| Sunday 14 March 2004 16:05 FA
Barclays Premier League |
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 |
|
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| "Southampton" |
2 - 0 |
"Liverpool" |
| |
(0-0) |
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| |
| GOAL |
| Beattie 51, Phillips 85 |
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14 Antti Niemi
2 Jason Dodd (c)
5 Claus Lundekvam
11 Michael Svensson
3 Graeme Le Saux
33 Paul Telfer
20 David Prutton
18 Rory Delap
10 Neil McCann
9 James Beattie
7 Kevin Phillips
Subs:
13 Paul Smith
19 Danny Higginbotham
12 Anders Svensson
21 Jo Tessem
17 Marian Pahars |
|
22 Chris Kirkland
25 Igor Biscan
36 Jon Otsemobor
4 Sami Hyypia
18 John Arne Riise
11 Vladimir Smicer
13 Danny Murphy
16 Dietmar Hamann
17 Steven Gerrard (c)
8 Emile Heskey
9 El Hadji Diouf
Subs:
29 Patrice Luzi
15 Salif Diao
28. Bruno Cheyrou
20 Anthony Le Tallec
24 Florent Sinama-Pongolle |
| |
| SUBSTITUTIONS |
Le Saux (Higginbotham 44)
McCann (A Svensson 67)
Phillips (Tessem 90) |
|
Diouf (Heskey 60)
Henchoz (Riise 74) |
| |
| OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS |
| Referee: Dermot
Gallagher (Oxfordshire) |
| Booked: McCann 40, Telfer 62,
Lundekvam 88) Hamann 81 |
|
Booked: Hamann 81 |
| VENUE |
|
MANAGERS |
St Mary's (capacity 32,551)
Attendance: 32,056 |
|
Paul Sturrock (Southampton)
Gerard Houllier (Liverpool) |
 Price: J
Notes:
- Michael Owen missed a penalty on 73'
- Cheyrou, in for Kewell in the starting line-up, has to pull out of the squad just
before kick-off.
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|
MORE MISERY FOR REDS AS
MISSED CHANCES PROVE COSTLY
Michael Owen missed a penalty as Liverpool provided new Southampton manager Paul
Sturrock with a perfect introduction to life in the Premiership.
Less than two weeks ago, Sturrock was sitting on the bench at Home Park watching
his Plymouth Argyle team extend their lead at the top of Division Two to four points
thanks to a 2-nil victory over Sheffield Wednesday. Today, at St Mary's Stadium, he took
charge of his very first Southampton match and saw goals from James Beattie and Kevin
Phillips snatch all three points in a game that Liverpool could have won.
It's hard to believe there is so much money at stake for the team that finishes
fourth in the Premiership because no one seems to want that last Champions League spot. On
Saturday, Birmingham managed to lose at home to crisis club Leicester, 24 hours later
Newcastle lost to Tottenham and then this, Liverpool 8th defeat of the season against a
team that had only recorded one win in 11 before today's victory.
Such is the way with the Premiership these days, Southampton fans outside the
stadium were talking about possible relegation before the match kicked off. With just 33
points, they believed they were still seven points away from the 40-point target that many
people believes ensures Premiership safety. Two hours later and they found themselves just
three points behind Liverpool, a team still harbouring thoughts of playing in Europe's
premier competition next season.
If Liverpool really do want to take anything from a nightmare season, they'll have
to get their act together and fast.
Gerard Houllier had made three changes to the team that disappointed at Anfield on
Thursday night. Two of the changes were forced - Jerzy Dudek came in for Chris Kirkland,
who broke his wrist in training on Saturday, and Igor Biscan replaced Steve Finnan who is
suffering with a shoulder injury - while the other one was tactical as Danny Murphy was
dropped/rested in favour of El-Hadji Diouf. With the Republic of Irelandinternational out,
Stephane Henchoz was switched to right-back with Igor Biscan partnering Sami Hyypia in the
centre. There should have been a fourth change with Bruno Cheyrou named on the team-sheet
ahead of Harry Kewell only for the Australian to get an instant reprieve after the
Frenchman injured himself before the game had even started.
Liverpool started the game in a lively manner and could have been in front after
just nine minutes when Harry Kewell unleashed a low drive that Antti Niemi did well to
push behind for a corner.
Four minutes later and Milan Baros, passed fit after an injury scare against
Marseille, registered his first shot of the afternoon. His low strike, from Liverpool's
left, was well wide of Niemi's post.
Southampton came into the game with just one win from their last 11 league and cup
matches and judging by the start they made to today's match, it wasn't hard to see why.
The home defence looked exposed every time Liverpool ventured past the halfway line.
After efforts from Kewell and Baros, Steven Gerrard was the next to try his luck
and after finding himself totally unmarked just ten yards out, he really should have done
better with his curling effort that failed to find the target.
The Saints had to wait 26 minutes for their first real sniff of the action when
Claus Lundekvam found himself on the end of a Graeme Le Saux free-kick but his header was
easily dealt with by Dudek. The chance, though missed, did mark a slight swing in the way
the game was going though with the home team's confidence boosted. Finally, we had a game
being contested by two teams.
Despite Southampton's new attacking spirit, Gerard Houllier was given his biggest
scare of the first-half when James Beattie managed to knock Dudek over while challenging
for a cross. When the Pole stayed down, clutching his back in agony, the Liverpool manager
must have thought his worst nightmare was about to come true. With Kirkland out for six
weeks and the virtuallyuntested Patrice Luzi on the bench, the last thing Houllier needed
was an injury to Dudek. Fortune, for once, smiled on Liverpool and Dudek dusted himself
off to play on.
Liverpool saved their best chance of the first-half until the last few seconds of
the opening period when Kewell threaded a sublime pass through to Michael Owen, only for
the England striker to hit his shot straight at the feet of the advancing Niemi. It was a
glorious chance that should have resulted in a goal. It didn't and somehow Liverpool went
in for the break on level terms.
If the Liverpool players needed any further incentive of going for a win in the
second-half, it arrived in the form of a full-time result from White Hart Lane while they
were sat in the changing rooms. Newcastle, our supposed most serious rivals for fourth
place, had lost again. A win today, followed by another win against Southampton's
arch-enemy Portsmouth on Wednesday, would see us go two points clear in fourth.
First though, Liverpool had to win this match and their job was made all the more
difficult when Igor Biscan miss-kicked a clearance after 50 minutes only for Kevin
Phillips to set up Beattie for his 13th goal of the season. His strike from close range
gave Dudek no chance and edged him one goal ahead of Owen in this season's top scorers
table.
How Owen didn't level the game for Liverpool after 58 minutes we'll never know.
When Niemi saved from Gerrard, the ball fell perfectly to the No.10 just three yards out
but his shot hit the post rather than the back of the net. Another Liverpool attack
seconds later saw Hyypia head the ball into the area only for Owen's header to be saved.
Heskey, brought on for the ineffectual Diouf, also drew a save from a header as Liverpool
sensed the desperation of the situation they found themselves in.
Liverpool had their chances, no doubt about that, but chances count for nothing
unless you take them and Liverpool were not taking theirs.
Kewell had a brilliant volley well saved from distance and then, after 71 minutes,
Liverpool luck appeared to change when the Australian was brought down in the area. The
referee pointed to the spot and Liverpool fans waited with baited breath to see if Owen
would take it after missing his last spot-kick against Portsmouth. He did and just like at
Fratton Park, he missed. A short run-up was followed by a Niemi save. Surely after ten
misses from his last 20 penalties, it's time Liverpool found themselves a new man for the
spot-kicks.
To add insult to injury, Phillips showed Liverpool's players how to take chances
when he wrapped the game up with a great strike with just five minutes remaining.
Teams
Southampton: Niemi, Le Saux, Lundekvam, Svensson, Dodd (c), McCann, Delap, Prutton,
Telfer, Phillips, Redknapp. Subs - Higginbotham, Pahars, Smith, Svensson, Tessem.
Liverpool: Dudek, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Biscan,
Kewell, Gerrard (c), Hamann, Diouf, Baros, Owen. Subs - Heskey, Luzi, Murphy, Riise,
Traore.
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
Conditions: Unavailable
Attendance: Unavailable
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Unavailable.
Breakdown
1 mins: Liverpool kick the game off defending the goal behind which our supporters are sat
5 mins: No shots on goal yet with the majority of play confined to the midfield
9 mins: Low strike by Kewell is tipped around the post by Niemi
14 mins: Baros turns and shoots from the edge of the box but his effort rolls narrowly
wide of the near post
19 mins: Phillips fires well wide with a snap shot from just outside the area
22 mins: Gerrard curlsa right-footed effort narrowly wide after finding space on the left
side of the box
27 mins: Lundekvam heads into the arms of Dudek following a free-kick from Le Saux
29 mins: Dudek rushes out to deny Phillips after the ball is played over the Liverpool
defence
30 mins: Biscan does well to head clear and prevent Beattie from getting a header in on
goal
36 mins: Dudek goes down injured following a challenge by Beattie
40 mins: Booking: Neil McCann: for a foul on Owen
41 mins: Biscan forces Niemi into a low diving save with a header from the Gerrard
free-kick
44 mins: Substitution: Danny Higginbotham for Graham Le Saux:
45 mins: Niemi pulls off a great save with his legs to deny Owen who is clean through on
goal
16:55 GMT: Half Time Reached
17:11 GMT: Second Half Begins
46 mins: Beattie heads over from a McCann cross
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