Wednesday 8 February 2006 20:00 FA Barclays Premier League
"Charlton Athletic"	2 - 0	"Liverpool"
	(2-0)
GOAL
Bent 42 p., Young 45
Team: 36. Thomas Myhre, 3. Hermann Hreidarsson, 5. Chris Perry, 23. Jonathan Spector, 2. Luke Young, 14. Jerome Thomas, 20. Bryan Hughes, 25. Alexi Smertin, 7. Radostin Kishishev, 6. Marcus Bent, 10. Darren Bent. Subs: 18. Darren Ambrose, 16. Steve Anderson, 38. Jay Bothroyd, 15. Talal El Karkouri, 9. Jason Euell.		Team: 1. Jerzy Dudek, 21. Djimi Traore, 23. Jamie Carragher (c), 4. Sami Hyypia, 3. Steve Finnan, 7. Harry Kewell, 22. Mohamed Sissoko, 14. Xabi Alonso, 15. Peter Crouch, 19. Fernando Morientes, 9. Djibril Cisse. Subs: 20. Scott Carson, 6. John Arne Riise, 2. Jan Kromkamp, 16. Dietmar Hamann, 11. Robbie Fowler.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Thomas (Ambrose 79), Smertin (El Karkouri 83)		Crouch (Fowler 60), Hyypia (Riise 69), Cisse (Kromkamp 78)
OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS
Referee: Andrew Marriner (W Midlands)
Booked: TThomas 43, Perry 47		Booked: Dudek 42, Carragher 43
VENUE		MANAGERS
The Valley (capacity: 23,000) Attendance: 27,111		Alan Curbishley (Charlton A) Rafael Benitez (Liverpool)

  Price: J2,50

  By David Prior at The Valley, Daily Post

  By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

  Official Match Analysis

  Смертин поставил подножку «Ливерпулю» - репортах о матче

  REDS SUNK BY QUICK-FIRE TWO-GOAL BLAST

  It's now a worrying four Premiership games without a win for Liverpool after they slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic at The Valley.

  Despite a dominant first half performance two goals against the run of play on the stroke of half-time did the damage as a glorious chance to close in on second place went begging.

  A 42nd minute penalty from Darren Bent was quickly followed by a Luke Young strike and the shell-shocked visitors were unable to recover.

  Having not won in the league since mid-January this 'game in hand' was of paramount importance in terms of the Reds' pursuit of Manchester United and they started brightly under the floodlights in south east London.

  Djibril Cisse and Fernando Morientes were both recalled to the first eleven after starting on the bench against Chelsea and they fired early warning shots at the Charlton goal before Peter Crouch saw a headed effort go wide.

  The traffic was all one way and the intricate passing football from the visitors a joy to watch in opening stages.

  Despite their goal-shy performance at Stamford Bridge four days previous the Liverpool strike-force appeared rejuvenated and were playing efficiently as the first line of defence as the home side found themselves pinned in their own half.

  Maybe it was the spectre of Robbie Fowler on the bench that did the trick or a rousing pre-match team-talk from the boss. Whatever it was, it was a welcoming sight for the Liverpudlian hordes that were once again out in force in the capital.

  Of some concern though was that possession was again not being transformed into goals and Liverpool were to pay the ultimate price for their lack of killer instinct in front of goal just before the break.

  Totally undeserved, they suddenly found themselves trailing. Champions League hero Jerzy Dudek, making his first start since Istanbul, was controversially accused of bringing down Bent in the box and the Addicks striker dusted himself down to tuck the resultant spot-kick home with ease.

  If that was a shock to the system the second goal, which followed just three minutes later, had the white shirts reeling. An Alexi Smertin pass found Young and with a thumping right foot finish he doubled the advantage.

  Spector dives in on Cisse at The Valley (RichardHeathcote/GettyImages)

  This quick-fire two goal blast not surprisingly lifted home spirits and Liverpool could easily have found themselves four goals down early in the second period when within another frenzied three-minute spell Bent hit the bar and his namesake Marcus struck the upright.

  Benitez had by now introduced Fowler, in place of Crouch but there was to be no divine intervention from God. A mini-revival saw Morientes force Thomas Myhre into a rare second half save but that was as close as Liverpool got to a consolation goal on a night that promised so much but again ended in bitter frustration.

  Teams

  Charlton Athletic: Myhre, Hreidarsson, Perry, Spector, Young, Thomas, Hughes, Smertin, Kishishev, Bent, Bent. Subs - Ambrose, Anderson, Bothroyd, El Karkouri, Euell.

  Liverpool: Dudek, Traore, Carragher, Hyypia, Finnan, Kewell, Alonso, Sissoko, Cisse, Crouch, Morientes. Subs - Carson, Fowler, Hamann, Kromkamp, Riise.

  Referee: Andrew Mariner

  Conditions:

  Attendance: 27,111

  Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Xabi Alonso

  Breakdown

20:02 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Liverpool get the match underway attacking their vast travelling support
2 mins : Finnan concedes a corner which Thomas floats to the far post and which Liverpool clear
3 mins : Kewell shows good speed down the left to win Liverpool their first corner of the match
5 mins : Cisse runs towards goal and slides a low shot wide of the far post
6 mins : Morientes volleys straight at Myhre after Finnan picks him out with a well delivered right wing cross
9 mins : Sissoko and Morientes try to work a one two outside the box but lose control of the ball and Charlton clear
12 mins : Cisse crosses from the right and find Crouch who heads an effort wide of target
14 mins : Crouch misses a golden chance in the area when he chests the ball down but can't fire in a shot before the home defence clears
15 mins : Dudek shows great composure to dribble the ball past Bent inside his own area
19 mins : Good skill by Cisse down the right to turn Spector and win the Reds another corner
20 mins : Alonso's corner finds the head of Hyypia but the Finn's header is deflected for another corner
23 mins : Smertin volleys wide of goal after Dudek's punch had cleared the box
24 mins : Alonso curls a free kick from a dangerous area into the box but the ball evades everyone and rolls out of play
26 mins : Sissoko flicks the ball towards Hyypia in the area but Charlton clear the danger. We're dominating the game so far but need a goal
29 mins : Kewell crosses for Crouch in the area and the striker goes down under a challenge looking for a penalty
36 mins : Sissoko tries to charge down the right side but concedes a free kick
38 mins : Kewell comes within inches of sliding Crouch through on goal as Liverpool continue to press
39 mins : Alonso sends Cisse clear with a brilliant goal and Charlton are forced to defend desperately from the Frenchman's cross
42 mins : Booking: Jerzy Dudek:
42 mins : Penalty Scored! Darren Bent: Bent scores from the spot after Dudek had hauled him down in the box
43 mins : Booking: Jamie Carragher:
43 mins : Booking: Jerome Thomas:
45 mins : GOAL! Luke Young: Young smashes the ball into the far corner to double the home side's lead
20:50 GMT : Half Time Reached
21:06 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Charlton get the second period of the game underway
47 mins : Booking: Chris Perry: Foul on Cisse
48 mins : Bent requires treatment on the edge of the area after taking a knock
50 mins : Crouch brings the ball down nicely on the edge of the box but Charlton's defence reacts quickly to clear their lines
54 mins : Bent faces Carragher down the right and delivers a brilliant cross to the far post where his namesake can't quite get on the end of it
56 mins : Alonso curls a long range free kick over the wall and well over the goal
57 mins : Traore launches a cross to the far post but Crouch is penalised for a foul on Myhre
60 mins : Alonso curls the ball to the far post but it's over-hit
60 mins : Substitution: Robbie Fowler for Peter Crouch:
61 mins : Darren Bent gets in behind Hyypia and smashes a shot off Dudek's bar with the goalkeeper beaten
64 mins : Marcus Bent hits the post this time as Liverpool's defensive line is once again beaten. Lucky to be just two down now
66 mins : The ball falls kindly to Sissoko outside the box but he fires well wide
69 mins : Cisse charges down the right but his cross is poor and the ball goes out of play
69 mins : Substitution: John Arne Riise for Sami Hyypia:
73 mins : Cisse sets up Morientes but Myhre makes a fine save and Kishishev clears over his own goal
78 mins : Substitution: Jan Kromkamp for Djibril Cisse:
79 mins : Substitution: Darren Ambrose for Jerome Thomas:
82 mins : Ambrose skips past three players in the area and goes to ground but that's no penalty
83 mins : Substitution: Talal El Karkouri for Alexi Smertin:
90 mins : Three extra minutes to be played. Two goals needed.
21:54 GMT : Match Over

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