 CHARLTON V LIVERPOOL: THE FINAL WORD
Despite a dominant first-half performance, two goals against the run of play on the
stroke of half-time made it four Premiership games without a win for the Reds. Here's the
best of the analysis...
The Liverpool Manager
"It was unbelievable we have lost that game. For the first 40 minutes we were
always attacking and it was one-way traffic. Then what happened was just crazy. It's clear
to see it wasn't a penalty but when you concede a goal you then can't concede another.
We've got to learn from our mistakes and we've got to learn soon. If we want to win
trophies we can't concede a second goal straight after the first. We've been talking about
mistakes after recent games and tonight we have made another two. It wasn't as if Dudek
was making saves all night, we created chances and had lots of set-pieces but we needed to
score. I can't criticise the players' work-rate because we always wanted to attack and try
to win the game but again the problem was the mistakes that we made." Rafael Benitez
The Opposition Manager
"Liverpool showed why they're Champions of Europe in the first half. They were
fantastic and they didn't just pass the ball well - when we won it back they forced us
into errors but we ended up coming off at half time 2-0 up. That's football sometimes, but
we'll take it. Here at The Valley in recent weeks we've had a defensive mentality. Tonight
they defended magnificently. I think we denied Liverpool any real opportunities. The
penalty was probably a bit fortunate but we've hardly had a penalty in the five years
we've been back in The Premiership. The goal galvanised us - galvanised the crowd - and
gave us all a bit of a lift because we had been under the kosh and it was a great goal
from Luke. Second half I felt quite comfortable, to be fair. I knew we'd have a chance on
the break. It fizzled out a bit for them and we kept going." Alan Curbishley,
Charlton
The Liverpool Supporter
"Last year, when we went through that wonderful 12-game unbeaten streak,
belief coursed throughout our team. The passing was flowing, the movement was good and the
confidence was high. At the moment, confidence is low and the belief has been replaced by
hope, hope that we can get through this patch and hope that we can get back to winning
ways. So what has happened? Where are we going wrong? Well, the long season has caught up
with us and it was harshly evident last night at the Valley. Disjointed passes and wayward
movement have replaced the crisp passing and movement that we enjoyed in the beginning of
the season. So where do we go from here? Well losing is a very hard habit to break. The
sooner we put a stop to it, the better. The backline needs to shore up and we need to
influence the midfield more. We hold one of the strongest midfields in the Premiership and
we should be bossing that area." Equinox
The Broadsheet Newspaper
"Liverpool's Forty Second Street may be a joyous theatrical experience but it bombed
as far as Rafael Benitez and his team were concerned last night. That is how many matches
they have played - an entire season for some clubs - and this jaded performance confirmed
as much. A juggernaut, which in a sense is what Liverpool are, would have been banned from
the road after mileage like that. Being defeated by Manchester United and Chelsea as they
have been recently, either side of their draw with Birmingham, is one thing, however.
Coming away second best against a side who were 10 places and 15 points inferior at the
start of the match is quite another. So they have blown one of the two matches they had in
hand against second- placed United and they have taken one point from a possible 12,
hardly the form of a team allegedly establishing a new order of things near the top of the
table; indeed it is legitimate to question their ability to sustain a top-three place.
Even the fact that they dominated long passages of the first half and conceded a
controversial penalty did not disguise the fact that they were outplayed and outfought for
much of the match." Paul Weaver, The Guradian |
The Tabloid Newspaper
"Badly missing the drive of the injured Stevie Gerrard in midfield, Liverpool
continued their capital punishment in London this season. Already this season they have
lost at Fulham, Crystal Palace and Chelsea as well as drawing at Tottenham and in Europe
at Stamford Bridge. Last night now makes no wins in six attempts. This fixture was
rescheduled from August because of Liverpool's European commitments but Charlton still
managed to produce their early season form. The Addicks have already lost at home to
Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal this season. Yet the timing of this victory -
following an awkward January of only one win in five Premiership games - could not have
been better for Alan Curbishley's England candidature. After weathering a rocky first 20
minutes, the margin of victory could have been even bigger as Charlton hit the woodwork
twice after the break through their Bent strike double." Neil McLeman, Daily
Mirror
|
