Liverpool V Villa team and match thread

[Red_Al_77]

Liverpool up to 8th

[Tom]

Stats

Possession
53% 47%

Shots on target
6 5

Shots off target
13 2

Corners
8 4

Fouls
11 17

[Red Chilli]

Riley has just sent off moyes! Finished 1 - 1

[GordonGecko]

Thanks for all the updates lads

[Bob]

I'm sooooo happy. Like a wee sand boy. Fantastic performance all round.

[lfc4ever]

Stuart Hall has just summarised us on Radio 5, I wish I'd taped it!

Flamingo Crouch etc.

[iseeredpeople]

Stats

Possession
53% 47%

Shots on target
6 5

Shots off target
13 2

Corners
8 4

Fouls
11 17

I cant believe these stats.
Did Villa have FIVE on target?
I remember two: the goal, and the header which Reina expertly saved.
The rest is bs.
It certainly doesnt sum up the match as we were D.O.M.I.N.A.N.T.

Brilliant first half.
Second half was good too, especially before the Villa goal.
I was impressed with how they kept going forward after the break.
Was expecting some more "smothering", as we used to last season.

Hopefully they'll bring more of the same to the Bordeaux match,
especially as I'll be in the stands for that one.

[johnp]

Riley has just sent off moyes! Finished 1 - 1

SSN just said that Moyes was holding his arm out pointing at his watch for about 5 mins. Riley didn't like it, and sent him to the stands

[Guest]

Stats on TV were 61% in our favor.

[lfc4ever]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6072868.stm

Liverpool produced their best display of the season to hand Aston Villa their first league defeat of the campaign.

The home side were 3-0 up at half-time, Dirk Kuyt volleying Liverpool in front, before Peter Crouch added the second with another first-time effort.

Steven Gerrard, Kuyt and Crouch then linked to set up Luis Garcia, who slipped the ball under Thomas Sorensen.

Early in the second half Gerrard hit the post before Gabriel Agbonlahor's incisive finish reduced the deficit.

News conference: Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

Agbonlahor broke clear of the Liverpool defence to collect a pass from Chris Sutton, who was one of two substitutions made by Martin O'Neill at the start of the second half after Villa's lacklustre performance in the opening period.

Sutton came desperately close to scoring his first goal for Villa when his flicked header was superbly tipped away by Jose Reina.

The former Celtic striker then tried to turn a Steve Davis shot past Reina.

The frustration for Villa was that until that mini second-half revival they were unable to show the form that had brought them to Anfield unbeaten in their previous nine Premiership games.

But they can have few complaints at the half-time scoreline after failing to establish any sort of connection with their forwards Juan Pablo Angel and former Liverpool striker Milan Baros.

Liverpool proved much more adept at finding their forwards Kuyt and Crouch.

Kuyt had missed an early chance after Garcia had crossed, while Crouch went close with a downward header.

John Arne Riise then tried his luck with a couple of powerful shots.

Liverpool finally found the solution to turning possession into goals on 31 minutes.

Kuyt's goal came from an unusual source - Liverpool's central defensive partnership of Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia.

Carragher's flighted pass was headed on by Hyypia to Kuyt, who after controlling the ball on his chest, arrowed a volley past Sorensen.

Steve Finnan picked up the attacking baton from his fellow defenders to help create Liverpool's second.

Liverpool had kept possession well before Kuyt played the ball out to Finnan, who swung in a cross from the right.

As the ball came into the box Crouch extended his right leg to guide a volley down and past Sorensen.

If Liverpool's opening two goals had owed much to the attacking play of their defenders, the home side's third saw their forwards combine in a flowing move.

Gerrard, Kuyt and Crouch swiftly exchanged passes on the edge of the Villa box to set up the marauding Garcia, who sidefooted home.

Soon after the break Gerrard came close when he rattled the post after Villa failed to clear the ball.

Garcia might have had a second goal after he collected a pass from Gerrard, but the Spaniard put the ball the wrong side of the post.

In stoppage time substitute Robbie Fowler came close to scoring on his 350th appearance for Liverpool.

[Kinell]

Who needs skysports when you fellas do such a comprehensive job of commentating!!! Top result, cant wait for match of the day now

[Tom]

I cant believe these stats.
Did Villa have FIVE on target?
I remember two: the goal, and the header which Reina expertly saved.
The rest is bs.
It certainly doesnt sum up the match as we were D.O.M.I.N.A.N.T.

Brilliant first half.
Second half was good too, especially before the Villa goal.
I was impressed with how they kept going forward after the break.
Was expecting some more "smothering", as we used to last season.

Hopefully they'll bring more of the same to the Bordeaux match,
especially as I'll be in the stands for that one.

From BBC. Must admit I was surprised to see they had five on target.

[Tom]

Liverpool up to 8th

Importantly just 4 behind arsenal - who will be our major challengers for champs league place.

[Morph]

Importantly just 4 behind arsenal - who will be our major challengers for champs league place.

Nah, were challenging for the title

[royzared]

Thanks guys,just got in ,teased myself and read the thead from the start ,brilliant everyone of you ,thanks again