 THERE was at least one nail-biting
encounter involving Merseysiders in London last night.
 Which set of fans won the race to get to Euston Station first?
That journey began painfully early for those who endured the midweek trek to The
Valley and Stamford Bridge.
Most were probably homeward bound long before their players departed the scene of
their latest disappointment.
For Rafa Benitez, frustration with officials has given way to public discontent
with his side.
Benitez had more reason to bemoan poor refereeing here than against Chelsea last
weekend. On Sunday it was inconsequential. This time it was pivotal.
The decision of Andre Marriner to penal-ise Jerzy Dudek's clumsy but unobstructive
challenge on Darren Bent transformed a one-sided contest and handed Charlton the platform
for victory.
Bent admitted to Jamie Carragher there was no contact, while the likeable Alan
Curbishley said the award was 'lucky'.
Rather than linger on the decision, Benitez was more frustrated with the four
minutes which followed the contentious penalty.
It wasn't the decision itself which cost Liverpool this game. It was Liverpool's
reaction to it which had a damning impact on their composure and form.
The rattled visitors wasted so much energy cursing their injustice they forgot to
play football, conceding a sloppy second to Luke Young which diminished their chances of a
comeback.
"Ridiculous" and "unbelievable" were two of the more charitable
descriptions offered by the Liverpool boss. "Unprofessional" would be another.
Liverpool did everything right for 41 minutes. Except the obvious.
Defensively sound, they were dictating the tempo in midfield, regularly attacking
down either flank and, occasionally, opening up Charlton's defence.
Even Fernando Morientes was looking good, tracking back and closing down Charlton
defenders in a fashion which suggested he'd been summoned into the manager's office and
reminded he was supposed to be world class rather than a poor man's Mark Hateley.
The two significant chances fell to an out-of-confidence Peter Crouch, who
miscontrolled when a decent first touch would have led to a sitter.
With so much possession, it seemed a goal was inevitable. Recent experience ought
to have reminded us otherwise.
As at Stamford Bridge, the opening goal was the cue for Liverpool to stop doing
everything they'd done before, apart from the not scoring bit.
When the other team scores, it's as if some imaginary starting pistol is going off
in the players' heads. With immediate effect, it prompts them to panic, lose their heads,
run around frantically and hit the corner flag with all shots from distance.
The signalling devices which trigger such actions as 'the killer pass' or more
elusive 'shot on target' have gone missing.
When Darren Bent tucked away the generous penalty, it should have been Charlton's
consolation goal in reverse.
So inferior were they to Liverpool at this point, it was inconceivable they would
hold on. |
Instead, the hosts grew in
confidence and quality as the Reds eased down the gears with alarming skill.
Morientes disappeared, Cisse stopped running at his full-back, the midfield didn't
do anything much and Liverpool stopped playing with a football and replaced it with a hot
spud.
The second half was dreadful, undermining the qualities of the first.
By then, Charlton were tactically in control. The opportunity to hit Liverpool on
the counter-attack played into their hands.
Darren Bent is a bargain signing. He was comfortably the best striker on the pitch,
which is a bit worrying when the combined price of the others is ?28m.
The England international struck the bar, while his less talented namesake Marcus
hit the post.
Charlton played much better protecting their lead in the second half than they did
assembling it.
Thomas Myhre was only called upon once, pushing Morientes' drive to safety before
Robbie Fowler could pounce.
"I never felt under pressure in the second half," said Curbishley. He
didn't need to.
Poor Fowler must be wondering what's happened. He joined a club pursuing the title.
Now a Champions League spot is far from certain.
His only consolation is when he is 100 per cent fit, he will be first choice.
The more the game progressed, the less Liverpool looked like creating.
At the risk of stating what is technically referred to as 'the obvious', the longer
the goal drought continues, the more confidence and form will drain out of the team.
The foundations for this defeat were laid during yet another opening period when
possession wasn't turned into goals.
Liverpool's opponents aren't having to work very hard to score. Liverpool are
working their socks off for very little, and ending games looked jaded and in disarray.
The second half of the season has begun in similar circumstances to the first. It's
as if the closure of the transfer window brings the curtain down on an elaborate hoax.
Liverpool resisted opportunities to strengthen in certain areas because, with some
justification, the players were in such good form only minor adjustments seemed necessary.
Cruelly, but horribly, this confidence looks rather misplaced now, with the
limitations which first appeared in August, and then disappeared for five months, coming
to the fore again at a point when it's too late to recruit.
Lack of pace, imagination and finishing power caused frustrating draws which should
have been wins at the start of the campaign.
Now Liverpool are losing tricky away fixtures with the kind of consistency Benitez
hoped he had eradicated.
Within the space of a month, the Kopites have gone from heading to Old Trafford
feeling ultra-confident of victory, to preparing for a visit to the JJB Stadium with a
sense of trepidation and foreboding.
The good news today is, despite a terrible run, Liverpool are still third with a
game in hand.
Forget the predictable nonsense about a 'crisis'. This is still nothing more than a
blip.
But they'd better snap out of it quick. Or God forbid, someone somewhere may start
describing it as a 'plateau'.
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