football club," he said.

"They're in the best position they possibly could be. I'm sure Rafa will be pleased to push on from here."

The point lifted Stoke out of the bottom three, although with just five points separating the teams from 11th to 20th in the top flight Pulis knows there is plenty of work ahead.

He said: "We're very pleased that so many clubs are involved.

"It makes it really exciting for everybody else."

Premier League - Liverpool spank woeful Newcastle

2008-12-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

Liverpool cemented their hold on top spot in the Premier League with a 5-1 thumping of Newcastle at St James' Park.

It was a statement of intent from Rafael Benitez's side, who continue to strengthen their credentials as genuine title contenders and will top the table at the end of 2008.

A brace from Steven Gerrard and goals from Sami Hyypia, Ryan Babel and a Xabi Alonso penalty helped the Reds to a score-line that frankly flattered a disjointed and listless Toon, whose token reply came from David Edgar.

Liverpool utterly dominated the match but were denied a rugby score by some incredible goalkeeping by Shay Given.

The Irishman made world-class stops from Dirk Kuyt, Hyypia and twice apiece from Gerrard and Lucas Leiva, while Charles N'Zogbia cleared one corner off the line.

One of Given's saves from Brazilian midfielder Lucas defied physics as he managed to change direction while diving the wrong way to somehow get a one-handed, strong-arm parry on his point-blank header from a corner.

Given could do little about any of the goals though.

By the time Liverpool opened the scoring they had seen 10 opportunities spurned or saved by Given. Just after the half-hour mark Jamie Carragher found space on the overlap and cut the ball back to Javier Mascherano, who freed Yossi Benayoun on the right.

The Israeli could have shot at the near post but he spotted an unmarked Gerrard just inside the box and cut the ball back to the Liverpool captain, who rifled an unstoppable finish in off the post.

Hyypia doubled the lead five minutes later. Slack marking at a corner allowed the Finnish stopper to power an unchallenged header past the stranded Given, who should have received more help from N'Zogbia guarding the post.

Despite Liverpool's stranglehold on the match, Newcastle pulled one back and could even have been level at the break.

Michael Owen had a 33rd-minute goal incorrectly disallowed when Damien Duff was adjudged to have been offside while he raced on to Jonas Gutierrez's perfect through-ball.

They did pull one back though, just before the half-time whistle, when young Canadian defender Edgar beat Carragher to a Danny Guthrie corner and headed in to the right of Pepe Reina's goal just after Steven Taylor had gone close with a similar effort.

Newcastle were more than happy to press the self-destruct button though.

The second half started promisingly for the hosts, with substitute Shola Ameobi threatening down the right on two occasions.

But any hopes of a dramatic Toon comeback were dashed at a 50th-minute corner when comical defending from Fabricio Coloccini in particular handed Ryan Babel the freedom of the penalty area to finish past the hapless Given.

Substitute Geremi almost have the hosts some hope when he rattled a long-range free-kick off the top of the crossbar on the hour mark, but Liverpool put the result beyond doubt when Gerrard raced on to a perfectly-weighted diagonal pass from Lucas and lifted the finish over the onrushing Given.

It was a great injustice that Given conceded five goals as his performance barely warranted a single strike. Again he had little say in the matter when Edgar scythed down Babel in the box and Alonso - who had only recently come on for Gerrard - despatched the penalty with aplomb.

Liverpool almost got a late sixth but Given again was on hand to deny Lucas with a far-post header that was destined for the top right.

Newcastle had a couple of chances to reduce arrears, with Guthrie and Ameobi forcing smart stops from Reina, but any consolation would have been scant as Liverpool cut second-placed Chelsea's goal-difference and the Magpies found themselves right back in a relegation scrap.

Torres confident of Reds progress

2008-12-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is "sure" his side will overcome Real Madrid to book a place in the last eight of the Champions League.Torres faced European heartbreak last season as Liverpool were knocked out in the semi-finals by Chelsea.

The Reds are unbeaten in this year's competition but now face a tricky test against the reigning La Liga champions.

However, Torres believes his team will book their place in the quarter-finals.

"We all realise that it is going to be a tough tie against Real Madrid," he wrote on his personal site.

"I don't like talking about a possible favourite, but I am sure that we are going to qualify for the next round."

However, the former Atletico Madrid player admitted he has not had much luck against the Spanish giants previously.

He said: "When I was playing my football in Spain, I used to score a lot against Barcelona, but found it harder when playing versus Real Madrid."

Torres also looked back on a fantastic first season for Liverpool and is hoping for more of the same in the new year.

It has been a mixed start to this campaign for the 24-year-old who has been blighted by injury.

However, Torres will have been buoyed to see his team sitting pretty at the top of the table and the Euro 2008 winner admits that the Premier League remains Liverpool's priority.

"I'm a bit sad to be coming to the end of this year," he wrote.

"The first nine months were unbelievable and at the end, even though I could not play regularly because of injury, there was recognition in the form of awards and nominations, like the PFA's, L'Equipe and being a finalist in the FIFA World Player award.

"I have said before that this has been my best year as a professional footballer.

"I adapted to Liverpool far quicker than expected, and to end the 2007-08 season winning Euro 2008 was a perfect finish.

"I hope that at the end of 2009 we can say the same celebrating another title.

"I hope to avoid injuries and that we win the Premier League title; it is the dream of every 'Red' - fans, coaching staff and players.

"And it would be great to sign off the season lifting the Confederations Cup with Spain in South Africa."

Premier League - Liverpool cruise to win over Bolton

2008-12-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Liverpool stayed one point clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League thanks to a 3-0 win over Bolton at Anfield.

A second-half brace from Robbie Keane and a first-half strike by Albert Riera secured the points for the hosts, who had earlier seen both their title rivals, Chelsea and Manchester United, win.

It was the first time in 20 days that any of the top three secured maximum points, although United have two games in hand after Club World Cup duty, and it was fitting that all three should win simultaneously.

Liverpool totally controlled the first half but only had one goal and one good chance to show for 75 per cent possession.

The visitors barely passed the halfway line, while Liverpool's back five were redundant.

Despite this it took a set-piece on 26 minutes to create the first meaningful opportunity, which Riera took with aplomb.

Steven Gerrard's corner was sent near post and, after whisper from Dan Agger, the Spanish winger raced across the area to prod the ball home as Johan Elmander recoiled instead of making a challenge.

Yossi Benayoun went close with a half-volley 11 minutes later but otherwise Liverpool were as toothless as they were dominant.

The second half was a different story as the hosts earned the score-line they deserved through two Keane goals in four minutes.

Keane had been heavily-criticised for a lack of goals in his short Liverpool career but, after his equaliser against Arsenal the previous week, he seems to finally be hitting form - and the back of the net.

On 53 minutes, Gerrard went on a driving run through midfield and spotted Keane move into space just to the left of the area.

Keane raced on to the through-ball and rifled a left-foot drive into the roof of the net past the helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen.

The Irishman's second - which sandwiched a great chance for Kuyt who mis-timed a diving header from Riera's superb cross - came from a similar counter-attack.

Pepe Reina released Xabi Alonso with a quick throw, the Spaniard went wide right to Benayoun and the Israeli pinged a low, first-time ball which Keane finished with ease.

The Reds were cruising and eased off their visitors, and they rested Riera, Gerrard and Kuyt while knocking the ball out with ease.

Substitute Ebi Smolarek almost grabbed a late consolation for Bolton when he fired inches wide after good midfield play by Fabrice Muamba, while Liverpool came close to extending their lead in the closing minutes but had to settle for a succession of corners and a spectacular double-save by Jaaskelainen deep into injury time.

The three-goal win also meant that Liverpool now have the same goal difference as third-placed United, who are seven points off the lead but with a maximum of six in hand.

Premier League - Arbeloa: I'm not a diver

2008-12-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa has hit back at Emmanuel Adebayor after he accused the Spaniard of helping him get sent off.

Adebayor was dismissed for a second bookable offence during Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Liverpool following a clash with Arbeloa.

The Togo striker accused Arbeloa of acting like he "had put a knife in him" after going down under Adebayor's challenge.

Arbeloa has rejected Adebayor's claims that he is a diver and says the Gunners hit-man has no-one to blame but himself for getting sent off.

"Adebayor is a player who uses his arms and elbows when he is playing and usually that means a foul," Arbeloa told the Daily Star.

"I had nothing to do with the sending-off. I don't feel like it was my fault, it was what Adebayor did.

"I am a professional and I would never play-act to get someone sent off.

"I do not want to get involved in any controversy with Arsenal, but I received a blow in the face and a foul and if the ref then shows a yellow card that is not my problem."

Reds Duo On Combeack Trail

2008-12-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

Rafael Benitez is close to a return to the Liverpool dugout while striker Fernando Torres is also inching his way towards a comeback.

The Liverpool manager missed another media briefing on Tuesday as he recovers from a kidney stones operation, but he is expected back on the bench for the Boxing Day home clash with Bolton.

That date may well be too soon for Torres' return from a hamstring injury, but assistant boss Sammy Lee revealed the Spanish forward is improving in every training session.

Liverpool go into the Lancashire derby top of the Barclays Premier League, and protecting an unbeaten home league record in 2008.

It is the first time Liverpool have been top at this stage since 1996, and two wins over the holiday period against Bolton first and then at Newcastle on Sunday will give them their best points tally in a calendar year for 19 years.

These are heady times for Liverpool and Lee was left to hold the reins on Sunday in the 1-1 draw at Arsenal, but is not expecting to be in temporary charge much longer.

Of Benitez's fitness, he said: "Rafa is a lot better, he's on the mend. He has been in a lot of pain but he is improving.

"His presence is always missed, but the organisation he has put in place is such that even though he has not been here this week, the battle plan is still there.

"We know what we have to do, the game plan is there, it is business as usual.

"He is missed and hopefully he will be back with us for the Bolton game."

He added: "He is a hands-on manager, it is hurting him more being away from the training ground really, but he will be back soon.

"The lads will be in training on Christmas Day, we have two very important games in three days coming up and they are very professional and accept that they have to have their Christmas at a different time to everyone else.

"They know the job in hand, they know what preparation is needed to stay at the top of the Premier League."

Lee was less forthcoming over Torres' return, the 24-year-old having now missed five matches after suffering a recurrence of the injury that ruled him out for six games earlier in the campaign.

But having been insistent that Torres would not figure at the Emirates on Sunday, Lee stresses that the situation is improving.

He said: "Fernando's progressed has markedly improved. He is getting better. He improves with every training session and he has worked very hard on his rehabilitation.

"We will put him in when we see fit, that's not evasive but I don't want to start revealing our line-up."

If Torres does not make the holiday programme, Liverpool will stick with the formation of Robbie Keane up front and Steven Gerrard as a support striker.

Keane, fresh from his spectacular equaliser at Arsenal, has the full support of Lee, who said: "A lot of people have said a lot of things about Robbie.

"But we know why we brought him here, we see every day in training how hard he works and what a good player he is. Things have been said outside the club, but there has not been a word from inside.

"He is a very good player, who was bought to score goals. That is what he is and will be doing."

Premier League - Lawrenson sorry for Keane claim

2008-12-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

Former Liverpool player Mark Lawrenson has apologised for sparking speculation Robbie Keane is to leave Anfield in January.

Lawrenson, now a media pundit, implied that Steven Gerrard had told him he expected the Irishman to leave once the transfer window opens in the new year.

Liverpool moved quickly to deny that claim, issuing a statement that the comments were an "interpretation of a private chat between the two of them" and that "they do not accurately reflect Steven's opinion of Robbie Keane and they certainly do not tally with Steven's recollection of the conversation itself."

And now Lawrenson has backtracked on his comments.

He told the Liverpool Daily Post: "I'm sorry if it caused any aggravation but it wasn't meant to. Steven Gerrard's name should never have come up in terms of Robbie Keane going in January. It wasn't Steven saying that it was me saying it.

"The only connection I was making between the two was that they have the same agent and I have had a hunch for a while that Keane could go.

"But that is my opinion and nothing whatsoever to do with any conversations I had with Steven Gerrard.

"I happened to mention I spoke to him on Saturday night but I didn't mean for that to come across in the way that it has been interpreted."

Since joining Liverpool for £20.3 million from Tottenham in the summer, Keane has struggled to make an impact, scoring just four goals in all competitions and not even making it off the bench in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Hull.

He has been linked with a move back to his former club Spurs, a rumour Lawrenson's initial comments on an Irish radio station only served to fuel.

Lawrenson told Today FM: "I hate to name drop. But I was having a drink with (Steven) Gerrard on Saturday and we talked about Keane.

"They share the same agent [Struan Marshall] and quite honestly he thinks something is going to happen with Keane in January. Sounds like he could be moved on."

Premier League - Benitez set for Kidney op

2008-12-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is to undergo minor surgery after being taken to hospital suffering from kidney stones.

The problem is not serious and the Spaniard is expected to be back at work before the end of the week.

The news comes just days after his Chelsea counterpart Luiz Felipe Scolari revealed he had been suffering from the same complaint.

A Liverpool spokesman said: "Rafa was admitted to hospital last night after suffering problems with a kidney stone.

"He will undergo a minor operation this afternoon and is expected to return to work within two or three days.

"He remains in good spirits and everyone at Liverpool wishes him a very speedy recovery."

Torres closing in on return for Reds

2008-12-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez hopes Fernando Torres will be back in action in a fortnight - but doesn't want to "put pressure on him".The Spanish striker is due for another consultation over his hamstring problem with Spanish specialist Ramon Cugat in Barcelona, and expects the all-clear to resume full training.

Benitez said: "I have been talking to Fernando today, and he is much better. But how long before he returns, I don't know.

"He is in light training. It could be one or two weeks, but I don't want to put pressure on him."

Benitez also revealed his delight with Torres' nomination for the World Player of the Year award.

"I am pleased he has been nominated for the World Player of the Year award - it is well deserved. To score 33 goals in your first season in England and then to win the European title with Spain shows his quality.

"There are some very good players also nominated, but I feel Fernando has a good chance.

"Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo is also nominated - and he is a very good player, too. It could be him; it could be Torres - but I will always support Fernando.

"It is very positive for him and for us. He was doing very well, and his record last season is a massive achievement."

Benitez has again dismissed claims that Daniel Agger could be going to AC Milan, while explaining the midweek revelation of Ajax's interest in Ryan Babel.

He said: "It is more difficult for the players who are not playing. Ryan Babel has been linked with a move away, but it was Ajax who approached me.

"They were selling (Klaas Jan) Hunterlaar and wanted Ryan on loan, and I said no. He will stay with us; he can be a very important player for the rest of the season.

"The problem Babel has is the form of Albert Riera. If it was the other way around, Riera would have a problem. But that is what it is like at the very top."

Big guns back for Tigers battle

2008-12-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

Liverpool's big guns will return for Saturday's home game with Hull after being rested for the midweek Champions League win in Eindhoven.Skipper Steven Gerrard, midfielder Xabi Alonso, goalkeeper Jose Reina and forward Dirk Kuyt are all expected to face the Yorkshire club.

Liverpool hope that Fernando Torres will be back in a fortnight as he progresses with rehabilitation for a hamstring injury.

Full-back Fabio Aurelio is back in training after missing three games with a calf problem, but will not be involved on Saturday.

Reds (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Babel, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Alonso, Riera, Kuyt, Keane, Ngog, Cavalieri, Insua, El Zhar.

Premier League - Houllier rules out Sunderland job

2008-12-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has said he is "not interested" in becoming Sunderland's new boss.

The Frenchman is one of several high-profile candidates to have been linked with the job since Roy Keane's resignation last week.

But the current technical director of the French Football Federation has confirmed he is not looking to return to the Premier League.

He also revealed he had not been contacted by Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn about the Stadium of Light vacancy.

Houllier told Canal Plus: "No, I'm not interested. And I haven't been contacted directly."

Houllier was second-favourite with the bookmakers to succeed Keane, with Sam Allardyce the leading contender.

Allardyce has expressed an interest in taking on the role, although Phil Brown and former manager Peter Reid have ruled out the job.

Ricky Sbragia is currently the caretaker manager and will hope to end a run of three straight defeats against fellow strugglers West Brom on Saturday.

Keane Keen To Prove Himself

2008-12-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

Robbie Keane has left no-one in any doubt that he intends to prove himself at Liverpool.

The £20million Irish striker went into Liverpool's final Champions League group match with a huge question mark over his future at the club amid reports he could return to Tottenham in the January transfer window.

And boss Rafael Benitez found himself having to tell the player that he would not be sold in the new year after a difficult few months trying to acclimatise himself at Anfield.

But after a much-improved performance in the comfortable 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the Philips stadion on Tuesday, Keane was significantly only prepared to discuss his long-term aims at the club.

He said: "I am happy with my own performance, I was delighted to play in a position that I like, just off the striker.

"It meant that I was always involved, and I got an assist with the third goal. Yes, I like scoring, but I always like helping others get their goals too.

"My confidence has not been affected by things that have been said about me, things like that never get me down.

"I am confident that I will score a lot of goals for this club, I am not worried about the way things have gone, there is a lot more to come from me.

"Some players would let their heads go down and they would be crying, but I am too strong for that.

"I have only been here a few months, and it takes time to settle, so it is too early to judge me now.

"I am always confident in own ability, I have scored a lot of goals in the past, and that ability doesn't go away just like that.

"But I accept that at club like Liverpool, as a striker you are judged on the goals you score. I love scoring goals, but I also love being involved.

"I am just as pleased with assists so I will carry on doing that and it will be fine."

Champions League - Liverpool ease to group win

2008-12-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Liverpool won Group D of the Champions League with a 3-1 victory at PSV Eindhoven thanks to goals from Ryan Babel, Albert Riera and David N'Gog.

The under-strength Premier League side had already qualified for the last 16 but their win and Atletico Madrid's goalless draw at Marseille ensured top seeding for the knockout phase.

Marseille qualify for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup after their point condemned PSV to bottom slot.

Rafael Benitez's team controlled the match with PSV's 36th-minute opener coming against the run of play.

The Reds levelled just before the break and the pulled away in the second half to give them a two-point advantage over Atletico, who had also previously sealed their passage.

While the English visitors were more dangerous, the two best chances of the first half did fall to the Dutch side.

The first opportunity saw Timmy Simons force a nervous parry from Diego Cavalieri with a 15th-minute long-range shot, and the second went in 21 minutes later.

PSV were awarded a corner that Liverpool disputed and Javier Mascherano made a mess of his defensive header, which bounced off the chest of Carlos Salcido and dropped to Danko Lazovic to finish from close range.

The opener was against the run of play but Liverpool - despite having nothing of note to play for - continued to push forward.

Their positive attitude reaped dividends deep into first-half injury time.

First the unmarked N'Gog headed straight at Andreas Isaksson and next the hosts switched off to allow a Lucas Leiva free-kick to find Babel, who glanced a header in off the outstretched palm of Isaksson for 1-1.

The second half was Liverpool's, with Robbie Keane impressive with his movement and link-up play but unlucky not to be given the service that he afforded the wasteful Babel, Lucas and N'Gog.

Eventually the pressure told when Riera smashed an unstoppable effort from outside the area that left Isaksson floundering midway through the second 45.

N'Gog ended PSV's hopes of UEFA Cup football soon afterwards when he raced onto an excellent Keane through ball and fired low under the Sweden keeper to extend the lead.

Lucas, N'Gog and Keane had further chances to rub salt into the home side's wounds but it finished 3-1.

Marseille 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Marseille sealed their passage into the last 32 of the UEFA Cup with a goalless draw against Atletico Madrid at Stade Velodrome.

The match was dominated by non-football matters after Marseille fan Santos Mirasierra was sentenced to three and a half years' prison by a Spanish court for his part in crowd trouble in the reverse fixture in Madrid.

Home fans showed their support for Mirasierra with banners and t-shirts but there were no reports of violence.

The hosts had the better chances but were unable to beat Atletico's French goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, who denied Ronald Zubar, Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Ziani, Taye Taiwo and Boudewijn Zenden.

L'OM had the greater need to win but that diminished when news of Liverpool's controlled display over PSV came through and they were content to play out a goalless draw.

Champions League - Team news: Keane set to return

2008-12-08T18:53:00.001-08:00

Robbie Keane is set to be recalled for Liverpool's final Champions League Group D clash at PSV Eindhoven.

The Irishman has struggled for form since his big-money summer move to Anfield and was left on the bench for the Reds' weekend win over Blackburn.

But the £20 million man was included in the party of 18 that travelled to Holland and is likely to get the nod to start with Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt having stayed at home.

Torres is still sidelined with a hamstring problem while Kuyt was left behind in Liverpool to enjoy some rest.

Fabio Aurelio (calf) is also out while Sami Hyypia is not registered with UEFA for the group matches.

PSV boss Huub Stevens has a doubt over Danny Koevermans (hamstring) while midfielder Ibrahim Afellay is struggling with an ankle injury.

Liverpool stay top of Premier League as last-gasp Vidic keeps United in touch

2008-12-06T19:19:00.001-08:00

LONDON (AFP) - Liverpool remained in pole position in the English Premier League as the top four in the table all won on Saturday.

The Reds' 3-1 victory away to struggling Blackburn Rovers kept them a point ahead of Chelsea after the Londoners beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0.

Chelsea's win saw them surpass Tottenham Hotspur's English record of 10 successive top-flight away victories set in 1960.

Reigning champions Manchester United remained six points behind Liverpool in third place although it needed Nemanja Vidic's stoppage-time goal to secure a 1-0 win over managerless Sunderland at Old Trafford.

Arsenal stayed in the top four with a 1-0 win at home to Wigan secured by a goal from Emmanuel Adebayor.

Elsewhere, Newcastle, on course for victory after Michael Owen scored twice, were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Stoke while Hull came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1.

Earlier, Fulham and Manchester City shared the points in a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was pleased by his side's return to winning ways after their goalless draw on Monday against lowly West Ham.

"Clearly it was an important three points for us," the Spaniard said. "We are in a very good position and we want to stay there."

Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins, a former Blues captain, praised his team's attitude as well as their skill.

"I thought the spirit and commitment the guys showed was absolutely first-class, coupled with some extremely good passing of the ball as well."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who saw Vidic shoot into an unguarded net after after Michael Carrick's deflected strike hit the post, said: "We deserved to win simply because we were the team that wanted to win and Sunderland, understandably, to survive."

Ferguson refused to criticise the relegation-threatened visitors' defensive approach in what was their first match since former United captain Roy Keane resigned as their manager.

"There have been better teams that have come here and played just the same with one-up and five across the middle of the park," said the Scot. "When you are down the bottom, you can understand the desperation to get a point."

Sunderland caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia said: "The players are disappointed but they gave us everything."

Spain international Xabi Alonso broke the deadlock at Ewood Park in the 69th minute when he sidefooted in Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's cross.

Then, 10 minutes later, Yossi Benayoun went past Stephen Warnock before shooting beyond Paul Robinson in the Rovers goal.

Roque Santa Cruz pulled a goal back four minutes from time before Gerrard wrapped up the three points with an injury-time effort.

The defeat increased the pressure on Blackburn boss Paul Ince, the former Liverpool midfielder, with Rovers still rooted in the relegation zone after a fifth successive defeat.

Former Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka headed Chelsea into a ninth-minute at the Reebok Stadium.

The Blues made it 2-0 in spectacular fashion through Portugal midfielder Deco's acrobatic 'bicycle-kick' in the 21st minute.

All the goals at Hull's KC Stadium came in a frantic final 11 minutes.

Boro went ahead through Turkey international Tuncay Sanli only for Hull to equalise three minutes later when Bernard Mendy's shot eventually went in off goalkeeper Ross Turnbull for an own-goal.

Hull, fifth in the table, then went ahead through Marlon King's 85th minute penalty, with Boro's David Wheater sent-off for the foul on Geovanni that led to the spot-kick.

At St James' Park, Owen gave Newcastle the lead when he turned in an eighth-minute cross from Jonas Gutierrez before making it 2-0 in the 24th minute after good work by Obafemi Martins.

Stoke though pulled a goal back on the hour mark when Mamady Sidibe scored from close range.

And they were level in the dying seconds when Abdoulaye Faye scored against his former club, although the draw still left promoted Stoke searching for their first away league win this season.

Aston Villa will have a chance to go fifth when they face Everton on Sunday while Portsmouth will look to recover from the disappointment of their UEFA Cup exit away to bottom-of-the-table West Brom.

Tottenham travel to London rivals West Ham on Monday, a match that sees Spurs' former Hammers boss Harry Redknapp returning to Upton Park.

Benitez: Torres Is On Course

2008-12-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has declared that striker Fernando Torres's hamstring injury is not worse than first believed.

The Spain international injured his hamstring in the Champions League clash with Marseille at Anfield and was said to be out for between two and three weeks.

It has since been rumoured that the 24-year-old will now be out for longer than expected after he visited a specialist in his native Spain.

The injury is a reoccurrence of the hamstring tear Torres picked up while on international duty with Spain earlier in the season and Benitez insists they want the problem sorted for good.

"Fernando is progressing and improving so hopefully he will be back sooner rather than later," the former Valencia boss told the club's official website.

"It's just a question of waiting and not pressuring the player. I was with him today and he was okay.

"He has a lot of confidence now, and when you have confidence, you can be fitter sooner.

"Everything is going well and I think it will be more or less the time we said before, maybe less"

Benitez insists that Torres' trip to see a specialist in Spain was beneficial and confirmed what the club had already agreed.

"It was just to confirm our diagnosis was right and that is the case. The injury was a relapse of the one he had before.

"The specialist has known Torres for a long time and he also has a good relationship with our physios who are working hard with him.

"We are really pleased because we know the problem and now we can find a solution. We know we have to work hard on it and I think he'll be okay."

Transfers - Gossip Shop: Liverpool's Booze Cruz

2008-12-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

It's nearly Christmas, Roque Santa Cruz is being linked with a move from Blackburn, and the headline writes itself.

For what says 'Christmas spirit' like, well, several litres of Christmas spirits, a 24-pack of Stella and granny's alarmingly sweet sherry?

Certainly not some red-suited bloke in a Dorset 'theme park' desperately trying to find the sellotape to re-attach the cotton wool to his chin.

Santa Cruz himself is a model professional, of course, which is just one of the reasons why Rafa Benitez wants to bring him to Anfield and send Jermaine Pennant in the opposite direction.

Benitez intends to return to the good old days of squad rotation to reduce the load on Fernando Torres's prima donna-ish hamstrings.

With Robbie Keane presently unable to finish his dinner and Dirk Kuyt thriving on the wing, Benitez wants an extra body up front.

Something in the region of £8m plus Pennant could persuade Paul Ince to do business as Rovers look to whack the loot on a decent defender or two.

It hardly needs saying but Gossip Shop will say it anyway - Liverpool face competition from Manchester City for Santa Cruz's signature.

It is probably fair to assume that Herita Ilunga won't make his loan move to West Ham permanent.

The Toulouse man has employed classic 'no disrespect, but...' tactics to diss the Hammers, saying: "Without being derogatory, West Ham are a second-rate club.

"Let's not kid ourselves - we are not an Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea.

"Once I have proved myself in a team such this, I can hope to make the step up to another club."

Without being derogatory, Ilunga is out of his mind if he thinks he can hold a candle to Gael Clichy, Patrice Evra or Cheryl Cole's WAG.

Wigan have slapped a £10m price tag on a 30-year-old striker who scores five goals a season and has six months left on his contract.

The reason? Steve Bruce reckons Emile Heskey could be the only thing standing between the Latics and the costly business that is releagation.

Freddy Adu has said it is "one of my dreams" to play for Tottenham. One of Gossip Shop's dreams is being chased through the streets of Bratislava by masked agents before waking up in a cold but strangely euphoric sweat. If a sweat can be euphoric.

Sulley Muntari strongly recommends that Michael Essien ditches Chelsea for Internazionale just as soon as he comes back from that knee injury.

Essien sleeps 14 hours a day, and they have very good mattresses in Italy.

Centre-back Alex is another man being lured away from Stamford Bridge by a Chelsea old boy.

This time it is Henk Ten Cate, who wants the Brazilian to move to Panathinaikos on loan.

Alex has fallen behind Branislav Ivanovic - who plays every match in an Albert Ferrer-themed wig - in Big Phil's defensive pecking order.

Finally, two stories that have little in common but are dull enough to merit lumping together.

Fulham will bid £6m to sign Kevin Doyle from Reading, while West Ham could flog Valon Behrami to Palermo as their money troubles continue. Have they not heard of Ocean Finance?

Premier League - Torres hamstring serious

2008-12-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

Liverpool have revealed that the hamstring injury suffered by star striker Fernando Torres is worse than first feared.

Torres had been expected to be out of action for two weeks with the injury he suffered during the Champions League victory against Marseille at Anfield on November 26.

However, the Spaniard has now been told by specialists that he will be out for at least four weeks - although Liverpool are refusing to put a timescale on his return to action.

"We first said two to three weeks but do not want to put a time on it now," said Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.

"He will come back when he is ready. We will not rush him back.

"We want to resolve this problem once and for all and we will make sure we do that."

Torres has already missed five weeks of the campaign with a similar complaint, although the Reds have coped superbly in his previous absences, recording victories over Manchester United and Chelsea.

It is the fifth hamstring injury Torres has suffered in the 16 months since his arrival at Anfield from Atletico Madrid, having been hit by three similar injuries on international duty and two now with his club.

Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League but have drawn their last two home games without scoring a goal, with new signing Robbie Keane still finding his form since his £20 million move from Tottenham in the summer.

FA won't take action against Reds

2008-12-03T17:21:00.001-08:00

The FA will not take any action against Liverpool after their players wore T-shirts with a message of support for a fan who was jailed in 2005.Liverpool players wore the T-shirts in the warm-up for the Premier League match against West Ham on Monday.

Michael Shields was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of the attempted murder of Bulgarian waiter Martin Georgiev in Bulgaria on a holiday taken after seeing his side win the Champions League final in Istanbul.

Liverpool's players were seen wearing 'Free Michael now' T-shirts while warming up ahead of Monday's televised 0-0 draw with West Ham at Anfield.

Despite another man confessing to the attack, Shields was locked up and his sentence was reduced to 10 years on appeal. He was transferred to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence, but his supporters have never halted their campaign to prove his innocence.

An FA spokesman said: "We have spoken to Liverpool Football Club about this matter. We understand that Michael Shields' case is a very emotive issue and one that many Liverpool players and fans feel strongly about.

"Having heard the club's explanation we will not be taking any formal action, and we are satisfied that they understand the sensitivities around football matches being used as a platform for political messages."

A judge at London's High Court decided last month that Shields' case should be heard in full by three judges and a judicial review hearing is due to begin on Thursday.

Misfiring Keane gets Benitez backing

2008-12-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists Robbie Keane "is a better player" than his current form suggests - and believes the goals will soon flow.The £20million summer signing was substituted for the 15th time this season as Liverpool were held 0-0 at home by West Ham on Monday night.

They did take over at the top of the Premier League, but it was anything but convincing and yet another occasion when the Reds have wasted a genuine opportunity to put clear water between themselves and their title rivals.

Keane looked a frustrated figure as he trudged off the Anfield pitch, to be replaced by rookie French striker David Ngog as Liverpool were battling to break down a determined West Ham rearguard.

And Keane's latest withdrawal from the fray by Benitez brought to a head an increasingly worrying situation for the Irishman.

Benitez said: "Robbie is a better player than the one we are seeing now."

Keane has managed just four goals this term, and only completed 90 minutes on three occasions in 22 appearances. He has come on as a substitute four times and been substituted 15 times.

Those statistics underline the problem for Benitez, with Keane struggling for form and confidence.

He is also suffering from the scenario that afflicted Craig Bellamy in his one season at Anfield.

With most teams opting to defend deep and in numbers at Anfield, there is little space for a quick striker to utilise his speed, and in that respect, Bellamy and Keane are very similar.

Benitez said: "We know what kind of player Robbie Keane is. He needs people around him to pass the ball well.

"I believe he will be okay, he will score more if we create chances for him.

"But if that does not happen we have to use players with different qualities to open up the game.

"Robbie does get disappointed when things are not going his way. He is a worker, but he can improve.

"It is a question of confidence. If we score first in this type of game then we will grow and win. Some players may be lacking in confidence, but if we keep creating chances we will be okay.

"Robbie, when he came off, was disappointed. But players always want to be out on the pitch for 90 minutes, but we were thinking of different solutions and Ngog did well when he came on, holding the ball up."

Benitez did his best to remain upbeat, but he knew only too well that two more points had been squandered from a winnable home game, just like Liverpool did against Stoke and Fulham.

He said: "It could have been three more points and top of the league. Clearly we are frustrated, but we are one point clear of Chelsea, and that is positive.

"Hopefully we will not be looking back at these three games, Stoke, Fulham and now West Ham, as points that would have counted. I hope we will look at the end of the season as this point being decisive.

"But we have lost two points again. We know that. But we were attacking and we were playing better than before, but we have to be disappointed."

Defender Jamie Carragher did not shy away from the issue. He said: "It is disappointing when you are not winning your home games because that is always what you want to do.

"But the positive thing is we have had three home games on the run and we have been poor in each one of them, but still qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League and we are top of the league.

"Normally when you are not playing well things go the other way, but in this case we have actually gone up the league which is a positive for us to take.

"We are probably going through a bit of a bad spell at the moment but we are delighted to be top. The performances are not as good as what we are

Premier League - Liverpool waste chance to open gap at top

2008-12-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

Liverpool went top of the Premier League but failed to open up a three-point gap as they were held to a 0-0 draw by West Ham at Anfield.

Rafael Benitez's side recorded their second consecutive goalless draw at home that sees them go just one point above Chelsea, while the Hammers move up to 13th.

The final whistle was greeted by a chorus of boos from the home support, who saw their team miss several good opportunities to open the scoring.

Chelsea's home defeat at the hands of Arsenal give Rafael Benitez's side the chance to go clear at the top of the table, at a time of year when - in recent times - their title hopes have already been quashed.

They had all of the first-half possession against a West Ham side that looked set on playing for a goalless draw right from the kick-off, but could not take any of the chances they created.

Big centre-back Sami Hyypia headed one clear header from a corner over the bar, and had another headed effort blocked on the line by Carlton Cole.

They had another goal-bound shot cleared when goalkeeper Robert Green's one-handed punch fell to Albert Riera, but the Spanish winger's first-time strike was blocked by Matthew Upson.

Playing without the injured Fernando Torres alongside him, lone Liverpool frontman Robbie Keane did not see much of the ball, due in equal part to his team's lack of width and the excellent defensive job done by the two West Ham centre-backs, Upson and James Collins.

The Irishman had one clear opportunity, but his strike from a tight angle was blocked by Collins.

West Ham had former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy in their attack, and the Welshman almost opened the scoring against the run of play with a quick break only to see his long-range strike crash off the inside of the post with Pepe Reina beaten at full stretch.

Green played his part in keeping the scores level after the break when he tipped Yossi Benayoun's strike over bar, before saving Dirk Kuyt's near post strike in the closing stages.

Hyypia saw another headed chance glanced wide as Liverpool became more desperate to score, with young forward David N'Gog and then Ryan Babel coming on for Keane and Riera respectively.

As Liverpool chased the game, West Ham enjoyed more chances, with Cole heading wide from a corner before late substitute Luis Boa Morte blasted a shot into the crowd and Cole saw a shot saved after being wrongly flagged for offside in stoppage time.

Even Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard could not find his range, seeing several shots blocked, mis-kicked or fired off target from the edge of the box as Gianfranco Zola's side held on for a point that leaves them unbeaten in three matches.

Benitez desperate to avoid slip-up

2008-11-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

Rafael Benitez is delighted with the progress Liverpool have made so far this season and wants them to continue it against West Ham on Monday.With Steven Gerrard talking of his "hunger" for the league title and Benitez close to agreeing a new contract, the Hammers could find this is not the time to be trying to end a 45-year wait for a win at Anfield.

West Ham travel to Merseyside facing a relegation fight themselves and without a win at Anfield since Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters' scored in 1963 - when the Beatles' 'She Loves You' was top of the charts.

They will not find much love from the Merseysiders this time around.

With Liverpool already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, Benitez now wants his side to concentrate hard on cementing their position in the race for the Premier League title.

He said: "We have qualified for the next stage in Europe, now we have three months to concentrate on the league. We have only lost once in the Premier League this season and we must make sure we continue that level of form."

Benitez, believed to be close to a new deal at the club after further talks in recent days between the manager's agent and club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, knows a run of indifferent Liverpool performances must come to an end.

A poor display in their last home league game allowed Fulham to claim a 0-0 draw, and the midweek victory over Marseille in Europe was hardly convincing.

Now Liverpool have a run of nine league games before title rivals Chelsea visit Anfield on February 1, in which they should only be troubled when they travel to Arsenal this month and face Everton at home on January 19.

The rest of that run, starting with the Hammers, includes matches with Blackburn, Hull, Bolton, Newcastle, Stoke and Wigan.

If Liverpool are to be considered genuine contenders, there can be no slip-ups in such matches.

Full-back Alvaro Arbeloa underlines the desire not to allow supposed lesser sides to get anything at Anfield, as Stoke did with a 0-0 draw back in September before Fulham achieved the same result a week ago.

Arbeloa said: "We know we have to improve at Anfield in the league. The draw with Fulham was very frustrating, and we did the same against Stoke. You must win your home games if you want to win the title.

"We cannot continue to make mistakes at Anfield, we must find a solution to the way teams come to defend here.

"We lost two points against Fulham in our last home league game, which annoyed us. So we know we must put that right as soon as possible."

Liverpool will be without striker Fernando Torres with a hamstring problem and defender Fabio Aurelio, who has a calf injury. Robbie Keane and Andrea Dossena are expected to come into the side.

The match will mark Gerrard's 10-year anniversary since his first-team debut, when he came on as substitute against Blackburn on November 29, 1998.

Gerrard said: "We have got another important game coming up against West Ham and that is what I'm focusing on now.

"It's also important that we try to improve on our performance against Fulham and try to take all three points. Every game is crucial.

"The anniversary means a lot to me. It has been a special week and I have been having to pinch myself because I've been living this dream since I first pulled on a red shirt.

"The 10 years seem to have gone by in a flash but there's an old saying that time flies when you are having fun and that is exactly what I've had.

"It has been the best 10 years of my life and hopefully that will continue for many years to come. If anything, I am actually more hungry than ever before.

"I am.

Lamps the brightest star - Zola

2008-11-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola would rather have former Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard and John Terry in his team than Steven Gerrard.Zola's side will come up against Gerrard at Anfield on Monday evening as the 28-year-old celebrates a decade in the Premier League.

Gerrard is often compared with Lampard - particularly when it comes to the national side - but Zola is in no doubt which of the two England midfielders he would want to play in his team.

"I'm very divided but I'd have to have John Terry and Frank Lampard, no disrespect to anyone else," said the former Blues striker.

"I know them very well and they were fantastic players for Chelsea.

"Frank Lampard is an excellent player because he can defend, he can clear, he can help the team to create and he can finish it.

"He's a fantastic player to have in your team. He's excellent and also scores important goals in important matches. The same goes for Gerrard."

The 13th-placed Hammers have not won at Anfield since September 1963 and have a daunting task to beat Rafa Benitez's side, who are joint top with Chelsea.

The Reds' attack will be blunted by the absence of Fernando Torres, but Zola believes Liverpool have equally dangerous players who can step in.

The 42-year-old Italian, known for his creative flair as a player, admits defence will take priority at Anfield but said they would not be sacrificing their usual attacking style too much.

"Torres is a very important player for them," Zola added.

"I don't know whether they'll change the way they play but he is important for them.

"Liverpool have a big, big squad so if Torres doesn't play they can play (Robbie) Keane or (Ryan) Babel. So they'll still be a threat for us.

"They've got enough options to cause us problems so obviously we're going to try to stop them and play our game.

"They haven't lost at home yet so it's a huge challenge but the reward will be huge if we win.

"When you are a footballer you get so up for these big games. Plus it's going to be on television so it's huge for them.

"We are going to play our match the way we normally play. We're not a team that can go there and sit back and wait and wait.

"We have different qualities but obviously our defensive side is going to be vital. When you play a side better than you, you have to look after the defensive side of the game and that's what we've been focusing on this week.

"But we're not going to be sitting waiting for something to happen."

Premier League - Liverpool voice fears over Torres

2008-11-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

Liverpool plan a total overhaul of Fernando Torres's medical care to try to discover the reason for his fifth hamstring injury in 16 months.

The Spanish striker broke down again during Wednesday's Champions League victory over Marseille.

Scans have revealed a repetition of the injury that could rule him out for three weeks, the December 21 trip to Arsenal being the tentative target for his comeback.

Torres has had three similar injuries on international duty, and two now with Liverpool, in the 16 months since his arrival at Anfield from Atletico Madrid.

Boss Rafael Benitez reveals Torres has no history of such an injury in Spain, which further deepens the concerns over his fitness.

He said: "Fernando had no such muscle or hamstring problems while with Atletico Madrid."

But as former Liverpool star Michael Owen knows all too well, hamstring injuries can dog you for the rest of your career once they have taken hold.

And now the 24-year-old striker has voiced his own concerns at the problem. He said: "I am a little disappointed, but all I can do is move forward.

"It is worrying me because it has happened a few times. After this latest injury the important thing is to recover without rushing a comeback date and trying to make sure it does not happen again."

Torres will miss Monday's game at home to West Ham, and could also be sidelined for matches against Blackburn, PSV Eindhoven and Hull.

Benitez said: "We are very disappointed with the situation. We have to analyse why it has happened. We have been working with prevention exercises in the past, and still we have the same problem.

"We were taking time with him, he wasn't being rushed back. The time and training was all under control, as was all the exercises.

"We now have to analyse why it has happened again. The doctor and the physio were both working very hard with Fernando and they are both first-class, but now it is the same situation.

"We will now not be taking any risks with his comeback. If he is fit then he will play, if he is not fit then he won't, it is simple."

He added: "We were working very hard with prevention exercises, and that was after the first couple of times that it happened.

"But it has happened again. He played in the Carling Cup and was not sharp, but he was sharp in training and little by little he was put under pressure."

Torres had short spells against West Brom, Tottenham and Bolton, plus a substitute appearance for Spain against Chile. Then he played two full games and broke down again.

Benitez said: "Everything was under control. But maybe against Marseille he was tired towards the end of the match and that is when it happened again. He went on a sprint and pulled something.

"Now we will have to start all over again to try to solve this problem.

"Because it has happened again and again we must analyse the small things. Maybe the way you walk, maybe your footwear or the exercises you do.

"I have talked to Fernando looking for a solution, and also with the doctor and physio staff. We must solve this, it is not a serious injury, more one that is difficult to cure."

Robbie Keane will now get an extended opportunity to stake a claim for a regular place, having been substitute against Marseille to facilitate Torres' comeback.

Liverpool have also lost full-back Fabio Aurelio with a calf injury, and Italian defender Andreas Dossena should step in against the Hammers.

Champions League - Marseille rapped over missile

2008-11-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Marseille after Liverpool's Steven Gerrard was hit by a cigarette lighter during the sides' Champions League meeting on Wednesday.

European soccer's governing body said on Friday that the French club would be charged with the throwing of missiles by their supporters at the next meeting of UEFA's disciplinary body on December 11.

Gerrard scored the only goal of Liverpool's 1-0 Group D victory to send them into the competition's knockout stages.

Premier League - Liverpool rocked by Torres blow

2008-11-27T17:39:00.001-08:00

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will be out of action for up to three weeks with a hamstring strain.

The Spain international, who was also sidelined for three weeks in October with a similar problem, picked up the injury in the 1-0 Champions League victory against French side Marseille at Anfield.

"Fernando has a strain in his right hamstring and will be out of action for between two and three weeks," a spokesman said on the club website after the player underwent a scan.

Torres, who scored Spain's winner in the Euro 2008 final, is Liverpool's joint top scorer in the league this season with five goals.

The club will also be without Brazilian left back Fabio Aurelio, who suffered a calf strain and is expected to be out for two weeks.

Liverpool are level with Premier League leaders Chelsea on 33 points but with an inferior goal difference ahead of the weekend's programme.

They host West Ham United on Monday.

Gerrard sends lacklustre Liverpool through in Champions League football

2008-11-26T18:35:00.000-08:00

LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Steven Gerrard celebrated his return from injury by firing Liverpool into the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Marseille here on Wednesday.

The Liverpool captain's first-half header from Xabi Alonso's cross proved enough to secure a victory over opponents who deserved better from a display every bit as spirited as the one that had seen them become the first French club to win at Anfield 13 months ago.

"We'll have a few regrets because we had chances up to the last minute but the only thing that makes me unhappy was the result," said Marseille coach Erik Gerets.

"I was quite happy with the performance. For the first time in a long time, we played as a unit and with the kind of desire that everyone said we were missing."

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez admitted his side had lived dangerously at times. "It was a strange game. We were controlling the game and then we scored and they started to attack us.

"We were trying to play on the counter attack with Fernando Torres but our final ball was never good enough to hurt them. The game was too open against a team with pace and ability. But the important thing is we won and we are qualified."

Ultimately it was the sloppy marking that allowed Gerrard to claim his fifth goal in as many games in this season's competition that snuffed out Marseille's last chance of progress to the last 16.

But Gerets' men could also count themselves unfortunate not to have enjoyed the breaks that would have enabled them to capitalise on a string of good chances as they put Liverpool under intense pressure after the interval.

It was a night of milestones for Benitez. His 66th European match in charge of the club eclipsed Bill Shankly's record while a 39th victory on the European stage saw him draw level with Bob Paisley on that count.

The Spaniard, though, could scarcely have been satisfied with another lacklustre display from his side which, even with Gerrard returning at the expense of Robbie Keane, lacked the attacking intensity he had promised in the wake of Saturday's sluggish display against Fulham.

Marseille were fortunate not to be punished in the opening minutes when Dirk Kuyt charged down Taye Taiwo's attempted clearance, the Dutchman failing to pick out Torres with his cross, and Daniel Agger's long-range strike required Steve Mandanda to make his first save of the evening.

More than 20 minutes had elapsed before the visitors' goalkeeper was called into serious action however and he did well to block Kuyt's header at close range after Torres had skipped past Vitorino Hilton on the right of the box.

Marseille failed to clear their lines and they paid the price less than a minute later after Alvaro Arbeloa sent Alonso overlapping down the right.

The Spanish midfielder's first-time cross was struck with his customary precision over a Marseille defence that had neglected to pick up Gerrard lurking beyond the back post.

Unchecked, the England midfielder was able to advance to the edge of the six-yard area before powering a header past Mandanda's right hand.

Marseille's best moment of the opening period came ten minutes before the break, when Taye Taiwo's skidding freekick forced Jose Reina to get down smartly at his left-hand post.

Liverpool's goalkeeper appeared less accomplished as he flapped at the resulting corner and was relieved to see Ronald Zubar head wide from a tight angle.

A rare right foot effort from Albert Riera drew another stop from Mandanda in first-half stoppage time.

But Liverpool were far from comfortable and could count themselves fortunate that Mamadou Niang's boot swiped at clean air when the Marseille striker got clear in the penalty area shortly after the restart.

Minutes later, the Senegal striker turned Jamie Carragher 40 yards out but, with a clear run at goal, opted to shoot too early and his effort failed to trouble Reina.

The trickery of Hatem Ben Arfa on the right was also giving Liverpool problems and the France midfielder came agonisingly close to equalising midway through the half with a beautifully struck free-kick from the corner of the box that drew an equally pleasing fingertips save from Reina.

A slip by Agger then presented Niang with a sight of goal but the Danish defender's blushes were spared by substitute Andrea Dossena, who threw his body into the line of fire for an important block on what was to prove Marseille's last clear-cut chance of an equaliser.

Premier League - Torres: Prem 'way ahead' of Liga

2008-11-25T18:18:00.002-08:00

Fernando Torres has claimed the Premier League is "way ahead" of La Liga, a season and a half after joining Liverpool from Atletico Madrid.

The Spain striker took the Premier League by storm last season following his big-money move from Atletico in the summer of 2007, scoring 24 goals in his debut campaign for the Reds.

Although his second season at Anfield has been affected by some nagging injuries, Torres insists he is completely at home in England.

"It isn't easy to adapt but once you have, you would have trouble wanting to play anywhere else," said the 24-year-old, who scored Spain's winner in last summer's Euro 2008 final against Germany.

"The Premier League is way ahead of the Spanish league.

"You go to play away at a team in the relegation zone and you find yourself playing on a perfect pitch, with the stands full to bursting and opponents who are there to play football.

"And even if they lose, the crowd are going to cheer them on until the death. You only see this in British football."

Torres added: "The club is a symbol of a city which fought to stay alive.

"Everyone is proud of the team. Players want to come here because they know that Liverpool is a truly great club.

"Anfield is the most English of all the grounds - people live and breath football there.

"With just 45,000 fans there, that roar they give makes you think you have wings on your feet."

Torres completed his move to Liverpool in July last year, a month-and-a-half after they had been defeated by AC Milan in the final of the Champions League.

The striker revealed he was approached by Liverpool coach and fellow Spaniard Rafael Benitez just after that match, but he had trouble believing it was not a hoax call.

"Rafa Benitez phoned me on my mobile," Torres recalled.

"At the start, I was asking myself if this was some person imitating him. So I called (Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe) Reina to make sure it really was Rafa's number.

"Then after that, I didn't have to think for long. I knew that was the call I had been waiting for."

Babel urges Rafa to give him chance

2008-11-25T18:18:00.001-08:00

Liverpool forward Ryan Babel is desperate for more first-team opportunities at Anfield - but insists he is not thinking about leaving the club.Rafael Benitez has rotated his squad less often recently, meaning fringe players like Babel are getting fewer starts.

"The rotation system is a thing of the past and I'm one of the victims of that," the 21-year-old told Dutch magazine Sportweek.

"The team is winning a lot, so you don't alter things just like that.

"Each season has about 60 games. 'I must work hard and wait for my chance,' is what you hear, but I've shown enough patience. I want to play.

"You get better and develop when you play. On the bench, nothing happens. Of course I'm disappointed when I don't play, that seems clear to me."

The Holland international has no intention of quitting Anfield, though.

"I don't want to go," he said. "My contract runs until 2012. I don't give up that easily."

Benitez: Concentrate On Marseille

2008-11-24T19:10:00.001-08:00

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has told his players to focus on Wednesday's Champions League clash against Marseille and forget the frustrating draw with Fulham.

The Reds missed the chance to go three points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League at the weekend after failing to break down the resilient Cottagers at Anfield.

But the squad have no time to dwell on lost opportunities as they are back in European action in midweek.

A victory over the French visitors - shock 1-0 winners on Merseyside last season - would secure a place in the knockout stage with one Group D match still to play.

They would even go through with a draw on Wednesday if PSV Eindhoven fail to beat Atletico Madrid on the same night.

Ensuring qualification with a match to spare would allow Benitez to rest players and therefore assist their Premier League challenge.

So although the manager said they must learn lessons from the Fulham result, the performance must be forgotten.

"We are disappointed about Saturday but we cannot talk about past games now," said Benitez.

"We have to think about making mistakes and analyse why and find solutions for the next game.

"We are frustrated, really frustrated. How can we change that now? We have to analyse and talk to the players about the mistakes and try to change for the next game."

Defender Jamie Carragher admitted the players have to accept they will encounter some frustrating times at home but they have to learn how to deal with them and ensure it does not have a knock-on effect.

"Pretty much every team that comes to Anfield plays counter-attacking football and we can't complain about that, especially as we've done the same thing in many big away games in Europe," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"We've just got to adapt to it and overcome it because if we want to challenge for the title that is something we're going to have to do."

Full-back Alvaro Arbeloa added: "We need to make sure we put this behind us by beating Marseille so that we qualify for the next round."

Captain Steven Gerrard is expected to return against the French club, having been sorely missed against Fulham after failing to recover fully from the groin injury which also kept him out of England's victory over Germany in Berlin last week.

Benitez hopes the midfielder can quickly strike up the partnership with Fernando Torres which was so successful last season when the pair scoring more than 50 goals between them.

Injuries to both players have prevented that combination blossoming again this campaign but the Liverpool boss believes it is only a matter of time before they click.

"Last season it was clear to see that the understanding between Torres and Gerrard was really good and there have been signs this year that it is getting better," Benitez told the club's website, liverpoolfc.tv.

"Torres is back again after being injured and we hope that Gerrard will be fit enough to face Marseille.

"As a manager I don't like to single out players but Gerrard and Torres have scored something like 54 goals between them since they began playing together, so it is clear that they are both very important to us."

Premier League - Ballack writes off Liverpool

2008-11-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

Michael Ballack believes the Premier League title fight remains a two-horse race between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Liverpool may well be level on points with the Blues, with United eight adrift with a game in hand, but Ballack reckons they remain "a club for the Champions League".

All three clubs were held to goalless draws at the weekend, while Arsenal - who are also considered part of the 'Big Four' - slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City to fall out of the top four in the table.

Ballack told The Sun: "It's always the big four that everyone speaks about but I think it's still about Chelsea and Man U.

"Arsenal are already behind which makes it very difficult for them.

"Liverpool are very good at this moment but for me they are always a club for the Champions League, partly because they can put all their focus on one or two matches.

"But when you look at results and squads over the past couple of seasons as a whole, I think us and Man U are just a little bit stronger."

Rafa: Reds can cope without Gerrard

2008-11-23T18:29:00.001-08:00

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez would never accept that one man makes a team, even if that man is the inspirational Steven Gerrard.But the Liverpool manager, after witnessing Satutrday's limp 0-0 home draw with Fulham, was relieved to be able to reveal his skipper should be back in the starting line-up for Wednesday's Champions League home clash with Marseille.

It was clearly not palatable to consider the prospect of Gerrard's torn groin muscle leaving the club's inspiration again sitting in the directors' box.

Gerrard shuffled with frustration along with the rest of Liverpool's faithful as a team still unbeaten in the league at home in 2008 failed to see off a defiant Fulham.

That muscle injury has caused substantial damage in a matter of days, leaving Liverpool's relationship with the Football Association and the England set-up at best chilly.

Then, without Gerrard, Liverpool wasted the chane to go top. Chelsea and Manchester United also drew, so the only real losers were Arsenal whose defeat at Manchester City leaves them outside the top four and 10 points behind the leaders.

It should have been more because even an off-key Liverpool had enough chances to have buried Fulham.

Robbie Keane missed a sitter - it seems to happen every week now - while Dirk Kuyt failed twice from good positions.

The view afterwards from the Reds camp was that they should be able to win without Gerrard.

Full-back Fabio Aurelio said: "We have played for two months without Fernando Torres, and that is a big loss, but managed to win matches.

"We were able to handle it. And we should be able to do the same without Steven.

"Of course he is a fine player. He is approaching 10 years since his debut and he is very important for us.

"I have only been with him at Liverpool for a couple of years, but I know full well what he means to the club.

"I see him working every day in training, I see him leading the side on the pitch, and he is very, very special.

"But again we should not use as an excuse the fact that he was not playing against Fulham. It is too easy a thing to say.

"We have won games without Steven before, and we have good enough players to come into the side when he is not playing and still be able to win games."

Aurelio added: "Any side in the world would miss a player of Steven's ability and leadership. That is obvious.

"But we are finding teams now coming to Anfield and playing like Fulham did. They did not really have many chances, but tems now defend deep and in numbers.

"It is difficult to break down, but we should be able to do that with the players we have, with or without Steven."

Benitez supported that view and insisted his players must take collective responsibility.

He said: "We will always miss a player of Stevie's ability, but we did not beat Fulham because five or so players were all off form together.

"You cannot win games when that happens. He would have made a difference, yes, but it should not be an excuse.

"He is training now and I would expect that he would be fit to play against Marseille on Wednesday."

Benitez added: "It was a bad day, we did not have enough energy and we did not pass the ball well enough.

"We had a situation when maybe five players were well below their best. The players who had been away with their countries looked tired.

"I know the crowd were calling for Xabi Alonso to come on, but he had played 90 minutes for Spain and we needed fresh legs.

"When he did come on Fulham pressurised him straight away. One man does not make that much difference in such circumstances, when so many other players are off form you cannot

Premier League - Fulham hold Liverpool

2008-11-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

A lacklustre Liverpool failed to exploit Chelsea's inability to beat Newcastle after they were held to a goalless Premier League draw by Fulham at Anfield.
A poor match mirrored Chelsea's own bore-draw with the Magpies and Liverpool stay second, behind Chelsea on goal-difference.

Liverpool lacked the injured Steven Gerrard and left Xabi Alonso on the bench and, as a result, were strangely subdued going forward.

Apart from Mark Schwarzer's superb save from Robbie Keane after the ball kindly deflected into the path of the Irishman off strike partner Fernando Torres, the hosts barely troubled the Cottagers with Keane in particular looking sluggish and Torres's keen running not matched by his shooting.

Keane's chance aside, the first half was Fulham's in terms of opportunities.

Andrew Johnson poked weakly at Reina when put through following a corner, while Jimmy Bullard forced consecutive saves from Pepe Reina, first with a sweet strike from the edge of the box and then with the subsequent corner.

Liverpool started the second half with more vigour and Torres forced Schwarzer to tip the ball behind after a smart run inside from the left wing.

The corner that followed caused the visitors some problems, although Dirk Kuyt could not convert at the far post.

The Dutchman had a superb chance to put his side ahead on 70 minutes when, after a good move that involved Alvaro Arbeloa and Albert Riera, he angled a rising drive to the top-right corner only to be denied by an excellent stop from Schwarzer.

Alonso was introduced for the sluggish Javier Mascherano and the Reds immediately upped the ante.

Kuyt, who started the match on the right wing, adopted a more advanced role and popped up on the left to send a shot flashing inches over the top right corner.

Liverpool started to control the game, as Ryan Babel came on and immediately sent a low drive just wide after leaving Clint Dempsey and John Pantsil for dead.

Reds boss Rafael Benitez surprisingly brought Kuyt off for young Frenchman Nabil El-Zhar, a relatively defensive move that tightened their formation but reduced their impact going forward.

Fabio Aurelio sent a low volley wide after Fulham failed to fully clear a corner and Alonso summed the match up when he sent a shot from the edge of the box into row Z.

Torres could have won it in the final minute but his shot was deflected over for a corner, and Fulham ran the clock down to hold on for an excellent draw that puts them ninth.

Gerrard Wants To End Career At Anfield

2008-11-21T17:19:00.001-08:00

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has told the club he wants to sign a new contract when his current deal ends and intends stay at the club for the rest of his career.

Gerrard made the announcement as he approaches the 10-year anniversary of his Liverpool debut next week.

Currently injured with a groin muscle tear and out of Saturday's home league match with Fulham, Gerrard's comments come on the same day as manager Rafael Benitez tipped the 28 year-old as the man who could one day replace him as manager.

Gerrard is back in light training and battling to be fit for Wednesday's Champions League home clash with Marseille but his clear indication he never wants to leave Anfield will delight the club's fans.

"I do not know what is going to happen over the next 10 years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I am playing in Liverpool's first team," he said.

"I have two and a half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career.

"We will have to wait and see about management but I certainly want to get my qualifications to enable me to coach and manage. Then I will have to decide what I want to do."

He added: "Whether I will be interested in the Gary Ablett (reserve coach) type role, the Sammy Lee (assistant manager) role or the Rafa Benitez role, I do not know.

"I just want to get all my badges and then we will see. But I have a lot more football to play before we get to that stage and that is what I want to focus on at the moment.

"All I can say at this stage is the last 10 years have been the best of my life. I have lived the dream doing something I have always wanted to do and if my working life carries on being with Liverpool then I will be very happy."

On his 10 years in the first team, Gerrard, speaking in a liverpoolfc.tv interview, said: "It is hard to believe I have been in the first team for so long because the time has just flown by.

"I am very proud to be able to say I have played for the first team for 10 years. If someone had said all those years ago that I would go on to be captain and lift the European Cup, then I wouldn't have believed them.

"But I have had to work very hard to get to where I am and to win trophies both on a personal level and as part of the team.

"Looking back, I have had some unbelievable highs playing for this team but I have had some lows as well. It is the lows that have helped drive me on.

"It is disappointing to lose games or to be sent off, but those experiences have helped me achieve the highs."

Premier League - Gerrard out of Fulham game

2008-11-21T17:18:00.001-08:00

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has been ruled out of Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham.

The midfielder missed England's friendly against Germany in midweek after picking up a groin injury during last weekend's win over Bolton.

Having completed 90 minutes at the Reebok Stadium last Saturday, his subsequent withdrawal from Fabio Capello's squad had raised questions as to the authenticity of his injury.

Despite Liverpool's medical staff having ruled out Gerrard for the friendly international in Berlin, Capello ordered him to report for duty at England's Hertfordshire base.

But once there, national team doctors confirmed Gerrard's injury was genuine and sent him back to Merseyside to recuperate.

According to reports, the 28-year-old has just a 50-50 chance of recovering in time to face Marseille in the Champions League next week, further vindicating his absence from the England game.

Benitez had claimed earlier that Gerrard "would be out for between seven and 10 days".

Agger is outstanding - Bellamy

2008-11-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has been hailed as the "the closest thing I have seen to Alan Hansen" by former team-mate Craig Bellamy.Wales captain Bellamy crossed swords with the Danish centre-half in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Bellamy came out trumps in the clash with 23-year-old Agger, netting the second-half winner in a friendly international against Denmark.

And in a week when it was being suggested that Agger's defensive rival Martin Skrtel was unhappy with life out of the side at Anfield, Bellamy underlined how tough the competition for places is now for the title chasers.

Bellamy, a lifelong Liverpool fan who achieved his ultimate career ambition when he had a year with the club after a £6million move from Blackburn in July 2006, rates Agger highly and understands the battle for a first-team shirt between the Dane and Skrtel.

Bellamy said: "Agger is outstanding. I have watched Liverpool a lot over the years and for me Agger is the closest thing I have seen to Alan Hansen.

"That's the best compliment I can give him. When he gets possession he can move confidently into midfield, he joins in the passing.

"He is comfortable on the ball and has really impressed me. I liked him a lot as a person, he is down-to-earth and level-headed.

"Nothing fazes him, nothing gets on top of him, he is an outstanding player."

Liverpool bought Skrtel last January because of the continued injury problems that had kept out Agger for months.

Bellamy said: "Agger was injured and that cost him his place to Martin Skrtel. Even when he was fit again he could not get back into the side, but at a place like Liverpool you have to earn the right to play.

"He had to bide his time and although it was bad luck for Skrtel when he got injured, Daniel has got his chance again.

"The same will happen when Skrtel is fit again. He will find it hard to get back into the team because Daniel is playing so well.

"The roles will be reversed. But that does not surprise me at a top club where the best players do hold down their places in the side."

There was a spell earlier in the season when Agger could not fight his way back into the side after injury with Skrtel then the man in possession of the shirt.

And that prompted claims from his homeland that he was not happy sitting on the substitutes' bench.

Now the roles are reversed with Skrtel recovering from a serious knee injury amid suggestions that he fancied a move back to Zenit St Petersburg.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez denies there is a problem, saying: "These are the sort of things you hear about during international breaks.

"But I was only talking to Martin earlier this week, and he is clearly happy at the club."

And the real battle for a centre-back place could begin again in earnest earlier than expected. Skrtel's progress following his operation has been impressive enough to suggest he could be back in action for the Christmas programme.

Skrtel said: "It will be difficult to get back into the team, but I am working hard and I will do my best to impress the coach and fight for my place.

"I have not been saying that I am unhappy here, or that I don't like Liverpool. Or that I want to go back to Zenit, I want to put the records straight."

Diego: Only Mascherano is untouchable

2008-11-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

Diego Maradona has guaranteed Javier Mascherano his place in the Argentina team, but added that all 10 other starting spots are up for grabs.Maradona, who took charge of his first game on Wednesday night as the Albicelestes beat Scotland 1-0 in Glasgow, has handed the captain's armband to Liverpool midfielder Mascherano.

He then told Radio La Red that Mascherano is the only player who can be sure of his place in the team.

"Taking Mascherano aside, nobody has a place secured in my team," he said. "It doesn't matter what his name is."

Maradona also praised Javier Zanetti for his reaction to losing the captaincy.

"He proved he is a gentleman, he wants to go forward and keep playing," Maradona said.

Gabriel Heinze also impressed Maradona with his attitude.

"Heinze is like a bull," he said. "At this moment we need players like him. The whole team had no fight. The ones on the bench were as happy as the starters."

Davies: Let's make Cottage a fortress

2008-11-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

Simon Davies has revealed his delight at Fulham's improved home form this season, and believes the Cottagers can 'nick a point' at Liverpool.Last weekend's 2-1 victory over Tottenham at Craven Cottage was Fulham's second consecutive victory and their fifth home win of the season - the same number the Cottagers managed in the whole of last season.

"It's good that we're maintaining our home form," Davies told the club's official website. "Last year our home form wasn't good enough and it put us in trouble and we were very lucky to get out of it in the end. It's something that we really wanted to work on and so far this season we've had some great results at the Cottage.

"Everyone worked really hard last weekend and it was a good performance throughout the team. That's the effort you've got to put in to get a result against a team like Tottenham."

They have yet to win away however, a statistic that does not bode well ahead of this weekend's trip to Anfield. But Davies insists that he and his team-mates go into the game in positive mood.

"It's going to be a tough test but we've had back-to-back wins so we'll go and give it a really good go. The atmosphere is a bit different from anywhere else and the boys can go there and enjoy it now.

"A lot of teams have been close to getting something this year at Anfield so we'll give it our best shot. The beauty is that we've had a couple of wins so we're not desperate so if we can earn a point or nick a win then it'll be all the better for us."

Premier League - Benayoun ready for Liverpool exit

2008-11-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun has stated that he is prepared to leave Anfield in order to find regular first-team football.

Benayoun has had a frustrating time this season and has had to make do with a place on the bench, starting just two of the last 10 games.

The Israeli signed from West Ham in the summer of 2007 and recorded an impressive 11 goals and 10 assists in his first season at the club.

The midfielder is currently away on international duty, where he is preparing to face the Ivory Coast, but he admits he has thought about a move away from Anfield.

He told The Sun: "The fact that I'm not involved and always come on as a sub tells you something. Even if it's Liverpool, if I don't get to play in the next few months I will not want to be here.

"I enjoy my time in England but maybe it is time to learn a new language, maybe Italian, French or Russian.

"When I came here it wasn't so I could tell everyone, 'Hey I play for Liverpool'.

"My purpose was to prove myself, and in the first year I think I did. I understand that I am at one of the biggest clubs in the world and that this year there are better players."

One of Benayoun's rare starts came in the 2-1 win over rivals Manchester United at Anfield but the 28-year-old found himself back on the bench for the following game.

"After our win over Manchester United I lost my place. Everyone wants to play and it is no fun sitting on the bench or playing just a few minutes.

"I'm part of the rotation but I hope in the next few months it will change."

Transfers - Gossip Shop: Heinze to Liverpool

2008-11-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

Age does not seem to have dimmed Sir Alex Ferguson's anger. On the contrary, he has matured into one of the grumpiest old men imaginable.

Just yesterday he received a two-match touchline ban for coating referee Mike Dean in phlegm and spittle after Manchester United beat Hull.

And his face could turn a deeper shade of purple when he finds out what Liverpool have got up their sleeve.

You may remember last year, when United went out of their way not to sell Gabriel Heinze to their North-West rivals, off-loading him to Real Madrid instead.

Rafa Benitez has tried to fill the gap at left-back with several players, most recently Andrea Dossena, and all have been rubbish.

Real Madrid are in a state of civil war, with their players looking to jump ship like sailors on an oil tanker in Somali waters.

Consequently, Benitez has switched to his original target and is out to liberate Heinze from his Bernabeu hell. Or something.

Whatever, Fergie's reaction should be worth watching if Liverpool manage to move the Argentinian back into his old house in Cheshire.

Giovanni Trapattoni rates Shay Given. He has made him Republic of Ireland captain and reckons he is as good as Gianluigi Buffon.

Good news for Newcastle, right? Well, no. Trap has once again been singing Given's praises to Italy's big guns.

Milan are known to be in the market for a keeper, and Given might be keeping David Beckham company in the new year if the Serie A giants stump up £8m.

Yossi Benayoun is wanted by Spartak Moscow, Manchester City and Ajax, and Liverpool could let him leave for £6m.

Bad news for City, though - he wants to learn a new language and Mancunian doesn't count. Italian, French and Russian do. Russian, in this case, meaning roubles.

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is a massive Bangles fan. How else to explain his pursuit of a third Egyptian - Al Alhy's Emad Meteb, who nearly signed for Everton in the summer?

Other Egyptians who could be on the move are Hosny Abd-Rabbo and Ahmed El-Muhammadi, both of whom could sample the unique delights of a trial at Blackburn Rovers.

Fulham and West Bromwich Albion are on the trail of Lech Poznan's Bosnian international midfielder Semir Stelic, who can be procured for £1.6m.

Rafa tips Keane to tackle Cottagers

2008-11-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

Rafael Benitez expects Robbie Keane to be fit for the clash with Fulham, but says it is too early to know if Steven Gerrard will be available.Keane was forced to withdraw from the Republic of Ireland squad to face Poland after sustaining a shoulder injury in last weekend's win over Bolton.

Benitez insists the injury is not serious and admits his withdrawal from international duty was more of a precaution.

"Robbie Keane's injury is not serious," Benitez told the club's official website. "He had a problem but [withdrawing from the international duty] was just a case of prevention. I think he will be okay."

Gerrard is expected to be sidelined for between seven to 10 days with a groin problem, which forced him to pull out of the England squad to tackle Germany.

Benitez is unsure when Gerrard will be available for action, but it is expected he will miss the Fulham clash and return for next week's Champions League tie with Marseille.

"Steven had a scan and he will be out for seven to ten days, depending on how he progresses," added Benitez.

"He could be back for the Marseille game but each player is different. We have to start working with him and see how he does."

Benitez also revealed that he had spoken with the medical staff of the Spanish national team in an attempt to prevent further injuries for Fernando Torres.

Torres has only recently returned to action after picking up a hamstring strain on international duty and Benitez is keen to avoid a recurrence this week.

"We have spoken to the Spanish medical staff and they know our idea and we know that they will take care of him. They know it could be a small risk so they will try to protect him," concluded Benitez.

Keane Injury Not Serious

2008-11-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez expects Robbie Keane to be fit for this weekend's clash with Fulham, but says it is too early to know if Steven Gerrard will be available.

Keane was forced to withdraw from the Republic of Ireland squad to face Poland after sustaining a shoulder injury in last weekend's win over Bolton.

Benitez insists the injury is not serious and admits his withdrawal from international duty was more of a precaution.

"Robbie Keane's injury is not serious," Benitez told the club's official website. "He had a problem but [withdrawing from the international duty] was just a case of prevention. I think he will be okay."

Gerrard is expected to be sidelined for between seven to ten days with a groin problem, which forced him to pull out of the England squad to tackle Germany.

Benitez is unsure when Gerrard will be available for action, but it is expected he will miss the Fulham clash and return for next week's UEFA Champions League tie with Marseille.

"Steven had a scan and he will be out for seven to ten days, depending on how he progresses," added Benitez.

"He could be back for the Marseille game but each player is different. We have to start working with him and see how he does."

Benitez also revealed that he had spoken with the medical staff of the Spanish national team in an attempt to prevent further injuries for Fernando Torres.

Torres has only recently returned to action after picking up a hamstring strain on international duty and Benitez is keen to avoid a recurrence this week.

"We have spoken to the Spanish medical staff and they know our idea and we know that they will take care of him. They know it could be a small risk so they will try to protect him," concluded Benitez.

Away wins will come, says Hodgson

2008-11-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is confident his side's away form will improve now they have found their scoring touch.Hodgson's men recorded their second consecutive home win on Saturday, beating a rejuvenated Tottenham side 2-1 to move up to 10th place in the table, but they have yet to win away from Craven Cottage and face a tough test in high-flying Liverpool at the weekend.

Fulham have scored 12 times this season but only two goals have been on the road. Hodgson, though, is upbeat.

"You need people scoring goals," he said. "At the beginning, we were not scoring goals and now we are beginning to get two a game and if we continue that goalscoring prowess I am sure we will get away wins.

"What luck we have had has been at home. Away from home, luck has deserted us.

"Opposing managers will often say we have been unlucky and deserved more from the game. In this league away wins are hard to come by."

On Saturday's performance, Hodgson added: "I think the balance was right.

"We have had games when we have played attacking football and others where it is backs-to-the-wall defending.

"In terms of the game as a whole there were not many hopeful balls."

Benitez Offers No Guarantees

2008-11-17T16:47:00.002-08:00

Rafa Benitez has warned his Liverpool squad that no-one is assured of a place in his side.

The Spaniard is renowned for his rotation policy, but appears to have curbed that habit of late.

With that in mind, he insists that he will resist the temptation to make sweeping changes to a successful side.

That means no place at present for striker Fernando Torres, who has only recently returned from injury.

Last season's top scorer was left on the bench for the Reds' 2-0 win at Bolton on Saturday, only joining the action as a 59th minute substitute.

Benitez believes no player should ever take their place for granted, and insists he will not be altering his stance in the future.

"The players have to compete for their positions in the side, be it Torres or anyone else," he said.

"Torres has to improve, if he does and he is fit then I will decide what to do, although I expect to be criticised.

"I did not have to explain to Fernando why he was not playing, it was very clear. The team had been playing well and he has to compete for his position.

"He played well when he came on, but then other players who come on as substitute also did well, not just him.

"That is the key if you want to have a winning mentality and a winning squad."

Meanwhile, Benitez also aired his frustration at the fact that Torres has now joined up with the Spain squad ahead of their friendly against Chile on Wednesday, despite lacking match fitness.

"Torres will join up with Spain. I am not happy, but I cannot do anything about it. We are talking to international managers and asking them to protect our players," he added.

"We have asked that the Spanish set-up does not take any chances, that they protect the player."

Alonso Thriving On Title Pressure

2008-11-17T16:47:00.001-08:00

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has insisted that the Reds are enjoying the pressure of the title race as they go head to head with Chelsea.

The Anfield club are level on points with the Blues at the top of the Premier League table and have only been defeated by Tottenham this season.

Alonso has been in sparkling form and produced another excellent performance in the 2-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday.

The Spain midfielder is relishing the challenge of trying to help Liverpool lift the title but is focusing only on the next match against Fulham.

"The pressure is always there, you're professional," Alonso told the club's official website.

"I've been at Liverpool for a while and it's nice to have the pressure of being at the top of the table.

"We don't have to obsess about being top of the table, we have to obsess about each individual game.

"Now the job is done against Bolton and some of us will go off and think about an international and as soon as we are back we have to be thinking about Fulham at home."

Liverpool have made their best ever start to a Premier League campaign but Alonso feels there is still room for improvement.

He said: "There are still a few things, but that is normal because the other sides have good teams as well.

"We try to have control in all areas of the game - that is something we're working on - but other things are working quite well.

"As we improve as a team, each individual player will benefit from that improvement.

"I'm happy with the team and myself as well. As long as the team continues in this way and in this position I'm very happy."

Alonso added: "Overall the team is looking quite good in attack and defence. Of course we still think we can improve, but we are keeping the ball well, and working well together.

"It's important whoever is playing that the team keeps the same identity and have the same ideas."

Premier League - Benitez warns Torres

2008-11-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has warned striker Fernando Torres he cannot expect a guaranteed place in the starting line-up.
The Spain international was left on the bench and openly criticised by his manager ahead of Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League win at Bolton.

Benitez had hauled off Torres after an insipid performance in the embarrassing Carling Cup defeat by Spurs in midweek, although the former Atletico Madrid man is returning from injury.

The Anfield chief publicly condemned Torres for a "bad" display at White Hart Lane, and blamed the senior players for letting down the youngsters.

Torres was given 31 minutes to impress at the end of the victory over Bolton and did not disappoint.

He created a sitter which Steven Gerrard missed, and also hit the post and was thwarted by Jussi Jaaskelainen when the Liverpool skipper had put him clean through.

Torres also provided a sublime pass to set up Gerrard's header to clinch the game after Dirk Kuyt headed Liverpool ahead in the first-half.

Despite his lively display, though, the message from Benitez was clear - not even one of Europe's best strikers is sure of a place.

Benitez said: "The players have to compete for their positions in the side, be it Torres or anyone else.

"Torres has to improve, if he does and he is fit then I will decide what to do, although I expect to be criticised.

"I did not have to explain to Fernando why he was not playing, it was very clear. The team had been playing well and he has to compete for his position.

"He played well when he came on, but then other players who come on as substitute also did well, not just him.

"That is the key if you want to have a winning mentality and a winning squad."

Torres will now join up with the Spain squad this week, having played just 105 minutes of football in nearly five weeks since he was injured on international duty.

Benitez said: "Torres will join up with Spain. I am not happy, but I cannot do anything about it. We are talking to international managers and asking them to protect our players.

"We have asked that the Spanish set-up does not take any chances, that they protect the player."

Premier League - Liverpool beat Bolton

2008-11-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

Liverpool went top of the Premier League table for several hours after beating Bolton Wanderers 2-0 at the Reebok Stadium.

Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard both scored to send the visitors three points clear of Chelsea, although the West London side later thumped West Brom to reclaim top spot.

Liverpool put together a 20-pass move midway through the first half as they probed from right to left searching for an opening which culminated with Fabio Aurelio's cross being met by Kuyt at the far post, the Dutchman nodding a header back across goal and past Jussi Jaaskelainen for his sixth of the season.

Gerrard doubled the lead with 15 minutes to go. Substitute Fernando Torres lost Andy O'Brien with a neat turn at the byline and his cross was glanced in by the Liverpool captain to put the match beyond doubt.

Liverpool's lead in the first half was well-deserved, but Bolton had the ball in the back of the net just before half-time.

Gavin McCann's corner was headed in by defender Gary Cahill, but referee Rob Styles had already blown his whistle for Kevin Nolan's obstruction of Liverpool keeper Jose Reina.

Liverpool began the match with Torres on the bench, despite the Spaniard starting in the midweek Carling Cup defeat at Tottenham.

Lone striker Robbie Keane missed a clear chance to double Liverpool's lead two minutes after Kuyt's goal, but the Irishman somehow managed to miss a ball played across the six-yard box.

Torres replaced Keane on the hour mark, and within moments he was fed down the right channel by Xabi Alonso, and his ball across goal was met by Steven Gerrard, but the Liverpool captain failed to steer a shot past Jaaskelainen as he slid in.

Bolton were made to look second best for much of the match, but Liverpool's misses kept them in the game until Gerrard scored the second.

In the first half, McCann lifted a ball over the Liverpool defence for Johan Elmander. The ball sat up nicely for the Swedish striker - who has not scored since the opening day of the season - and his well-struck half-volley was saved at the near post by Jose Reina.

Ricardo Gardner came on for Fabrice Muamba at half time, but he may wish he had stayed on the bench as he was guilty of missing two excellent chances.

Five minutes after coming on he found himself one-on-one with Reina. The Jamaican took the ball around the Spanish keeper but his left-footed shot struck his standing leg and went out for a goal kick. Running back to guard the empty net, defender Daniel Agger slid into the post and kneed himself in the face, knocking out one of his own teeth in the process.

Then, five minutes from time, Gardner again found himself in front of Reina, but this time he lifted an effort over the onrushing keeper but also well over the bar.

Darby ready but Reds kids need time

2008-11-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Rafael Benitez feels it was too early to use Liverpool academy players at Tottenham in midweek, but is ready to field Stephen Darby at Bolton.Benitez has defended his decision not to use the club's youngsters in the midweek Carling Cup loss.

The Liverpool boss fielded a raft of overseas fringe players for Wednesday's 4-2 defeat at White Hart Lane, meaning there was no space in the starting XI for any of the club's youth system players.

However, Liverpool-born Darby did at least make an appearance from the bench against Spurs, and the 20-year-old right-back is now in line to make his Premier Lague bow in Saturday's early kick-off at the Reebok Stadium, with Alvaro Arbeloa suspended and Philipp Degen sidelined with a fractured metatarsal that could keep him out for two months.

Darby's likely inclusion in the Reds' line-up will be a timely riposte to those who have criticised Benitez for not nurturing young, English talent, and the Spaniard insists academy players have a future at Anfield.

Benitez said: "Our young players will need more time. [Against Spurs] I decided to use the other members of the squad rather than very young players, mainly because the seniors needed to play matches.

"I have to think about having senior men ready to play in the Premier League as the season progresses. I was also concerned that we were playing against a Spurs side who have been doing very well, maybe it was not the game for teenagers.

"We used senior squad players and they did not play well. Fernando Torres played 55 minutes and did not play well, if the big names do not perform then you cannot blame the young players.

"We have good young players, the future for the club is brilliant. We have good, young, local players and they are working well."

Benitez bridled at suggestions his tactics were in contrast to those of Arsenal, whose team of academy products swept aside Wigan in the same competition on Tuesday.

"Do not compare us with Arsenal," he said.

"They have been paying big, big money for young players for all the time that Arsene Wenger has been there.

"It is not about the age of players, it is about quality. Sometimes you have to pay big money for the best young players around, and that is what Arsenal have done.

"But Arsenal were being criticised only recently for using too many inexperienced youngsters. Then they beat Manchester United and Wigan and everyone says they are fantastic.

"It is important to be calm, look to the long term, and see the bigger picture."

Benitez added: "If you had to choose between local players or foreign players of the same ability, that is easy, you would go with the local boys because they have more passion.

"You have to talk about quality first. I would be really pleased with five Carraghers and five Gerrards, that would be wonderful.

"But Arsenal have been working for 12 years or more bringing in young foreign players. Everyone was criticising them, and now because they have two or three good English players coming through, the attitude has changed.

"But for 12 years or so they have been bringing in foreign players. Why? Because it is a question of quality. I understand that. My view is that the academy system is not producing enough good players all around the country. That is a fact."

Benitez - who was named Manager of the Month for October - will have all his big-name stars back at the Reebok.

Jose Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, Dirk Kuyt, Robbie Keane and Albert Riera will all feature in the squad.

Benitez added that using Darby in his starting XI this weekend should not be viewed

Agger: That's Not Good Enough

2008-11-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Daniel Agger has demanded improvement from Liverpool as they look to sustain their Barclays Premier League title challenge with victory at Bolton on Saturday.

Centre-back Agger was the only player retained in the starting XI for the midweek Carling Cup defeat against Tottenham where Rafael Benitez's under-par second string made his squad look lightweight and lacking depth.

Benitez will recall his first-choice players for the trip to the Reebok Stadium, with Agger hoping there will be no hangover from White Hart Lane.

The 23-year-old Denmark international feels standards must be higher if Benitez needs to call on his squad players again.

"We definitely have to do better," he said. "Bolton are a physical and strong team so it will be a tough match for us, but we are focused on making improvements in every area."

The 4-2 defeat allows Benitez to prioritise the Premier League and Champions League - and Agger feels there should be lessons learned from the defeat to Spurs as well.

"We can't take many positives from that game," said Agger.

"I think it's easy to say that when you let the opposition score four goals, you won't win the game.

"Our team performance was just not good enough. We were far from strong enough and we have to do better.

"But now we will think about improving against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday - that is all we can do.

"We take every game as it comes and must play a lot better than how we performed against Tottenham."

Fernando Torres returned from his hamstring tear against Spurs, and he is relishing a return to action to link up with fellow Spaniard Albert Riera, who was signed from Espanyol to provide genuine width.

"He's a different player to what we've had because he is a real winger," Torres told the LFC Magazine. "On the right we have Jermaine Pennant and now on the left we have Albert.

"He is capable of going on the outside or coming inside. He can dribble and cross - he is a complete player. He is really important to the team already.

"As a striker, it is great to have someone who can cross the ball so well.

"Having him in the team should create more space for the other forwards because defenders need to watch Albert. That should help the rest of us get more opportunities."

Benitez focuses on title race after League Cup battering

2008-11-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

LONDON (AFP) - Rafa Benitez insisted his ambitions for Liverpool stretch further than the League Cup after seeing his makeshift side thrashed 4-2 at Tottenham in the fourth round.

The Spaniard made 10 changes to the team which had flattened West Bromwich Albion the previous weekend, handing rare starts to the likes of Daniel Ngog, Damien Plessis and Lucas, but the policy backfired as Spurs ran riot at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.

The hosts and League Cup holders cruised to victory thanks to two goals apiece from Roman Pavlyuchenko and Fraizer Campbell, and while Liverpool mounted a fight-back of sorts after half-time, they were still well beaten.

It was a meek way for Liverpool's interest in this tournament - which they have won more regularly than any other side - to end but Benitez, while quietly fuming at the manner of his team's performance, maintained his priority remains the Premier League and Champions League.

"You have to use the players in this competition," he said. "You can't play all the players every game - people need to rest. The guys we picked are internationals, they have quality but we didn't play well.

"When you have two or three not playing well, it's hard for the others to keep their levels high. But the youngsters need to play more games like this, win some and lose them, and gain experience that way.

"I am very disappointed with the result and how we played but if the team goes to Bolton on Saturday in the league and wins, we will be at the top of the table and everyone will be talking about our priorities, which are the league and the Champions League."

The only bright point of an otherwise forgettable night for Benitez was a 55-minute cameo from Fernando Torres.

The Spanish striker was making his first appearance since October 5 after shaking off a hamstring injury and, while his performance did not suggest a striker fully match fit, at least he emerged unscathed.

Liverpool's capitulation began in the 37th minute, when Campbell scampered to the by-line and cut back to the unmarked Pavlyuchenko, who drilled through Diego Cavalieri's legs.

Campbell then swaggered into centre-stage himself, capitalising on confusion between Andrea Dossena and Cavalieri to collect Jamie O'Hara's lofted ball and casually roll it home, and then nodding in the midfielder's cross after being left inexplicably unmarked.

The defending was equally chaotic after the interval, although Spurs did their best to share the mistakes around.

Two Ryan Babel corners led to two identikit goals - the first headed in by Plessis in the 48th minute, the other by Sami Hyypia in the 63rd - while sandwiched in between was another routine strike for Pavlyuchenko, who converted Didier Zokora's cross from close range.

For Harry Redknapp, this thumping win maintained the momentum generated by his appointment last month.

Redknapp, who has appointed former Spurs and England forward Les Ferdinand as a part-time striking coach, was delighted at his team's display but insisted avoiding relegation remains his top priority.

"I should get out now - I've taken the club as far as I can!" Redknapp joked. "You have to enjoy the moment because we will have our ups and downs as the season goes on.

"This was great and it's nice to win, but Fulham away on Saturday is a massive game for me now - we need points to get up that table. I know how tight it will be this year and I think you'll need 40 points to be safe. We just have to keep the run going as long as we can."

Redknapp also confirmed that goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, stretchered off here with an oxygen mask strapped to his face after being clattered by Philipp Degen, will be fit for the trip to Fulham.

Carling Cup - Tottenham win Liverpool thriller

2008-11-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

Tottenham's recent revival under Harry Redknapp continued with a 4-2 win over Liverpool in an exhilarating Carling Cup fourth round tie at White Hart Lane.

Roman Pavlyuchenko and Fraizer Campbell both netted twice as the holders booked a place in the quarter-finals in a match that was littered with defensive errors.

Damien Plessis and Sami Hyypia replied for a much-weakened Liverpool side, before Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was carried off with a head injury.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez opted to make wholesale changes to the side that beat West Brom at the weekend with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Robbie Keane rested, while Fernando Torres returned to the starting line-up from his hamstring tear.

But it was two less celebrated strikers who lit up the night, Campbell and Pavlyuchenko making the most of playing up front together in the absence of the rested Darren Bent and Luka Modric, both of whom started on the bench.

The pair effectively settled the match during a blistering seven-minute burst just before the half-time whistle, a period that saw the hosts net three times and Liverpool fall apart.

Pavlyuchenko opened the scoring on 38 minutes, firing a hard, low drive past Diego Cavalieri after Campbell's pull back from the by-line had found the Russian on the penalty spot.

Seconds later Jamie O'Hara could have made it two, but Cavalieri was alert enough to make a smart stop to keep out his low drive.

Campbell then proved his proficiency in front of goal, nipping in ahead of Cavalieri and Andrea Dossena to control the ball on his chest before turning and coolly slotting into an empty net.

And less than three minutes later, Campbell had his second and Spurs' third of the night, heading Aaron Lennon's cross from a standing position back across Cavalieri and into the far corner of the net.

While the strike duo's finishing was exemplary, defensive frailty played a part in all three goals: Sami Hyypia was too easily beaten by Aaron Lennon to cross for Campbell, who was left entirely unmarked, for the opener; Cavalieri and Dossena failed to communicate and took each other out for the second; and Liverpool gave away possession to start the move that led to the third.

Three-nil down at half-time was bad enough, but the truth was that it could have been much worse for the visitors had Pavlyuchenko not glanced a header wide of the mark early on or Dan Agger not denied Lennon a certain goal with a splendid sliding block on 19 minutes.

Liverpool rallied after the break and pulled a goal back on 49 minutes, Plessis heading home from a corner after Gomes once again showed how badly he lacks confidence and form.

The Brazilian came off his line to claim the ball before furiously backpeddling once he realised he was not going to get anywhere near it. The young Frenchman was allowed to head into what was effectively an unguarded net.

The goal briefly lit a flame of hope for the visitors, but Spurs soon found a way through the porous Liverpool back line to net a fourth goal

This time the breakthrough could not be blamed on poor Liverpool defending, just a good old fashioned strong run from midfield by Didier Zokora who got to the by-line before centring for Pavlyuchenko to side foot home.

Yet more flapping from Gomes - who was later stretchered off with a head injury following a collision with Philipp Degen - saw Hyypia pull another goal back with a header from a corner on 62 minutes.

The goalkeeper's indecision, as it has done already this season, could have cost Spurs dearly; Liverpool had a big penalty shout turned down by Mike Riley when Degen upended Gareth Bale in the box with 10 minutes of normal time remaining.

Replays showed a penalty kick should have been awarded, but a tense final ending to the game, which was extended by nine minutes as a result of Gomes's injury, was avoided.

As it was, Spurs closed out the game without any further problems as Redknapp's presence at the club continues to make a difference.

Torres plays down Reds exit rumours

2008-11-12T03:52:00.001-08:00

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has expressed his satisfaction with life at Anfield and insisted he has no plans to "abandon" the club.The Spanish star has been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City in recent months, but Torres has always maintained his happiness with how things are going at Liverpool.

The club's off-field issues have led to strong speculation that they could sell Torres - but the 24-year-old says he does not want to play his football anywhere else.

"I have no plans to go anywhere, not back to Spain, not to Italy, not to another English club," he told the Daily Star.

"I read a lot of things last summer but I was at the European Championships and I did not want any distractions."

Chelsea were strongly linked in the summer, but Torres says he paid little attention to the speculation.

"I don't know if they (Chelsea) spoke with the club or with my agent," he continued.

"But in any case even if there was something in it, nothing was ever going to make me abandon Liverpool."

Torres insists that Liverpool was the 'perfect' move for him.

"It was the perfect opportunity for me," he said.

"Spanish team-mates, a Spanish manager who believed in me, and a great captain who is also one of the best players in the world.

"Liverpool have every ingredient for me to develop as a player."

He also hailed the influence of coach Rafa Benitez.

"He is the best coach I have ever had without doubt," he beamed.

"I think he is totally focused on football all day long.

"He concerns himself with every last detail, things that as a player you would never normally even think about like a movement half a metre to one side that would give you the chance to score a goal.

"He is a coach that you can learn from and that any player would love to have because he gets every last drop of ability out of you."

Liverpool have made a great start to their Premier League campaign this season, including wins over Manchester United and Chelsea, and Torres admits he can sense the fans want the title.

"When I arrived everyone talked about the league," he said.

"We have won it 18 times and Manchester United 17, if they win it this season then they draw level and the fans don't want that.

"I think 90 per cent of Liverpool fans would prefer the league.

"The rivalry between the two sides is so intense, it is like Barca and Madrid or even stronger."

Rafa Says Second String Are Ready

2008-11-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool can march into the Carling Cup quarter-finals with a revenge win at Spurs because he has players desperate to prove themselves.

Benitez will make wholesale changes for the fourth-round tie at White Hart Lane, scene of the Reds' only defeat this season when Spurs fought back to claim a late 2-1 victory.

The bulk of that side will not be on show on Wednesday, although Benitez is considering using Fernando Torres from the start.

Torres played for the final 19 minutes of Saturday's 3-0 win over West Brom after a six-game absence with a hamstring injury.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, Jose Reina, Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano, Daniel Agger and Albert Riera are not expected to figure but Benitez insists Liverpool can force their way into the last eight.

He said: "We have enough players in the squad waiting for their chance to impress, it will be important for them to grab this opportunity.

"And when the team is playing well it is easier to change players and retain the system.

"I believe we can still continue to play well and to keep winning regardless of the players we use."

Benitez will probably bring in goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri, defenders Sami Hyypia and Andreas Dossena, midfielders Yossi Benayoun, Jermaine Pennant, Lucas, Nabil El Zhar and Ryan Babel.

Robbie Keane may get a chance to play again at his former club, possibly alongside Torres, while youngsters Jay Spearing, David Ngog, Emiliano Insua and Damien Plessis could be involved.

Benitez added: "We want to win every game but this is another competition and we have several players who are tired after some difficult weeks so we rest some and change a few.

"But we have a good squad so we will try to win with different players.

"We may well use Torres from the start. It is a decision I will take on the day after seeing how he has done during training."

The league defeat at Spurs earlier this month still rankles with Benitez, and he will be looking for his much-changed side to gain revenge.

He said: "We were very much on top and looking a good team, but in football you can play really well and lose while on other occasions you can play badly and still win.

"That was the case last time. We played well and lost. It was more a case that we lost the game rather than them winning it.

"But Spurs have done well. When you are at the bottom and start winning, the confidence comes back. They have good players and finished fifth twice a few years back."

Israel midfielder Benayoun already has his eyes on a Wembley appearance and a winners' medal.

He said: "We have a cup game we know we can win and want to win. We want to win all the competitions, do not doubt that.

"We want to win at Spurs, especially having lost there in the league.

"And for the other players in the squad it is a chance to show what we can do.

"We want to win the game and go on to win the Carling Cup, whoever is in the side. It is important for us.

"There's a little bit of revenge maybe. The league game at Spurs was one of our best performances of the season and we lost at the end.

"We know we are a better team than that and we have a team who can win at Spurs."

Benayoun admits he is impressed by the job new Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has done, adding: "I have been a little surprised by what Harry Redknapp has done, he changed them almost in a few days.

"He deserves the credit and is a good manager and a good person. I wish him all the best, but only after Wednesday."

Redknapp Wants More From Spurs

2008-11-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Harry Redknapp admits Tottenham will lose their grip on the Carling Cup if there is a repeat of their performance against Liverpool during his first week in charge at White Hart Lane.

Spurs could have been dead and buried against Rafael Benitez's men when they met in the Premier League, only for Jamie Carragher's own goal and a last-ditch winner from Roman Pavlyuchenko to give them a 2-1 victory.

Redknapp's magic touch has been credited with Spurs going unbeaten since their change of manager - and defending the Carling Cup is the next task, with Liverpool their opponents in the fourth round.

"We played Liverpool and beat them but let's face it, they murdered us," Redknapp said.

Redknapp has Benoit Assou-Ekotto suspended and Ledley King in need of rest, and he has the option of involving fringe players such as Paul Stalteri, Ricardo Rocha, Adel Taarabt, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Hossam Ghaly.

A full-strength team was picked for the UEFA Cup clash against Dinamo Zagreb last week and balanced against the defence of a trophy, Redknapp is understood to be keen to keep his whole squad involved in first-team duties.

"All the players are in the dressing room after the games, delighted that we have won," Redknapp said. "I have not isolated any of them. They are part of it. And that is how I want to keep it."

Rocha has felt the difference, and the Portuguese defender said: "Redknapp is a great coach, very communicative and everyone is motivated to show what they can do."

Another factor in Redknapp's possible starting XI is the tight bottom half of the Premier League, with three points separating West Brom at the foot and 10th-placed Fulham, who they face at the weekend.

"The only thing that is important at this moment in time is retaining our Premier League status because we are still very much in trouble along with lots of other clubs and no one is getting carried away here," said assistant boss Kevin Bond on skysports.com.

Against Liverpool last time out, Redknapp's magic touch was almost undermined by errors from goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.

Redknapp has spoken to Gomes about the selection process for claiming crosses, and the Spurs boss has backed the Brazilian to make a marked improvement over the coming games.

"He did all right against Manchester City (at the weekend)," said Redknapp. "He has just got to settle in and understand what is required in England.

"When you talk to people about him, they talk highly of his qualities. Tony Adams did when he returned from Holland. Gomes took PSV to the semi-finals of the Champions League almost single-handedly, by all accounts.

"He was that good. It is a game of confidence and he has had one or two iffy days. Hopefully now his confidence will start to grow and we will see what he can do."

Redknapp is not expected to make radical changes in the January transfer window.

Andrei Arshavin, a Spurs target in the summer, has been linked with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, while Vagner Love has committed himself to CSKA Moscow.

The striker said: "My contract with CSKA has three years to run. I am going to defend their interests at least until then."

(reopens) One striker Redknapp is expected to look at against Liverpool is Fraizer Campbell, who is on loan from Manchester United.

Redknapp said: "I'm going to make one or two changes. One or two of the lads will get a chance because they are good players but it will still be a good team.

"I need to see the likes of Fraizer Campbell. I've seen nothing of him but he's looked terrific in training.

"When he came on the other night in the UEFA Cup game he was lively and a real prospect. Hull offered £7million to Manchester United so he's definitely not a bad player."

Benitez denies Keane Spurs return

2008-11-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

Rafael Benitez has confirmed Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane will both be rested for Liverpool's Carling Cup fourth-round tie at Tottenham.And he has intimated Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso could also be left out.

Benitez's decision means Keane will not be able to face his former club, having left Spurs for Liverpool during the summer in a £20million move.

Benitez had made it clear he would rest several senior players - some of whom have played six games in 18 days - for the game at White Hart Lane, but has only now confirmed exactly who they will be.

Benitez said: "Gerrard will not be in the squad and neither will Keane.

"It is always difficult to play so many games in a row and you have to change some players depending on the competition. The majority of them can play games in a row but some need to be taken care of.

"Gerrard is one of them at this moment. Dirk Kuyt is another who has played almost every game. Xabi Alonso, Jamie Carragher and Robbie Keane are the same.

"You also have to consider that some of these players have played internationals this season too. I believe Keane has played 23 games already.

"We will use players who haven't played every game. I have confidence in them because they are all internationals.

"It is always important to win trophies and this is an opportunity to do that. You must always be ready in every competition.

"People talk about big names playing but it is more important to talk about good players and we will have good players playing in the Carling Cup."

One big name not needing a rest is Fernando Torres, who requires match practice after missing six games with a hamstring tear.

The Spanish ace will travel to White Hart Lane and may even start against Harry Redknapp's men.

Benitez said: "He will be in the squad and hopefully he can play. He could start.

"It is an important competition for us. We have players who are not always involved but have enough quality. They need games for match fitness because they could be needed later in the season."

Benitez Plays Down Expectations

2008-11-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Rafael Benitez has warned Liverpool fans about gloating too soon over the Anfield side's eight point lead over champions Manchester United.

For many Anfield fans, such an advantage over their greatest rivals with the season almost a third over, is cause for celebration.

But boss Benitez said: "I don't think I will be celebrating until the gap is 20 points."

The end product of a weekend of frantic action at the top of the Barclays Premier League is that Manchester United sit eight points behind leaders Chelsea and second placed Liverpool - who have a whopping 14-goal difference deficit to make up on the west Londoners.

Both clubs are on 29 points, with United's defeat away to Arsenal leaving them in fourth spot.

Benitez said: "We were aware before we played West Brom on Saturday that Manchester United had lost, but it was not something that we allowed to effect how we played.

"If you spend the whole time with a calculator considering what others are doing, it will drive you crazy.

"You must concentrate on what you are doing. United may be trailing us, but we are not looking at what they are doing, only ourselves."

Liverpool were top after the 3-0 win over West Brom for just 24 hours before Chelsea regained the leadership after a 2-0 win at Blackburn.

Benitez, who welcomed back striker Fernando Torres after a hamstring injury, said: "Manchester United still have a game in hand and the ability to make up points in just two other games is not that difficult for them.

"When the gap is 20 points, then I will relax. But with just this small difference all I can say is we must keep going all the time and not think about what other teams are doing."

He added: "We have confidence and are playing well, so we know we can be up there at the top. We know it is a long race and must keep going.

"It is still too soon to be thinking in those terms about other teams. There are too many games, in league and cups, and many things can happen.

"But things are very positive. We were top before and we wanted to be top again. The win over West Brom put us back up at the top and we must continue to put pressure on our rivals.

"We are playing well, scoring goals, but it could be better even though we are pleased."

Benitez is expected to rest several senior men for Wednesday's Carling Cup trip to face revitalised Spurs at White Hart Lane.

It seems certain that skipper Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano and keeper Jose Reina will be rested.

Diego Cavalieri, Jermaine Pennant, Lucas, Nabil El Zhar, Andrea Dossena, Ryan Babel, David Ngog and Sami Hyypia are expected to figure in north London.

On Gerrard, Benitez said: "Stevie needs a bit of rest," the Anfield boss told Liverpool's official website.

"He was injured during the international break and it is important to try and keep players fit all the time.

"It is clear that Stevie is a bit tired at the moment."

Benitez will make a late decision on whether Torres continues his comeback with a place in the starting line-up against Harry Redknapp's men.

Benitez said: "He needs games, but we will assess the situation only after a couple more training sessions."

But it is clear that Benitez is keen to re-form the partnership between Torres and Robbie Keane, who scored his first league goals for the club in the win over West Brom.

Whether Keane will be involved from the start against his former club is also debatable, with Babel and Ngog likely to figure up front.

But Benitez said: "It was good to see Keane scoring, and then to have Torres back on the pitch.

"The understanding will be good again, and if they both continue to work hard they will be very dangerous for any opponent."

World Cup qual. - Mascherano takes armband

2008-11-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has agreed to captain Argentina under new coach Diego Maradona.

"I've convinced him," Maradona told Radio La Red after returning from a six-day trip to Europe during which he visited a number of his top players.

"I explained to him what I thought about him and told him what I thought he could give the team."

Mascherano, 24, initially said he did not feel ready to take on the responsibility.

Maradona is also hoping to make former defender Oscar Ruggeri his assistant despite media reports of opposition from Argentina Football Association president Julio Grondona.

"I don't think Oscar's impossible," said Maradona.

The choice of his assistant has already become a hot topic.

At one stage Maradona said Jose Luis Brown and Sergio Batista, team-mates from the 1986 World Cup-winning side, would take on the role. But he then changed his mind, saying the decision was not final.

Ruggeri's recent coaching record would make him a controversial choice.

He resigned at Mexico's Tecos UAG after losing his first six games in 2003, then took charge of Independiente in his homeland before resigning four months later after being jeered and insulted by fans at a home game.

In 2004 he went to Spanish second division club Elche but was fired after 20 games. He returned to Mexico and joined America, the country's richest club, and this time lasted six matches.

Ruggeri's last coaching job was with San Lorenzo in 2006 where he was again fired after poor results including a 7-1 home defeat by Boca Juniors.

Villa prepared to take Barry gamble

2008-11-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

Martin O'Neill insists Aston Villa will not look to cash in on Gareth Barry, despite fears he could leave in a cut-price deal in the summer.Barry almost joined Liverpool in an £18million deal in the summer and Villa feel there will be renewed interest in the England international come the next transfer window, with Arsenal and Tottenham expected to join the race.

The continued presence of Barry has helped Villa to fifth place in the Premier League and an impressive start to their UEFA Cup campaign.

Should Villa hang on to Barry for the rest of the season then he could buy out the remaining year of his contract for just £2million next summer.

And O'Neill maintains that is a risk the club is willing to take.

"Cashing in on Gareth has never been a big concern - it certainly wasn't in the summer for the owner of this club," O'Neill told the Daily Star Sunday.

"If it had been we'd have taken a cut price for him then.

"I don't know if our success this season is having any effect on Gareth's future here. We'll take it through to the window and see what develops.

"I couldn't tell you for certain how he feels because I haven't spoken to him about it.

"But there is time enough to think about it after Christmas.

"He is playing very well and has bounced back from the disappointment of what went on in the summer.

"I don't know where we stand politically on players buying out contracts. But if Gareth doesn't sign a new deal he will have one year left to run after this season."

Premier League - Keane brace fires Liverpool to win

2008-11-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

Liverpool went back to the top of the Premier League with a Robbie Keane-inspired 3-0 win over West Bromwich at Anfield.

Keane registered his first two league goals in a Liverpool shirt while Alvaro Arbeloa added a third in injury time to down the Baggies and send the Merseysiders three points clear of Chelsea, who play at Blackburn on Sunday.

Despite some encouraging early signs from West Brom, in the end it was a comfortable victory for Liverpool, whose manager Rafa Benitez was able to enjoy a double dose of good news.

Having seen his expensive summer signing break his duck in front of goal, Benitez was also able to welcome back striker Fernando Torres from injury as a second half substitute.

The Spaniard was deemed fit enough after a six-game absence with a hamstring problem to make a place on the bench, but it was his strike partner Keane who caught the eye and fired Liverpool to victory.

Prior to kick-off, the Irishman had failed to find the back of the net in a league game since his summer move from Tottenham but he soon drew a definite line under that statistic as he swooped twice in the first half to put Liverpool firmly in the driving seat.

His first came on 34 minutes, from a neat Steven Gerrard pass after the Liverpool skipper had spotted Keane's clever run in behind the Baggies defence. The £19 million man did the rest, running onto the ball and applying the finishing touch past Scott Carson.

Just nine minutes later Keane had doubled both his personal tally and his side's lead with another impeccable finish. This time it was Fabio Aurelio with the decisive pass as Liverpool countered quickly; played through on goal, Keane rounded Carson before slotting home into an empty net.

Arbeloa popped up in injury time to seal the points with a third, finding the top corner with a well-measured shot from just inside the penalty area.

The scoreline was probably a fair reflection of the 90 minutes but nevertheless West Brom had started brightly and Tony Mowbray's side were able to emerge from the encouter with credit.

The Baggies displayed no outward signs of nerves, as is often the case when teams visit Anfield, and played their usual attractive passing game during the opening exchanges.

But it was Liverpool who were able to carve open the better chances, Keane seeing a shot on the turn saved by Carson on 13 minutes before the former Liverpool goalkeeper denied Yossi Benayoun on the half hour mark.

After the break, Robert Koren did his best to get West Brom back into the game, the Slovenian midfielder bringing the otherwise underused Jose Reina into action with a crisp strike on 51 minutes.

Soon after Koren fired wide of the mark but a Chris Brunt free-kick into the side netting apart, the visitors rarely looked like getting a goal back.

Torres replaced Keane in the 72nd minute, with both players receiving healthy rounds of applause, and the fit-again striker nearly found the back of the net seven minutes later; only Carson denied him a goal on his comeback to action.

Arbeloa's late strike merely served to confirm Liverpool's authority on the game as the gauntlet was passed to Chelsea ahead of their trip at Lancashire.

Premier League - Eighth Liverpool star burgled

2008-11-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Midfielder Lucas Leiva has become the eighth Liverpool player to get burgled in the last 18 months.

The Brazilian's home in Woolton, Liverpool, was raided on Tuesday night while he played a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.

Lucas, 21, lost possessions including his Olympic bronze medal won in Beijing, jewellery and a collection of football shirts.

Acting detective chief inspector Peter Parry of Merseyside police said: "These items have significant personal importance to Mr Leiva and they were associated with some very cherished memories."

Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Dirk Kuyt, Pepe Reina, Daniel Agger, Peter Crouch and Jerzy Dudek have all suffered break-ins since the start of 2007.

Robbers threatened Gerrard's wife Alex Curran and took jewellery during a raid on the Liverpool captain's home last December.

Last October, pictures of defender John Arne Riise's payslip appeared on the internet after it was stolen from his dustbin.

Premier League - Benitez: Torres to return

2008-11-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has said star striker Fernando Torres is almost certain to make his comeback in the Premier League clash with West Brom at Anfield on Saturday.

The Spaniard has been missing due to a hamstring strain for six matches since the last international break on October 15.

However Benitez is confident that the 24-year-old goal-getter will return against the Midlands side.

"I believe Torres will be ready for the West Brom game at the weekend," Benitez, who allowed his player to judge whether he was fit for the midweek draw with his previous club Atletico Madrid, said.

"It all depends on Fernando: he was not happy with his fitness so he did not play against Atletico.

"He said he was not confident, so you cannot take any risks with a hamstring injury.

"I will talk to the player during the rest of the week to see how he is after each training session. But I will also talk with the physio and the doctor for their view.

"But (once again) how Fernando feels will be the key."

Reds captain Steven Gerrard, who grabbed the penalty equaliser against Atletico, cannot wait to see Torres back in action.

"Hopefully Fernando will be ready come the weekend - we have missed him," he said. "He has been training all week and things look hopeful.

"We need to take three points against West Brom, but (Saturday's 2-1 reverse to Tottenham) has been our only defeat this season and we are more than happy with the way the season has gone so far."

If Torres again fails to make the squad to face West Brom, Liverpool must decide whether to give him a run-out in the Carling Cup trip to Spurs next Tuesday, with a tough trip to Bolton on the Saturday, November 15.

Another international break is approaching fast with Spain having a home friendly against Chile at Villarreal on November 19.

Benitez has been in talks with the Spanish FA over Torres's treatment while he is with the national squad and a set of special exercises have been drawn up for him to carry out each day to help the hamstring heal properly.

Just whether Liverpool will tolerate another Spanish call-up for Torres at this time is open to debate, considering he has returned three times in 18 months from international duty with the same injury.

Gerrard rescues Liverpool in Champions League football

2008-11-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Rafa Benitez admitted he is concerned by Liverpool's lack of cutting edge after his side needed a dubious penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Benitez's team were grateful that Swedish referee Martin Hansson decided Steven Gerrard's theatrical tumble was worthy of spot-kick seconds from full-time at Anfield on Tuesday.

Even Gerrard, who smashed in the penalty to keep Liverpool on course for the second round, conceded it was a harsh decision, and Benitez was unimpressed with the way the Reds laboured to kill off Atletico.

They created the better chances but, in a worrying repeat of their misfiring defeat at Tottenham on Sunday, failed to take them and were eventually forced to settle for less than their build-up play deserved.

Gerrard's last-gasp heroics are a regular part of Liverpool's European campaigns and the England midfielder's latest intervention kept his team on course for the last 16.

A win over Marseille at Anfield later this month would clinch qualification from Group D, but Benitez knows Liverpool will have to sharpen up their act to progress much further.

"We were talking before about the character of the team. Five or six times we have come from behind and that is important but we have to take our chances," Benitez said.

"It makes a massive difference, especially in the Champions League."

With Fernando Torres out with a hamstring injury and Robbie Keane still searching for his best form, Benitez had few options to shake up his forward line.

The Liverpool manager admitted Torres was unwilling to come back against his former club because his confidence is low after several weeks out of action.

But the Spain striker's absence is starting to prove costly for Liverpool and Benitez hopes he will be ready to play against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

"He was very close to playing but he had no confidence so it was better to keep him in the stands," Benitez said. "He could play this weekend. It depends on the confidence of the player, if he is happy and training well and happy with his fitness."

Benitez highlighted Keane's prodigious workrate as evidence that the 20 million pounds signing is earning his keep, but he hauled him off before the end and it would be no surprise to see the Irish forward left out if Torres returns.

"He is working hard. If you talk about strikers you talk about goals but it depends on luck and good deliveries," Benitez said.

"He is doing his job but sometimes you want to change things. We were creating chances so sometimes you change things because another striker can be lucky."

Atletico were within touching distance of the second round after Maxi Rodriguez capped an incisive break by wrong-footed Jamie Carragher and shooting low into the far corner of Jose Reina's goal in the 37th minute.

Liverpool were always the more threatening side but Keane, David N'Gog and Daniel Agger all missed chances before Gerrard collided with Mariano Pernia to win that controversial spot-kick.

Atletico coach Javier Aguirre took heart from his team's mature display and backed them to get the win needed to qualify against PSV Eindhoven.

"We were solid at the back, well organised and played well against a great side at an imposing stadium," Aguirre said.

"We didn't get the reward we deserved but we shouldn't devalue a point. We have done well in the Champions League and that is helping us rebuild confidence in the league.

"We still need points to qualify and the first objective is to get through. Then if we can let's see if we can come top of the group."

Champions League - Benitez waits on Torres

2008-11-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Rafa Benitez will make a late decision on the fitness of Fernando Torres ahead of Liverpool's Champions League date with Atletico Madrid.

Torres has missed the Reds' last five games with a hamstring injury, including the first meeting with Atletico in the Spanish capital a fortnight ago.

Benitez accepts that Torres "can change games" but is happy enough with the performances of his other strikers and does not to want to gamble on the 24 year-old's long-term fitness as they seek to bounce back from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.

The Liverpool boss said: "We have been winning without Fernando, not on Saturday of course, but I have been very happy with the other strikers.

"He can win games on his own, so we would want him in our side if he is fit.

"Torres is a fantastic player, he can change games. But we have been playing so well we have not missed him.

"If he is confident and wants to play, he will play. If he is not ready then we will not take a risk."

Torres trained on Monday and Benitez will make an assessment nearer kick-off, although he intimated he is most likely to be on the substitutes' bench if he is involved at all.

He said: "Torres is 70% ready, he has trained today, will train tomorrow and then we will decide. I want to wait to see how he feels.

"It depends on the player, if the player is confident you can take a risk, but if he is not confident you have to wait.

"He has had this problem before, but I do not see it as being a real worry. What we must do is make sure that when he is with the Spanish international team, that risks are not taken.

"We are in contact with the Spanish set-up and hope that in future the fitness coach is more under control.

"If Torres has confidence then he can be involved. If not then it is better to wait.

"Clearly he would like to play against his former club, he has a great relationship with their fans and the whole club. He wants to show them what a good player he is, but we must wait to see how he is."

Benitez clearly believes the setback at White Hart Lane was just a blip and added: "What happened at Spurs will not change how we do things. We will attack, we will try to score goals and be dominant.

"But we need to be more clinical in front of goal. That is the key to maintaining our form.

"I am not worried about what happened at Spurs. Watching the game we were so good, all we needed to do was take our chances.

"When you are playing well, there is no point complaining or worrying. Afterwards we could not believe what had happened.

"We were totally on top of the first half, and for much of the second period. We just had to take the chances and it would have been over.

"We are playing so well, all we have to do is keep doing the same thing. We have nothing to prove, the main thing now is to just concentrate on what we know is right."

If Liverpool win and PSV Eindhoven lose in Marseille, the five-times European champions will be in the last 16.

Benitez said: "It would be a great bonus to qualify at this early stage, but the first thing we must do is make sure we win against Atletico.

"I would think that 11 points should be enough to qualify. I say that because if PSV win in Marseille, it suddenly becomes more difficult.

"We have seven points already, if we beat Atletico it is virtually over but we must not consider such things ahead of playing a very good side.

"Let's just win the games, then we can look at the group table and work out what is needed.

"Since we drew in Madrid, they have drawn 4-4 with Villarreal and beaten Mallorca 2-0, with (Sergio) Aguero returning to score twice.

"Madrid are doing well, but they do have problems. Their strengths and weaknesses are the same, but they do have Aguero back and he is a very good player.

"We have players who have the right mentality to handle this. Nobody is certain of a place, everyone is playing so well so I have plenty of choice."

Carra demands reaction from Reds

2008-11-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool are now facing their biggest test of the Premier League season as they aim to bounce back from a first loss.The Reds slipped off the summit of the table with their 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane on Saturday, Carragher's own goal letting Tottenham back into the match.

Chelsea responded to last weekend's home defeat to Liverpool by putting eight goals past Hull and Sunderland, and Carragher wants a similar response from his team-mates.

"Look how Chelsea have reacted since we beat them and how Manchester United reacted when they lost to us," he said.

"They've been on a great run since. It's how you come back from your setbacks that counts. This will be a test for us now.

"If you want to show you're championship contenders it's how you bounce back that matters.

"Before Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea you could get away with losing five or six but now it seems to be three or four.

"The standards are so high. You can't afford to lose too many."

Fixtures against the likes of West Brom, Bolton and Fulham mean Liverpool face, at least on paper, a kind November but Carragher is taking nothing for granted.

"It's a different test in itself playing against the teams lower down," he said.

"Portsmouth was a very difficult game and we didn't score until late on.

"If we play as well as we can we should go on to win the next six games but in the past we've come unstuck in those matches and it's important we get maximum points now."

Fernando Torres should be back for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Carragher admits Torres has been missed but insists the squad should be able to cope in his absence.

"You'll always miss Torres. He's probably the best striker in the world of his type," he said.

"Even if we'd won here we would have still missed him because he's such a great player. That's what squads are for.

"That's why the manager talks every year about big squads and good benches.

"Everyone misses players. Chelsea are without Didier Drogba at the moment. You've just got to adapt to it."

Liverpool could have done with Torres' clinical touch as they let a series of chances go begging against Spurs before Carragher's own goal changed the match.

"That's the Premier League for you. Credit to Spurs but we were in total control," said Carragher.

"We should have got a second or third goal but if you don't do that Spurs have definitely got quality going forward.

"I'm disappointed to score the own goal. I don't know what happened. I don't know if I was unlucky - I'll have to see it again.

"Even then 1-1 isn't too bad at Spurs. It's not an easy place to go, even though they're in a bad situation.

"We're more than disappointed to concede a goal in the last minute. We missed a couple of chances we would normally score.

"Normally when you're in such control you go on to win the game but you have to give credit to Tottenham for showing character and sticking in there.

"Harry Redknapp is having quite an effect there."

Rafa wants to resolve Reds future

2008-11-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is eager to avoid a repeat of the contract problems that forced him to quit Valencia for Anfield.Benitez won a second La Liga title and the UEFA Cup with Valencia in 2004 and had compiled a list of targets including the likes of emerging talents Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba.

But the Spanish boss walked out on the final year of his contract to take charge of Liverpool after broken promises over a new deal.

With 18 months now left on his Liverpool contract, Benitez does not want to walk away from another work in progress.

"I left Valencia because there were problems with my contract and other situations that meant I decided to leave," he told the Sunday Mirror.

"It wasn't my idea to leave because I had a list of names in place that would have improved the team. I believe Valencia would have gone on to win more trophies."

Benitez has led Liverpool to two Champions League finals, winning the top European crown in 2005, and this season the Reds look like genuine Premier League title contenders.

The 48-year-old feels Liverpool are on the verge of creating a dynasty at Anfield and he is eager to commit his long-term future to the club now that co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks claim to have healed their boardroom rift.

"I spoke with George Gillett in London last week but there was nothing about a new contract," Benitez added.

"That is OK because I want to concentrate. But if the owners ask to talk about a new contract that would be good also.

"If not, I will continue to do my job for as long as I can and then we will see. I really want to stay at Liverpool and hopefully in the future the squad will be even better.

"I would like to be here a long time so I am waiting. After improving the squad for the last five years I know we are very, very close to having a fantastic team and I want to be part of their future.

"I am also sure that this Liverpool team, with the staff I have also, will get better every year.

"The contract situation does not put me under more pressure to win either the title or the Champions League because in my mind I am just thinking about winning every game.

"I think we are close to having the team I want, but if I start thinking 'we have to win this trophy' it is possible to lose focus."

Match gallery - Tottenham vs Liverpool

2008-11-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

Premier League - Dramatic Spurs dent Liverpool

2008-11-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tottenham grabbed a second late goal in as many games as Roman Pavlyuchenko dented Liverpool's title aspirations with the winner in a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at White Hart Lane.

Robbie Keane marked his return to Tottenham after his summer move by setting up Liverpool's third-minute opener for Dirk Kuyt, who produced a brilliant finish from a tight angle.

After the visitors had twice hit the woodwork in search of a second, Jamie Carragher headed past his own keeper at a 68th-minute corner get Spurs level.

And Russian international Pavlyuchenko turned home from close range at the near post with just a minute remaining to earn Spurs their seventh point in three games since Harry Redknapp took over from Juande Ramos late last Saturday night.

The result comes just three days after Aaron Lennon had earned his side a point with an injury-time leveller against north London rivals Arsenal.

Just two minutes had elapsed when Keane made his presence felt at White Hart Lane - with disastrous consequences for Tottenham.

The Republic of Ireland striker continued some slick build-up play by finding an unmarked Kuyt down the right and the Dutchman hit the net from a tight angle with a brilliant finish

Spurs' best attempt of the first half came when an under-worked Reina was forced to push aside Luka Modric's impressive effort from the edge of the area just before the break.

Steven Gerrard twice hit the woodwork at the start of the second half as they pushed for a second goal to seal the match. On 49 minutes, his shot bounced down off the elbow of Ledley King and needed to be touched onto the post by Heurelho Gomes.

But the much-maligned keeper was almost the architect of his own downfall a few minutes later when he carelessly gave the ball straight to Gerrard just outside his own box, although the Liverpool skipper could only chip his effort onto the crossbar.

Spurs made the visitors pay for not extending their lead when Carragher rose highest in a group of players contesting a near-post corner, only to see the ball deflect off his head and past the helpless Reina.

Both sides pressed for a winner as the game finally opened up in the final ten minutes, with substitute Lennon sparking the home side into life with some jinking runs.

And the winner came with just a minute of normal time remaining when Reina pushed David Bentley's drive away, only for Darren Bent to turn the ball back to the near post where Pavlyuchenk turned the ball home.

Rafa Hopes Fans Will Respect Robbie

2008-10-31T23:45:00.000-07:00

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is welcoming the pressures involved in taking his team to Tottenham as leaders of the Barclays Premier League.

But he believes former Tottenham skipper Robbie Keane, now in Liverpool's ranks, has no reason to feel any extra burden as he prepares to return to the club he left for £20million in the summer.

Keane can expect a hot welcome from Tottenham fans who saw their idol defect to the club he supported as a boy.

Benitez insists he "enjoys the pressures of managing a team at the top of the table" and he also hopes that Keane is treated with respect by the Spurs supporters.

He compared Keane's return to Peter Crouch's arrival at Anfield in a Portsmouth shirt on Wednesday, just months after his move to Fratton Park.

Benitez said: "Peter came back to Liverpool this week and was given a great reception. He will always be a good player and he has the respect of our fans.

"I do not believe that Robbie has anything to prove, he has great quality. Hopefully Spurs fans will acknowledge this and what he did for them, and that he is now with another team.

"Keane is available after his slight (groin) injury, he wants to play every game anyway, but yes, this one is very important to him.

"He would like to see the Spurs fans and say 'hello' again. He was a key player for them for some years, a fantastic professional and gave 100% all the time.

"But I think their fans will appreciate what Robbie gave them when he was there."

But Benitez wants more from Keane, who has scored just twice in 16 matches at Liverpool.

He said: "Robbie is a very good player and is working hard, but we know he can play better and score more goals because he has that potential.

"Robbie has experience and is trying to do his job. He is not under pressure because he knows the team is winning, and his contribution to those victories has been very, very good.

"He is happy with that. People talk about his price but it does not worry him on the pitch, you do not think about that, only about how to do things well.

"We can see in every training session how hard Robbie works, and he is the same in games. He is doing well but he can improve."

Liverpool, who will probably again be without Fernando Torres, have been top since Sunday's win at Chelsea, while Tottenham are still bottom despite a dramatic change of fortune under new boss Harry Redknapp.

Rather than being among the chasing teams, Benitez said: "I prefer to be top. It is better for us because we can approach games with more confidence than when you are playing to catch-up at the top.

"If you make a mistake then, it can become very difficult because the gap gets bigger. When you are top there is some leeway. You know that you do have a cushion of some points to do that.

"My view on the season so far is that we are in a very good position, we are glad to be there, but there is still a long way to go.

"We are happy, we are doing well, but we must keep concentration because this is a very long race.

"The pressure does not bother me, it is better to be top than trying to catch-up.

"But we do still have plenty of room for improvement. We need to be more accurate up front and in defence a little more composed.

"We all know we can do it better, we are not bad, but we can be much better."

Benitez is also well aware of the Redknapp factor, given the impact the former Portsmouth boss has made since the sacking of Juande Ramos.

He said: "I was surprised that Juande has gone, I said that he had good players when he was under pressure.

"Before he was sacked I felt that Spurs would finish a lot higher in the table, and I still have that view.

"When you fire a manager, for me it is never a good decision. For me it is always bad, it is important to keep calm and give managers time, because experience tells you that things are better when you do that.

"Now Spurs have had two games under Harry Redknapp and they have done well, the players have something different to concentrate on.

"When you change a manager, like you saw at Arsenal when Spurs drew 4-4, it can make an immediate difference, they were suddenly much better.

"But the key will be just how they are doing in two or three months' time.

"They did well at Arsenal, maybe a couple of their goals were a bit lucky, but they still count and it was a good result for them."

Benitez added: "As for us we must keep the momentum, we have confidence and we are creating chances and not conceding too many.

"It is important to keep the players doing things just as they are doing now.

"What pleases me is that we have been without three of our top players for maybe half the games we have played. Javier Mascherano, Torres and Martin Skrtel have all missed several games each but we are still unbeaten and now top.

"That shows the quality we have in the squad now, it has improved at Liverpool."

Champions League - European Power Rankings

2008-10-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Barcelona are top dogs this week having knocked Liverpool off their perch at the top of our European Power Rankings.

We take into account both domestic and Champions League performances, plus the relative difficulty of each team's league, to find out who is the best team in Europe.

Liverpool may be enjoying life in the Premier League at the moment, but a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in Europe has seen the Reds cede top spot to Barcelona.

The Spanish giants have had no such slip-up, winning their last nine matches in La Liga and the Champions League to go top.

Chelsea have jumped a place to third despite their loss to Liverpool while Real Madrid slip to fifth following defeat to Juventus, who move up to ninth.

Arsenal may have thumped Fenerbahce and beaten West Ham but they followed those wins up with a 4-4 draw with Tottenham. But those dropped points in the North London derby were not enough to stop Arsene Wenger's side leaping into joint sixth, tied with the ever-improving Manchester United and Jose Mourinho's stuttering Internazionale.

This week's biggest losers are Anorthosis Famagusta, CFR Cluj and Atletico Madrid, all of whom drop seven places, while Bordeaux and PSV Eindhoven make their first appearance in the top 20 this season.

1. (2=) Barcelona - 26.88

2. (1) Liverpool - 24.67

3. (4) Chelsea - 23.17

4. (5) Villarreal - 22.92

5. (2=) Real Madrid - 21.88

6= (9=) Arsenal - 21.67

6= (6=) Internazionale - 21.67

6= (9=) Manchester United 21.67

9. (14) Juventus - 20.00

10. (13) Bayern Munich - 19.77

11. (16) Dynamo Kiev - 18.67

12. (17) Lyon - 18.15

13. (6=) Atletico Madrid - 17.92

14. (15) Sporting Lisbon - 17.50

15. (8) Anorthosis Famaguta - 15.33

16. (-) Bordeaux - 13.59

17. (-) PSV Eindhoven - 13.44

18. (11) Porto - 13.25

19. (12) CFR Cluj - 13.00

20. (18) Fiorentina - 12.78

Match gallery - Liverpool vs Portsmouth

2008-10-30T00:33:00.000-07:00

Liverpool out in front as Pompey pay penalty in Premier League football

2008-10-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

Liverpool maintained their three-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the Premier League as a blunder by Papa Bouba Diop marred Tony Adams's first match as Portsmouth manager.

The visitors were hanging on to a goalless draw at Anfield on Wednesday when Diop handled in the box 14 minutes from time to give away a penalty.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard beat former Reds keeper David James from the spot as Rafael Benitez's men backed up their win away to Chelsea.

The Blues, having surrendered their 86-game unbeaten league run at their Stamford Bridge home, kept the pressure on with a 3-0 win away to surprise package Hull City.

Arsenal leapfrogged Hull into third place but only on goal difference after an extraordinary 4-4 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

The result left Spurs, who'd beaten Bolton in new manager Harry Redknapp's first game in charge, still at the bottom of the table. Stoke City, however, climbed out of the bottom three with a 1-0 win at home to Sunderland.

Fulham also pulled clear of danger with a 2-0 win over Wigan, the visitors dropping into the relegation zone. Elsewhere Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as champions Manchester United beat West Ham 2-0 at Old Trafford.

Aston Villa stayed in the top five by coming from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers 3-2.

In other matches, Middlesbrough beat Manchester City 2-0 while Everton left it until the last minute before seeing off fellow strugglers Bolton 1-0.

Tottenham took a 13th minute lead in spectacular fashion when, from fully 40 yards out, England midfielder David Bentley flicked the ball up and lobbed a swerving volley over the head of Manuel Almunia.

However the Gunners equalised in the 37th minute when Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was beaten to the ball from a corner by the head of former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.

William Gallas, Arsenal's other France centre-half, made it 2-1 for the home side a minute after the break he headed in Robin van Persie's free-kick.

Van Persie's precise long pass released Samir Nasri who in turn lobbed Gomes before striker Emmanuel Adebayor bundled the ball home.

Spurs striker Darren Bent scored in the 67th minute following an Almunia error but barely 60 seconds later Arsenal's two-goal lead was restored by Dutch striker van Persie after Adebayor seized on a loose pass from Spurs defender Alan Hutton.

But another defensive error saw Spurs's Jermaine Jenas storm forward before curling a shot past Almunia in the 89th minute. And there was still time for Aaron Lennon to give the visitors a share of the spoils.

United needed just 14 minutes to take the lead against the Hammers with a goal made in Portugal after Ronaldo got on the end of a pass from Nani.

Superb individual skill from the winger then saw Ronaldo make it 2-0 in the 30th minute.

Frank Lampard gave Chelsea a third minute lead with a sublime left-footed chip over Hull keeper Boaz Myhill for the 99th league goal of the England midfielder's career.

Myhill denied Chelsea a second when he tipped over a Nicolas Anelka shot. But the France forward did make it 2-0 five minutes after half-time when he capitalised on hesitation between Myhill and his defenders.

Florent Malouda put the result at the KC Stadium beyond all doubt with a third goal 15 minutes from time. Blackburn went ahead on the half hour when Stephen Warnock beat former Rovers keeper Brad Friedel.

But Villa levelled on the stroke of half-time through full-back Luke Young. And the hosts took the lead when Gareth Barry finished from a few yards out, the midfielder's third goal in as many games.

Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor made it 3-1 before Australia international Brett Emerton pulled a goal back for Rovers.

Middlesbrough, who saw goalkeeper Ross Turnbull make several saves to keep the game at 0-0, went ahead through Afonso Alves's 53rd minute penalty after defender David Wheater was brought down in the City box by Daniel Sturridge.

Gary O'Neil sealed Boro's success with a last minute goal. Stoke, fresh from a Robinho-inspired 3-0 defeat against Manchester City, saw striker Ricardo Fuller score got on the end of a delivery from long-throw specialist Rory Delap.

Fulham striker Andy Johnson struck from close range in the 11th minute for his 100th league goal to put the hosts ahead at Craven Cottage.

Johnson then made it 2-0 on the hour when he latched on to Jimmy Bullard's clever free-kick and scored from a tight angle.

Everton were heading for a goalless draw away to Bolton until Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini scored his second goal in as many games.

Match gallery - Chelsea vs Liverpool

2008-10-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Premier League - Liverpool end Chelsea run to go top

2008-10-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

Xabi Alonso's early goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to send the Reds to the top of the Premier League and end the hosts' impressive unbeaten record at home.

Alonso struck with a deflected shot after just 10 minutes to add weight to a growing argument that claims this Liverpool side are finally capable of ending an 18-year wait for the league title.

As for Chelsea, the defeat was their first of the season - and the first under the stewardship of Luiz Felipe Scloari - putting an end to their incredible home record of 86 games without loss - a run that had endured for four years and eight months.

Victory saw Liverpool take a three-point lead over Chelsea and surprise contenders Hull City at the summit of the Premier League. Chelsea travel to Hull on Wednesday.

Pre-match concern on Merseyside had centred on the absence of the injured Fernando Torres for the trip to west London, but Liverpool had already proved they are capable of beating top class opposition without their star striker this season - just ask Manchester United.

And so it was again at Stamford Bridge as fellow Spaniard Alonso proved to be the difference between the two sides.

The midfielder struck a shot from the edge of the Chelsea penalty area only to see it take enough of a deflection off Jose Bosingwa to leave Petr Cech completely wrong-footed and powerless to react as it bounced over the line.

Alonso struck a post with a free-kick before Ashley Cole wasted a great chance to restore parity on 73 minutes.

With that miss went Chelsea's hopes of getting something from the game as Liverpool battened down the hatches at the back and held on to all three points.

The opening to the match was a cagey affair, with both sides unwilling to show their full pack of cards as they took their time in figuring out the opposition.

The early goal sparked proceedings into life while momentarily rocking Chelsea - and their backline in particular - as Liverpool came forward seeking to hammer home their early advantage.

Twice they went close to doubling the lead, first Alert Riera shooting into the side netting after having robbed Bosingwa of the ball on the left hand side, and then Gerrard forcing Cech into tipping over the bar from his well-struck 25-yarder.

As the opening period wore on, Chelsea settled and eventually began to cause a few problems for the Liverpool defence.

Gerrard was nearly left with egg on his face on 37 minutes when he pulled up expecting a free kick for a foul; there was no whistle and Deco was allowed to break, taking the ball all the way to edge of the Liverpool box. But the Portuguese midfielder was off target, his shot bouncing wide of Jose Reina's upright.

After the break, Alonso left Cech wrong-footed for a second time with a superbly-struck free-kick from 25 yards, only to be denied a brace by the upright.

And when Cole was played in by a neat Frank Lampard nod down with 17 minutes remaining, it looked like Alonso would be left to rue his misfortune.

But it was not to be as Cole conspired to slice his first time effort wide of the mark, and it was the England defender who was left to rue his profligacy as Chelsea - a Deco shot that was deflected behind for a corner aside - struggled to create any further clear cut chances.

Scolari threw on Franco di Santo and Scott Sinclair in an attempt to break down the Liverpool defence but the young duo, like starter Nicolas Anelka, could not find a way through. How they need Didier Drogba back to fitness.

At the other end, substitute Ryan Babel went close to sealing the points as time ran out but his sweet drive flew inches wide of the post. No matter, the damage had already been done.

Benitez bullish for Blues battle.

2008-10-24T21:14:00.001-07:00

Liverpool face the toughest test of their season so far at Chelsea on Sunday with manager Rafael Benitez believing they can win without Fernando Torres.

It is testimony to Liverpool's improvement this term that the Spaniard can approach a daunting game at Stamford Bridge with such confidence.

It is a clash between the only two Premier League clubs still unbeaten this term, and already seen as a critical showdown in the race for the Premier League title as Liverpool go in search of their first top-flight crown since 1990.

In that time Liverpool have also only won once at Stamford Bridge, such has been their consistent fall from the lofty heights of 18 league title crowns in an illustrious past.

To get anywhere near ending their long run without domestic glory, Liverpool know they must start beating Chelsea, and the rest of the big four.

And Benitez is not even daunted by Chelsea's four-year, 86-match unbeaten home league record.

With Torres ruled out with a hamstring injury, the Anfield boss said: "Everyone knows Torres is a key player for us, he scores and we win games. But we have won plenty of games without him, and we have enough confidence in our squad to do so again.

"Without him it will be a different style of play, but we know we can manage.

"But we will have to step up a gear. If you want to have a chance in the future of achieving, if you want to keep players at this level (of performance), we need to beat this sort of team.

"We have the mentality to win this one, maybe after so long unbeaten at home for Chelsea in the league, it is time."

He added: "We are at the top of the table with Chelsea having not played our best yet. We are playing well but we can improve.

"And we do not have Torres, but I believe we have the firepower to beat Chelsea. We have been playing well and have good confidence.

"We have enough quality in the squad. We may have been more worried without Torres in the past, but we have improved, we have new players with a very good mentality.

"We have enough to beat a very good team, and that is Chelsea. It is too early to talk of titles, but we have the confidence to beat anyone.

"If we win it will be perfect and if we do not lose that too will be positive.

"Our idea is to stay unbeaten. But we are intent on winning. Every season we are improving, though. We could go top, which would be a good problem for me then having to keep expectations down.

"The key is to be ready. To have the team focused. Before the game to talk a lot is not good, afterwards maybe we will have to keep our people calm!

"Everyone is talking about us as a title challenger. Of course, Chelsea too.

"But we know there is a long way to go. The right message is to be humble and careful."

Benitez has declared skipper Steven Gerrard and midfielder Xabi Alonso both fit after minor injuries that forced their substitutions in the Champions League draw against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

There is a little more uncertainty about striker Robbie Keane, with a groin strain, and Benitez will make a late decision on the Irishman.

And he goes to Stamford Bridge without the added pressures caused by the now infamous war of words with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach dominated Benitez in league matches, while Liverpool achieved notable victories in the FA Cup and Champions League.

Now, it seems, Benitez senses a more cordial welcome in west London. He would not go as far as to say Chelsea were better under Luiz Felipe Scolari, but he got very close.

He said: "With Avram Grant the team was at the same level as with (Jose) Mourinho, but maybe more offensive.

"And that is now the same with Scolari. He is improving the team and the squad, so it will be just as difficult. But we are playing against the team, not the manager.

"But maybe Chelsea are now more offensive. That just makes it more difficult because they have such good players.

"Chelsea are a very good team. I would not want to say better than under Mourinho because I do not want to start any war of words, but it is clear that they are more offensive.

"They have a more offensive mentality, a very good team with a good attacking policy.

"This game may be more open than previous ones between the clubs. Clearly they have a stronger attacking mentality. They will go forward, they score goals, and we will have a much more attacking match.

"They have quality all around. They have full-backs who go forward, good wide men and attacking players, they are a very good side. They do not have too many weaknesses, but if we can win it will be a real boost."

Player to watch:
Steven Gerrard

Gerrard will try to do everything on the pitch, as usual - can he help the Reds usurp leaders Chelsea in the battle of the top two?

Injured players:
F. Torres
P. Degen
M. Skrtel

Liverpool vs Wigan - goal highlights

2008-10-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

Kuyt to Liverpool's rescue as Wigan see red.

2008-10-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) – Dirk Kuyt hit an 85th-minute winner as Liverpool snatched a late victory for the second successive game in a five-goal thriller against 10-man Wigan at Anfield on Saturday.

Rafa Benitez's men were trailing 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining when Spanish midfielder Albert Riera equalised from 20 yards.
Then five minutes later Kuyt connected with Jermaine Pennant's 85th-minute cross to earn his side a 3-2 win and keep Liverpool level on points with Chelsea at the Premier League summit.

In an action-packed encounter, Egyptian striker Amr Zaki scored twice to give Wigan a surprise 2-1 half-time lead.

But Wigan's hopes of producing a shock victory vanished when Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia was dismissed in the 75th minute after a two-footed tackle earned him a second yellow card of the afternoon.

Benitez had expressed his concerns on the eve of the game about the fatigue factor after having 16 players away on international duty in the build-up to Wigan's visit.
Javier Mascherano had only returned on Friday night after representing Argentina while Liverpool were denied the services of Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel due to injuries picked up playing for their respective countries.

The Liverpool manager recalled Pennant for his first Premier League start of the season, while Kuyt linked up with Robbie Keane in attack in the absence of Torres.
Yet the hosts looked a shadow of the team which had started the season unbeaten in 12 games.

There was no sign of the slick passing which had taken Benitez's side to joint top of the table
while Liverpool's usually hard-to-beat defence was at fault for both of Wigan's goals.
Zaki's first will no doubt make it onto the next 'Football's Greatest Blunders' DVD after a horrendous 29th-minute error by Daniel Agger gifted the forward his sixth Premier League goal since arriving on a season-long loan from Zamalek.

Agger, who was only playing because Martin Skrtel was injured, lost possession on the edge of his own area and Zaki picked his spot in front of The Kop.
The lead lasted eight minutes before Agger made amends by teeing-up Kuyt to equalise from 10 yards after the defender had played a one-two with Albert Riera to carve open the Wigan defence.

An ambitious effort by Kuyt from outside the area almost gave Liverpool a 44th-minute lead, but his effort crashed against the bar. In a thrilling end to the half, Wigan responded by storming forward to stun the hosts a second time.

If Zaki had been gifted his first goal, then his second proved what a truly gifted finisher the powerful 25-year-old is, as he volleyed Valencia's cross past Reina from a tight angle.
A livid Benitez wondered why his defence allowed Valencia to cross, but it was a delightful goal and even earned applause from Liverpool fans who appreciated the quality of Zaki's finish.
Liverpool had come back from 2-0 down in their previous match at Manchester City to win 3-2, and they were going to have to score twice in the second half if they were to extend their winning run to five games.

Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland, formerly of Liverpool, produced a fine block to deny Kuyt in the 58th minute but it took the dismissal of Valencia to get the hosts back into the game.
Riera fired through a sea of legs to equalise from 20 yards before Kuyt sealed a dramatic win from inside the area, Kirkland unable to keep out the Dutchman's effort.

Source - YAHOO!