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| Liverpool 1 - 1 Birmingham City | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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REDS
LEFT DEFLATED BY LATE DRAMA Liverpool closed the gap on second placed Manchester United but were ultimately left frustrated as a late own goal from Xabi Alonso gifted ten-man Birmingham a share of the spoils on the night Anfield's prodigal son made his eagerly anticipated return. Steven Gerrard had earlier put the Reds in front with a 65th minute strike but despite their obvious superiority they failed to build on the lead and were punished when Alonso deflected the ball past Pepe Reina three minutes from time. In a further twist to a night of high drama, returning hero Robbie Fowler, on as a second half substitute, had an injury time winner ruled out for offside as a game that should have been easily wrapped up ended in bitter disappointment. Undeterred by the freezing cold, a near capacity crowd had made their way to Anfield for the return of 'God'. Fowler was the name on the lips of everyone Anfield and when he stepped out for the warm-up a standing ovation greeted his re-appearance on the stage he graced during the 1990s. A resounding roar then reverberated around the ground when his number was read out over the tannoy just prior to kick-off and, as the once familiar 'Fowler' chanted boomed out from the Kop like before, a banner reading 'Fowler God 11, Welcome Back To Heaven' was unveiled that encapsulated the occasion. Despite all the pre-match hype Rafael Benitez did not bow to public pressure though and as expected Fowler had to make do with a place on the bench. More of a surprise was Rafa's selection to place Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso alongside him, although with a heavy schedule of important games looming it was an understandable decision. Into Carragher's shoes stepped 21-year old Daniel Agger for his Liverpool debut, while Luis Garcia returned after missing the last four games through injury. Dietmar Hamann, Peter Crouch, Harry Kewell and Steve Finnan were also welcomed back into the starting eleven as the boss made six changes to the side that started the weekend FA Cup victory over Portsmouth. But on their return to Premiership action it did not take Liverpool long to get into their stride and only six minutes had elapsed when Steven Gerrard fired the first warning shot of the night towards the Birminghamgoal when he hammered a free-kick narrowly over Maik Taylor's bar. Garcia then tested the keeper with a low drive from the right edge of the box before the visitors hit back with a delicate chip from David Dunn that Pepe Reina was relieved to see land on the roof of the Kop net. Reina was called into action again on the 20-minute mark after Agger conceded possession on the edge of the box. Chris Sutton shot low, looking for the bottom right-hand corner, but fortunately the Spaniard got down well to smother and spare the Dane's blushes. Other than that, the former Brondby man appeared calm and composed on his first Reds appearance. He slotted seamlessly into the centre of defence alongside Sami Hyypia and proved he's made of solid stuff when making a rapid recovery from the horror tackle that resulted in the 28th minute dismissal of Damien Johnson. The best of the attacking play continued to come from the Reds and the next decent chance on goal was a headed effort from Garcia. The second half started in much the same vein but it remained in the air, rather than on the floor, where the chances fell. Crouch headed wide, Hyypia headed onto the bar and Agger headed straight at the keeper as Liverpool strove for that all-important breakthrough. After much pressing it finally came. With the crowd calling for some divine intervention from the bench in the shape of the player nicknamed God, Gerrard broke the deadlock with a close-range finish following a clever cut-back by Fernando Morientes. Relief swept through the stands as the goal went in but the roar that greeted it was nothing compared to the sound moments later when Fowler made his second Reds bow, twelve years and four months since his first. With Kewell pulling the strings, Liverpool's impressive attacking rhythm continued to flow and Steve Bruce could have had no complaints at this point if his side had finished up on the wrong end of a hiding. Garcia and Alonso, on for Gerrard, threatenedto put the result beyond doubt before a late, unexpected sucker-punch left Liverpudlians bewildered and deflated. Moments earlier Reina pulled off a stunning save to deny Emile Heskey but as the final whistle loomed he found himself beaten following a mix-up in the six-yard box with Alonso. That was by no means the end of the drama though. Alonso almost made amends with a free-kick that Taylor tipped over, Hamann hit the bar and Fowler's acrobatic injury-time overhead kick was ruled out for offside. Had Fowler's effort stood it would have been the greatest fairy-tale of them all. Sadly, it wasn't to be and with Manchester United losing at Blackburn and leaders Chelsea being held to a draw by Aston Villa this was a genuine missed opportunity to close the gap further on the top two. Teams Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina, Riise, Hyypia, Agger, Finnan, Kewell, Gerrard, Hamann, Garcia, Crouch, Morientes. Subs - Carson, Fowler, Alonso, Carragher, Warnock. Birmingham City (4-4-2): Taylor, Kilkenny, Upson (captain), Latka, Melchiot, Gray, Johnson, Dunn, Pennant, Sutton, Heskey. Subs - Vaesen, Bruce, Lazaridis, Tebily, Forssell. Referee: Uriah Rennie Conditions: Freezing cold Attendance: 43,851 Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Harry Kewell Copyright of Official Site Liverpool FC |
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