Liverpool 2 Inter Milan 0
Feb 20 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo
FOR a club with two owners perhaps it is only right that Liverpool has two teams – one which can lose to Barnsley and another which can beat Inter Milan.
Dr Jekyll duly replaced Mr Hyde last night as the club put on its more acceptable face, as it always seems to on those big European nights that bring Anfield to life.
There is no rhyme nor reason to it and there are no easy explanations. For whatever reason, Liverpool are nearly always able to find that something extra when domestic duties give way to continental confrontation.
It can't just be down to the manager, although that's what Rafa Benitez's most fierce critics would like us to believe.
It is all too neat and simplistic to argue that a man who has won two league titles against all the odds in Spain does not know what it takes to create a team which can go the course and distance in domestic football.
But the fact remains that as soon as his players hear the Champions League theme tune being played they undergo the biggest transformation since Michael Jackson discovered latex.
It isn't just the players either. The Liverpool fans pride themselves on being the 12th man on occasions like these, when they turn Anfield into that much fabled cauldron of noise and atmosphere which is so revered throughout Europe.
But when it comes to the relative mundanity of a bog standard league game, Anfield is so quiet it often seems the crowd is saving itself for something special.
And herein lies the problem which has bedevilled Liverpool for far too long. Far too many people at the club, both on and off the pitch, are far too easily distracted by the big occasion.
It is an attitude which makes Liverpool a cup team and one which makes it almost impossible for them to mount a serious title challenge.
Benitez would never dream of resting his best players for a major European tie and the fans would never contemplate resting their voices either.
As a club, Liverpool are guilty of dreaming of Europe when they should be thinking of home and everyone who belted out You'll Never Walk Alone as if their lives depended on it before last night's game should bear that in mind when Gerry Marsden's finest is played over the tannoy before Saturday's Premiership clash with Middlesbrough.
Only when domestic chores are treated with the same importance as foreign adventures will Liverpool be able to become a force at home again.
Inter Milan arrived on Merseyside confident that their growing status as a European superpower and their form in Serie A would be enough to dispense of a Liverpool side which was dumped out of the FA Cup by Barnsley just three days before.
But from the very first minute, the Reds set about their opponents in a high tempo display which Roberto Mancini's men were unable to match.
Marco Materazzi's somewhat farcical dismissal for twice upending Fernando Torres may well have been controversial but it did not actually do Liverpool any immediate favours.
Instead, Inter regrouped and shut up shop, refusing to commit any men forward and leave any space which Liverpool could exploit on the break.
All of a sudden, the gaps which had been all too apparent during the opening exchanges were sealed up. As an example of how to play with ten men, for 60 minutes Inter provided something of a masterclass.
Liverpool, prompted by the perpetual motion of Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard's probing between the lines, kept on plugging away and even managed to breach the visitors brilliantly organised defence on a couple of occasions, although on the rare occasions when they did they were unable to provide the necessary finish.
Fernando Torres and Sami Hyypia both went close and Liverpool should have had a clear penalty when Patrick Vieira gave a passable impression of Michael Jordan, but as the clock ticked down it seemed as if they would have to settle for a goal-less draw and a priceless clean sheet.
But, thanks to their perseverance and patience, Liverpool got their reward when Dirk Kuyt got the goal his effort and industry deserved.
Like his team, the Dutch striker has not had the easiest of times recently but Kuyt's commitment to the cause could never be faulted.
Despite being deployed in unfamiliar roles on the right and later the left, Kuyt sacrificed himself for the good of the team before he was given the ultimate payback with a strike which gave Liverpool a crucial lead.
Had the score remained 1-0, everyone connected with Liverpool would today be delighted. The fact that they went on to double their lead when Gerrard penned a new chapter in his own ongoing version of Roy of the Rovers, means that delight was heightened immeasurably.
That wonderfully measured strike by their captain gives the Reds the kind of cushion which should be enough to see them through to the last eight.
But to do so, they will have to go to the San Siro and produce a performance which is every bit as professional, industrious and incisive as this one was because, make no mistake about it, this tie is far from over.
Inter showed enough steel, tactical acumen, organisation and quality in defeat to suggest that they will be a much tougher nut away from home.
And being the only club ever to overturn a two goal first leg deficit against Liverpool in Europe there will be those in their camp who feel they have fate on their side.
But Liverpool will also have a confidence that they can finish the job they started last night, and it is a confidence born out of a belief that nothing is beyond them when they are engaged in European combat.
But can they beat Middlesbrough at Anfield on Saturday? That is another matter entirely.
It just depends on which of Liverpool's two teams turns up.
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Aurelio, Mascherano, Lucas (Crouch, 64), Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel (Pennant, 71), Torres.
Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Zanetti, Cordoba (Burdisso, 75), Materazzi, Chivu, Maxwell, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Maicon, Cruz (Vieira, 54), Ibrahimovic.
REFEREE: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium).
ATTENDANCE: 41,999.
__________________________________________________ _________
Dirk Kuyt: Steven Gerrard inspired us to victory
DIRK KUYT today revealed how an inspired piece of captaincy from fellow goalscorer Steven Gerrard helped Liverpool record a magnificent victory over Inter Milan at Anfield.
The Dutch striker notched his second goal in two games and Gerrard completed the scoring in a 2-0 win which makes Liverpool hot favourites to go through to the last eight of the Champions League.
But Kuyt admitted there was a stage in the game when he feared Liverpool’s dominance would not be rewarded and they might have had to settle for a goalless draw – only for skipper Gerrard to urge his team to keep pushing forward and go in search of goals.
He said: “Italian teams are very good in defence and Inter did really well, even with ten men.
“But we remained patient and worked really hard together and in the end we scored two goals, so we are really happy with that.
“It was funny because just before I scored I said to Steven that maybe we ought to keep the ball and keep the clean sheet.
“But he said to me "**** off you daft ****, we need to have another go" and he was right because the goal came and 2-0 is a great result.”
Having failed to score in 13 consecutive fixtures prior to last Saturday’s match against Barnsley, Kuyt has now scored twice in his last two games and he is delighted to be back among the goals.
But despite his personal delight, he was more impressed with the team performance which saw Liverpool record their 100th win in European competition on home turf.
He said: “It was a great moment because everyone knows how important it is to score a goal so I was really happy with that.
“I had a really difficult period but I just want to put that behind me now.
“I’m happy to score but the most important thing was that we won against Inter in the first match – but we still have a match to go so we have to keep focused.
“It was a good result but we have another game to come in Milan and we know that will be a tough night as well.
“But we have to be really happy with two goals and a clean sheet.
“All the players worked really hard as a team and we had confidence in ourselves because we know we have a lot of quality in the team and I think we showed that.
“I think everyone knows how good Liverpool can be but we have not shown that over the last couple of months but I think we showed it last night.
“We played a good game but now we want to play many more good games in the Champions League and in the Premier League.
“We have the quality and we have to show it on the pitch.”
[email protected]
Feb 20 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo
FOR a club with two owners perhaps it is only right that Liverpool has two teams – one which can lose to Barnsley and another which can beat Inter Milan.
Dr Jekyll duly replaced Mr Hyde last night as the club put on its more acceptable face, as it always seems to on those big European nights that bring Anfield to life.
There is no rhyme nor reason to it and there are no easy explanations. For whatever reason, Liverpool are nearly always able to find that something extra when domestic duties give way to continental confrontation.
It can't just be down to the manager, although that's what Rafa Benitez's most fierce critics would like us to believe.
It is all too neat and simplistic to argue that a man who has won two league titles against all the odds in Spain does not know what it takes to create a team which can go the course and distance in domestic football.
But the fact remains that as soon as his players hear the Champions League theme tune being played they undergo the biggest transformation since Michael Jackson discovered latex.
It isn't just the players either. The Liverpool fans pride themselves on being the 12th man on occasions like these, when they turn Anfield into that much fabled cauldron of noise and atmosphere which is so revered throughout Europe.
But when it comes to the relative mundanity of a bog standard league game, Anfield is so quiet it often seems the crowd is saving itself for something special.
And herein lies the problem which has bedevilled Liverpool for far too long. Far too many people at the club, both on and off the pitch, are far too easily distracted by the big occasion.
It is an attitude which makes Liverpool a cup team and one which makes it almost impossible for them to mount a serious title challenge.
Benitez would never dream of resting his best players for a major European tie and the fans would never contemplate resting their voices either.
As a club, Liverpool are guilty of dreaming of Europe when they should be thinking of home and everyone who belted out You'll Never Walk Alone as if their lives depended on it before last night's game should bear that in mind when Gerry Marsden's finest is played over the tannoy before Saturday's Premiership clash with Middlesbrough.
Only when domestic chores are treated with the same importance as foreign adventures will Liverpool be able to become a force at home again.
Inter Milan arrived on Merseyside confident that their growing status as a European superpower and their form in Serie A would be enough to dispense of a Liverpool side which was dumped out of the FA Cup by Barnsley just three days before.
But from the very first minute, the Reds set about their opponents in a high tempo display which Roberto Mancini's men were unable to match.
Marco Materazzi's somewhat farcical dismissal for twice upending Fernando Torres may well have been controversial but it did not actually do Liverpool any immediate favours.
Instead, Inter regrouped and shut up shop, refusing to commit any men forward and leave any space which Liverpool could exploit on the break.
All of a sudden, the gaps which had been all too apparent during the opening exchanges were sealed up. As an example of how to play with ten men, for 60 minutes Inter provided something of a masterclass.
Liverpool, prompted by the perpetual motion of Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard's probing between the lines, kept on plugging away and even managed to breach the visitors brilliantly organised defence on a couple of occasions, although on the rare occasions when they did they were unable to provide the necessary finish.
Fernando Torres and Sami Hyypia both went close and Liverpool should have had a clear penalty when Patrick Vieira gave a passable impression of Michael Jordan, but as the clock ticked down it seemed as if they would have to settle for a goal-less draw and a priceless clean sheet.
But, thanks to their perseverance and patience, Liverpool got their reward when Dirk Kuyt got the goal his effort and industry deserved.
Like his team, the Dutch striker has not had the easiest of times recently but Kuyt's commitment to the cause could never be faulted.
Despite being deployed in unfamiliar roles on the right and later the left, Kuyt sacrificed himself for the good of the team before he was given the ultimate payback with a strike which gave Liverpool a crucial lead.
Had the score remained 1-0, everyone connected with Liverpool would today be delighted. The fact that they went on to double their lead when Gerrard penned a new chapter in his own ongoing version of Roy of the Rovers, means that delight was heightened immeasurably.
That wonderfully measured strike by their captain gives the Reds the kind of cushion which should be enough to see them through to the last eight.
But to do so, they will have to go to the San Siro and produce a performance which is every bit as professional, industrious and incisive as this one was because, make no mistake about it, this tie is far from over.
Inter showed enough steel, tactical acumen, organisation and quality in defeat to suggest that they will be a much tougher nut away from home.
And being the only club ever to overturn a two goal first leg deficit against Liverpool in Europe there will be those in their camp who feel they have fate on their side.
But Liverpool will also have a confidence that they can finish the job they started last night, and it is a confidence born out of a belief that nothing is beyond them when they are engaged in European combat.
But can they beat Middlesbrough at Anfield on Saturday? That is another matter entirely.
It just depends on which of Liverpool's two teams turns up.
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Aurelio, Mascherano, Lucas (Crouch, 64), Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel (Pennant, 71), Torres.
Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Zanetti, Cordoba (Burdisso, 75), Materazzi, Chivu, Maxwell, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Maicon, Cruz (Vieira, 54), Ibrahimovic.
REFEREE: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium).
ATTENDANCE: 41,999.
__________________________________________________ _________
Dirk Kuyt: Steven Gerrard inspired us to victory
DIRK KUYT today revealed how an inspired piece of captaincy from fellow goalscorer Steven Gerrard helped Liverpool record a magnificent victory over Inter Milan at Anfield.
The Dutch striker notched his second goal in two games and Gerrard completed the scoring in a 2-0 win which makes Liverpool hot favourites to go through to the last eight of the Champions League.
But Kuyt admitted there was a stage in the game when he feared Liverpool’s dominance would not be rewarded and they might have had to settle for a goalless draw – only for skipper Gerrard to urge his team to keep pushing forward and go in search of goals.
He said: “Italian teams are very good in defence and Inter did really well, even with ten men.
“But we remained patient and worked really hard together and in the end we scored two goals, so we are really happy with that.
“It was funny because just before I scored I said to Steven that maybe we ought to keep the ball and keep the clean sheet.
“But he said to me "**** off you daft ****, we need to have another go" and he was right because the goal came and 2-0 is a great result.”
Having failed to score in 13 consecutive fixtures prior to last Saturday’s match against Barnsley, Kuyt has now scored twice in his last two games and he is delighted to be back among the goals.
But despite his personal delight, he was more impressed with the team performance which saw Liverpool record their 100th win in European competition on home turf.
He said: “It was a great moment because everyone knows how important it is to score a goal so I was really happy with that.
“I had a really difficult period but I just want to put that behind me now.
“I’m happy to score but the most important thing was that we won against Inter in the first match – but we still have a match to go so we have to keep focused.
“It was a good result but we have another game to come in Milan and we know that will be a tough night as well.
“But we have to be really happy with two goals and a clean sheet.
“All the players worked really hard as a team and we had confidence in ourselves because we know we have a lot of quality in the team and I think we showed that.
“I think everyone knows how good Liverpool can be but we have not shown that over the last couple of months but I think we showed it last night.
“We played a good game but now we want to play many more good games in the Champions League and in the Premier League.
“We have the quality and we have to show it on the pitch.”
[email protected]
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