| Saturday 31 December 2005 15:00
FA Barclays Premier League |
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| "Liverpool" |
3 - 3 |
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(1-2) |
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| GOAL |
| Crouch 51 |
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25 Jose Reina
6 John Arne Riise
3 Steve Finnan
23 Jamie Carragher
4 Sami Hyypia
7 Harry Kewell
14 Xabi Alonso
8 Steven Gerrard (c)
10 Luis Garcia
11 Peter Crouch
9 Djibril Cisse
Subs:
20 Scott Carson
21 Djimi Traore
16 Dietmar Hamann
22 Mohamed Sissoko
24 Florent Sinama-Pongolle |
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29 Tomasz Kuszczak
14 Martin Albrechtsen
6 Neil Clement
19 Curtis Davies
3 Paul Robinson
24 Ronnie Wallwork
16 Steve Watson
17 Darren Carter
12 Richard Chaplow
21 Kevin Campbell
9 Geoff Horsfield
Subs:
1 Russell Hoult
5 Darren Moore
8 Jonathan Greening
15 Diomansy Kamara
25 Nathan Ellington |
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| SUBSTITUTIONS |
Kewell (Sinama-Pongolle 67)
Crouch (Sissoko 81)
Cisse (Traore 89) |
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Chaplow (Greening 65)
Wallwork (Kamara 76)
Campbell (Ellington 80) |
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| OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS |
| Referee: Alan Wiley
(Staffordshire) |
| Booked: |
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Booked: |
| VENUE |
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MANAGERS |
Anfield (capacity 45,362)
Attendance: 44,192 |
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Rafael Benitez (Liverpool)
Bryan Robson (WBA) |
 Price: J3,00
Notes:
- Liverpool's 10th league win in a row
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CROUCH SECURES PERFECT
TEN FOR REDS
Liverpool ended a glorious year on a high as a second half goal from Peter Crouch
secured a tenth straight league victory over West Brom this afternoon.
The Reds kept the pressure on at the top of the table after a deserved victory over
a West Brom side who battled for their lives but who, in the end, couldn't cope with
another dominant Liverpool display.
Crouch netted the game's only goal seven minutes into the second period when he
headed Harry Kewell's cross into the corner of the net to register his seventh of the
season “ and his first in front of the Kop.
It was no more than Rafael Benitez's side deserved from a match they controlled
from start to finish as they sealed the victory which saw them match the achievement of
the 1982 title winning Liverpool team in winning ten games in succession.
It may be premature to suggest the championship will be coming home at the end of
this season but, as we look forward to the start of a brand new year, there's little doubt
the Reds are moving quickly in the right direction.
If the final outcome came as no surprise, then the length of time it took the home
side to take the lead did as they controlled the game from the first whistle, dominating
possession and creating all of the goalscoring chances.
They would have led at the break had it not been for the goalkeeping heroics of
Tomasz Kuszczak “ whose performances are currently keeping the Reds' on-loan Chris
Kirkland out of Bryan Robson's first team.
Kuszczak made a number of fine first half stops as the Baggies defence at times
struggled to cope with the fluency of Liverpool's attacking movement.
Harry Kewell, who was lively throughout, came close to breaking the deadlock twice
within the space of a minute when he saw one effort tipped over by the Baggies' number one
and then watched in disbelief as a venomous low drive from close range was somehow palmed
away to safety.
John Arne Riise, who was one of two changes to the Liverpool side from the one
which won at Goodison in midweek, went even closer midway through the half when his low
placed effort rebounded agonisingly off the inside of the far post.
Steven Gerrard also tested Kuszczak with a low drive late in the half as the Reds
tried to grab an advantage before the half time whistle sounded.
They didn't have to wait long after the break, however, for the breakthrough
arrived when Peter Crouch headed home his seventh goal of the month to give the Reds a
deserved lead after 52 minutes.
Kewell collected the ball on the left side of the field and his clipped cross into
the area was nodded into the far corner of the net by Crouch who celebrated his first goal
at the Kop end.
Riise went close to adding a second when his well drilled free kick was somehow
kept out by Kuszczak while Xabi Alonso curled the ball into the side-netting with a cheeky
right footed free kick as the home side confirmed their superiority.
Crouch thought he had doubled the lead eighteen minutes from time when he headed
Cisse's cross towards the goal from close range, but again Kuszczak defied the odds with
another sensational stop.
In the end one goal was enough to take another three points as the Reds made it ten
wins in a row ahead of their next clash at Bolton on Monday.
A great end to a fabulous year. More of the same in 2006 please lads.
Teams
Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina, Riise, Carragher, Hyypia,
Finnan, Kewell, Gerrard, Alonso, Garcia, Crouch, Cisse. Subs - Carson, Hamann, Traore,
Sinama Pongolle, Sissoko.
West Brom (5-3-2): Kuszczak, Carter, Robinson, Davies, Clement, Chaplow, Wallwork,
Albrechtsen, Watson, Campbell, Horsfield. Subs - Hoult, Moore, Greening, Kamara,
Ellington.
Referee: Alan Wiley
Conditions: Cold
Attendance: 44,192
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Harry Kewell
Breakdown
15:01 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : West Brom get the game underway attacking the Kop
3 mins : Gerrard and Riise combine neatly on the edge of the Albion box but it's to no
avail as the ball eventually runs out of play
4 mins : Garcia tries his luck with a tame shot from distance that Kuszczak saves with
ease
6 mins : Kewell forces a corner off Davies
10 mins : A timely intervention by Gerrard on the edge of the Reds penalty area prevents
Carter with a free shot at goal
13 mins : Horsefield fires over with a speculative effort from 25-yards out
14 mins : Kewell burns the fingers of Kuszczak with a stinging long-range drive
15 mins : The Albion keeper denies Kewell again, this time with a fine diving save
20 mins : Cisse has a first time side-footed shot blocked by the legs of Albrechtsen
21 mins : Good cross by Cisse from the right but there are no Liverpool players on hand to
capitalise
22 mins : Riise hits the foot of the post with a low shot and from the rebound Kuszczak
pushes out a Kewell effort
24 mins : Kewell blazes a chance high over the bar and almost into the upper Anfield Road
stand
27 mins : Chaplow scuffs a shot wide for the visitors
27 mins : Crouch gets up well to reach a Carragher through ball but fails to find the
target
30 mins : Kewell rolls the ball disappointingly into the arms of Kuszczak after more good
wing play
34 mins : Finnan's hopeful punt forward almost bounces over the keeper but Kuszczak leaps
high to get a hand to it at the last minute
36 mins : Kuszczak does well yet again to keep out a powerfully struck Gerrard shot from
the edge of the box
38 mins : Albrechtsen shoots wide with a long-range effort
40 mins : Another promising Liverpool move ends with Alonso firing over from 30-yards out
45 mins : Gerrard curls a free-kick narrowly wide
15:47 GMT : Half Time Reached
16:04 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Liverpool get the game restarted
50 mins : Gerrard wins a corner on left but the Albion defence does well to clear the
danger
52 mins : GOAL! Peter Crouch: great header from a Kewell cross
54 mins : Kewell drags a shot wide as the Reds threaten again
60 mins : A fierce long-range strike by Gerrard is deflected narrowly over the bar
61 mins : Cisse's header from six-yards is comfortably gathered by the keeper
64 mins : Riise blasts a free-kick through the Albion wall but Kuszcak once again gets
down well to thwart the Reds
65 mins : Substitution: Jonathan Greening for Richard Chaplow:
66 mins : Crouch goes close with an ambitious overhead kick
68 mins : Substitution: Florent Sinama Pongolle for Harry Kewell:
68 mins : Gerrard is brought down just outside the box by Davies and Liverpool are awarded
a free-kick
69 mins : From which Alonso finds the side-netting with a curling shot
73 mins : Crouch is denied a second headed goal by the legs of Kuszczak following a great
cross by Cisse and from the rebound Gerrard fires narrowly wide
76 mins : Substitution: Diomansy Kamara for Ronnie Wallwork:
77 mins : Pongolle shoots straight at Kuszczak after swift Liverpool counter-attack
79 mins : The Albion keeper is once again in the right place at the right time, this time
to catch a half-volley from Gerrard
80 mins : Substitution: Nathan Ellington for Kevin Campbell:
81 mins : Substitution: Momo Sissoko for Peter Crouch:
88 mins : Garcia frustratingly wastes a chance to wrap up the points when clean through on
the left edge of the box
89 mins : Substitution: Djimi Traore for Djibril Cisse:
90 mins : The fourth official indicates that three minutes of added time will be played
90 mins : Gerrard shoots narrowly wide
16:52 GMT : Match Over
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