| Thursday 10 April 2008 19:00
FA Premier League Reserves (Northern Division) |
| |
 |
|
 |
| "Liverpool" |
2 - 1 |
"Manchester
City" |
| |
(2-0) |
|
| |
| GOAL |
| Brouwer 12, 30 |
|
Clayton 76 |
| |
1 Peter Gulacsi
2 Stephen Darby (c)
3 Emiliano Insua
4 Mikel San Jose
5 Ronald Huth
6 Damien Plessis
7 Ryan Flynn
8 Jay Spearing
9 Jordy Brouwer
10 Krisztian Nemeth
11 Gerardo Bruna
Subs:
13 Chris Oldfield
14 Martin Kelly
12 Daniel Pacheco
16 Ryan Crowther
15 Andras Simon |
|
1 Andreas
Isaksson
2 Curtis Obeng
3 Karl Moore
4 Sam Williamson
5 Garry Breen
6 Mike Daly
7 Adam Clayton
8 Ashley Grimes
9 Nimely-Tchuimeni
10 Paul Marshall
11 Christian Mouritsen
Subs:
13 Martin
- Poole
- I Daly
- Brown
- Valeri Bojinov |
| |
| SUBSTITUTIONS |
Darby (Kelly 46)
Nemeth (Pacheco 66)
Spearing (Crowther 80) |
|
Mouritsen (Bojinov 69) |
| |
| OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS |
| Referee: A Watts |
| Booked: |
|
Booked: |
| VENUE |
|
RESERVE
MANAGERS |
Racecourse Ground (15,500)
Attendance: 417 |
|
Gary Ablett (Liverpool)
Ian Miller (Manchester C) |
|
|
BROUWER BRACE SEALS RESERVES WIN
Liverpool Reserves celebrated their first game as the newly crowned champions of
the Barclays Premier Reserve League North by easing to a 2-1 win over Manchester City at
Wrexham’s Racecourse ground.
A first-half brace from Jordy Brouwer was enough to give Gary Ablett's men their
12th victory of what has been a hugely successful campaign and ensured they will head into
their final league game of the season at home to Wigan Athletic having smashed through the
40-point barrier.
The Reds, who clinched the title with a 1-0 win away to Blackburn Rovers on Monday,
began the match brightly and created the first opening of the contest on five minutes when
a neat interchange between Gerardo Bruna and Krisztian Nemeth ended with Jay Spearing
firing a 25 yard drive just over the visitors' cross bar.
City responded and manufactured one or two chances of their own before the
champions produced a flowing move that saw Ryan Flynn cross low from the right for Jordy
Brouwer to steer home a cute finish on 12 minutes.
It set the tone for the remainder of the first-half and Nemeth was once again
Liverpool's protagonist, showing glimpses of his class as he fired a warning shot over the
crossbar on 26 minutes after making space with an exquisite turn on the right-hand side of
the City area.
Few sides have been able to cope with the Hungarian forward this season and it
proved to be the case again tonight, as his vision and ability on the ball singled him out
as City's tormentor in chief.
It was all Liverpool and on the half hour mark the Reds doubled their advantage
when another delightful one-touch passing move saw Nemeth flick the ball into Brouwer's
path and the Dutchman did the rest, firing a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner of
the net.
It was a magnificent team goal and one that provided a microcosm of the type of
attacking football Ablett's side have played this year.
With Ronald Huth a towering presence at the back, the home side continued to
dominate the proceedings and although Adam Clayton tested Peter Gulacsi in the Reds' goal
with a long range effort on 43 minutes, Liverpool went in at the break in total control.
However, the visitors had been one of the main contenders for the title earlier in
the campaign and they improved in the second period with Huth having to be at his most
alert to deny Ashley Grimes' goalbound shot while at the other end Brouwer nearly returned
the favour with an assist for Nemeth, but for once, the Hungarian hot-shot flashed his
effort wide of target.
Liverpool seemed content to maintain their two-goal cushion and were nearly made to
pay on 59 minutes when Garry Breen powered a header from a right-wing corner just wide of
Gulacsi's left-hand post.
The away side were a far more serious threat than their first half endeavours had
suggested and when former Fiorentina striker Valeri Bojinov came off the bench following a
season on the sidelines with injury, they stepped up a gear.
The Bulgarian forward was once one of the leading marksmen in Serie A and he gave
the watching crowd a cameo of his quality when he flashed a fierce effort wide with 20
minutes to go.
Unfortunately for Ablett it proved to be a warning the Reds did not take heed of
and on 78 minutes City reduced the arrears when Clayton's long shot deceived Gulacsi and
rolled into the net.
Both Ryan Flynn and substitute Daniel Pacheco went close to restoring the Reds'
two-goal advantage in the dying embers of a match in which Liverpool saw out the final
moments with 10 men after sub Ryan Crowther was carried off with a twisted ankle.
Liverpool Reserves: Gulacsi, Darby (Kelly 46), Insua,
San Jose, Huth, Plessis, Flynn, Spearing (Crowther 80), Brouwer, Nemeth (Pacheco 66),
Bruna. Unused subs: Oldfield, Simon.
Manchester City Reserves: Isaksson, Obeng, Moore, Williamson, Breen, M Daly,
Clayton, Grimes, Nimely-Tchuimeni, Marshall, Mouritsen (Bojinov 69). Unused subs: Martin,
Poole, I Daly, Brown.
Liverpoolfc.tv man of the match: Krisztian Nemeth. A
constant menace throughout the hour he was on the pitch. A star in the making.
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