Results tagged “Chris Beesley” from Liverpool FC News, Discussion & Debate | Liverpool Banter

LIVERPOOL had asked for an unlikely comeback at Stamford Bridge and they got several. Unfortunately the final recovery was from Chelsea on the night rather than from Rafael Benitez's side over the two legs.

When the draw that paired these great domestic rivals who have met on 10 occasions in Europe under the Spaniard was made in Nyon last month there were collective groans.

Another cagey game of cat and mouse between sides who know each other inside out was envisaged but we ended up with more big twists than a Chubby Checker lookalike contest.

BRAZILIAN midfielder Lucas reckons that Liverpool's dramatic last-gasp victory over Fulham has given them the belief that they can finally land the Premier League title.

Liverpool returned to the summit on Saturday night courtesy of substitute Yossi Benayoun's injury time strike at Craven Cottage but dropped back down to second yesterday following Manchester United's similarly late 3-2 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford yesterday.

Despite winning the old First Division on a record 18 occasions, Liverpool who were 11 titles ahead of United when English football's top flight was revolutionised in 1992 have yet to add to their tally while Sir Alex Ferguson's men's dominance of domestic football has seen them climb to 17 championships, just one behind their great North West rivals.

IF EVER there was a sign as to just how important this victory could be, even the normally poker-faced Rafael Benitez allowed himself to celebrate Liverpool's stoppage time winner at Fulham.

Unlike his counterpart at title rivals Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, who hides his shrewd tactical knowledge and intimidating persona behind the jubilant jigs of a geriatric grandfather each time his team scores, the Spaniard usually looks down coolly at his pad and writes another note.

But the relief was such on this occasion, the passion riding so high and the belief that Yossi Benayoun's goal - which his manager later acknowledged could prove to be the most important of the season - might just be enough to give Liverpool the confidence to bring the title back to Anfield, that even newly-crowned manager of the month Benitez allowed the mask to slip just for a moment.

LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez believes his title challengers earned their "luck" of netting a stoppage-time winner at Fulham through their hard work.

Despite hitting the woodwork four times in the first half in a one-sided affair at Craven Cottage, it

looked like dominant Liverpool would have to settle for a frustrating share of the spoils before substitute Yossi Benayoun struck in the 92nd minute.

PUTTING four goals past Manchester United on your way to victory certainly isn't an everyday occurrence but if anybody is qualified to comment on Liverpool's emphatic victory at Old Trafford last weekend then it's Peter Beardsley.

Not only did the former England international achieve something none of the current crop of Anfield stars have so far managed in winning the title - he did it twice in 1988 and 1990 - he went one better than Rafael Benitez's men by playing his part in a 4-0 drubbing of United.

The occasion came on September 16 1990 when Beardsley - in what would turn out to be his final season in a Liverpool jersey - netted a hat-trick at Anfield against their fierce North West rivals as the then reigning champions demolished the FA Cup holders.

JAVIER MASCHERANO has backed a Fernando Torres-inspired Liverpool to claw their way back into the title race tomorrow with victory at Old Trafford.

Liverpool, who are seven points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester United, trailing second-placed Chelsea on goal difference, realise that they will probably have to beat Sir Alex Ferguson's side on their own turf this weekend if they're to have any realistic hopes of knocking the English and Euro- pean champ- ions off top spot and preventing them from equalling their all-time record title haul of 18 this season.

WIth so much at stake, Rafael Benitez's men encouragingly warmed up for their Old Trafford showdown in fine style by demolishing Real Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday night.

JAMIE CARRAGHER believes that Liverpool must continue to become more like Manchester United if they're to win the Premier League title.

Earlier this season, Carragher's Anfield team-mate, left winger, Albert Riera hit out at their great North West rivals by branding them 'lucky' because of their tendency to win games with late goals.

But while there's not much love lost between Bootle-born Carragher and Sir Alex Ferguson's side, the 31-year-old defender has a begrudging respect for United's ability to secure the points in the closing stages of matches and believes that it is a vital commodity for his own team to possess if they're to thwart the Red Devils from equalling Liverpool's English record of 18 titles this term by breaking their own duck in the Premier League.

LIVERPOOL captain Jamie Carragher has warned the rest of the Premier League that the best is still to come from striker Fernando Torres.

With skipper Steven Gerrard injured, centre-back Carragher took the armband for Liverpool's 3-2 win at Portsmouth which took them back to the Premier League summit until Manchester United's 1-0 victory at West Ham yesterday.

Portsmouth led 1-0 and 2-1 before goals in the last five minutes from Dirk Kuyt and Torres snatched the points for the visitors.

FOLLOWING his move back to Tottenham Robbie Keane has declared he's not interested in being awarded a championship medal if Liverpool win the title this season.

However, if Rafael Benitez does finally break the club's 19-year Premier League duck this season then another couple of former Anfield stars Peter Crouch and David James deserve some kind of reward after this showing.

With Liverpool trailing twice against a Portsmouth side who have been free-fall since the beleaguered Tony Adams replaced Harry Redknapp as manager and have now failed to record a victory in eight games, Liverpool fought back to secure a last-gasp win largely down to some glaring individual errors from the England international pair who used to be heroes of the Kop.

ROBBIE KEANE conceded that his transfer to Liverpool last summer had turned out to be 'not the right move' for him after re-signing for Tottenham yesterday.

Keane ended a nightmare six-month spell at Anfield by returning to White Hart Lane for a fee in the region of £15million - almost £5m less than what Liverpool had paid for him.

Struggling to rediscover the form which led him to score 23 goals for the Londoners last season, the 28-year-old was substituted in 18 of the 23 starts he made for Liverpool and completed 90 minutes in just five of his 27 appearances for the club.

MANCHESTER CITY and Tottenham Hotspur are considering offering Robbie Keane an escape route from Anfield - but Liverpool will not sanction a move across Stanley Park for the player.

With Everton in the market for a striker and Keane out of favour, speculation has been growing that David Moyes could be planning an audacious loan swoop for the Irish international who he targeted during his time at White Hart Lane.

But Anfield chiefs would not allow such a high profile recent signing to join their rivals - and the Goodison Park outfit would also have to break their pay structure to afford any move.

LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed that under-fire striker Robbie Keane was dropped from his first team squad for yesterday's derby at Anfield - but admitted that he had not spoken to the Irish international about the decision.

Despite producing a lively display in the first derby encounter of the season at Goodison Park, Keane was unable to replicate the form showed in Liverpool's 2-0 success in September during Monday night's Premier League game at Anfield and was hauled off by Benitez midway through the second half.

Although not carrying any injury, Keane was not even included among the substitutes for Liverpool's 18-man squad yesterday with rookie French striker David Ngog preferred to the £20million recruit on the bench.

ALTHOUGH the country is currently gripped in a recession just like it was back in 1991 when Merseyside's big two last clashed in the FA Cup, this tie is a footballing world away from their last meeting almost 18 years ago.

Back then, when the Great British public were spending what funds they could muster together on a single that put Bart Simpson to the top of the UK music charts - and an unlimited number of FA Cup replays ensured that Mersey football fans had to fork out on match tickets for a total of three games before Everton skipper Dave Watson finally settled the local spat.

Watson, the boyhood Liverpool fan and then player turned Goodison legend, was back at Anfield yesterday to take his place in the stands.

RIVAL Mersey managers Rafael Benitez and David Moyes have fallen out again over tactics following Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Everton at Anfield yesterday.

Meeting in the fourth round of the FA Cup, the sides produced an identical scoreline to their Premier League meeting at the same ground just six days earlier.

Joleon Lescott headed Everton ahead in the 27th minute but Steven Gerrard equalised on 54 minutes to ensure both sides went into the draw for the fifth round, which will pair the winners at home to Aston Villa or Doncaster Rovers on the weekend of February 14 - after a replay at Goodison Park a week on Wednesday.

JUVENTUS are planning another raid on Anfield by identifying Dirk Kuyt as their number one transfer target.

The Serie A club signed Momo Sissoko from Liverpool during last year's January transfer window but failed to secure the signature of Xabi Alonso over the summer.

However, Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri is again eyeing one of Rafael Benitez's midfielders in the shape of Kuyt, who has reinvented himself as an energetic right winger over the past year, as he looks to strengthen is squad.

LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez has called on his team to return to the top form they showed a month ago when Newcastle United were dismantled 5-1.

Only a heroic performance by Magpies goalkeeper Shay Given stopped the visitors from netting double figures on a remarkable day at St James' Park when Liverpool looked every inch potential champions. However, since then Benitez's side have stumbled to draws their last two league games allowing Manchester United to take their place at the top of the Premier League.

Stoke and Everton have both denied the Anfield outfit maximum points and now Benitez wants a return to the form they showed at Newcastle which saw them marked down as genuine title challengers.

JAVIER MASCHERANO believes that Liverpool can complete an impressive hat-trick of victories over their title rivals this weekend when they travel to the Emirates Stadium.

So far this season, Liverpool have already recorded a first ever victory over English and European champions Manchester United under manager Rafael Benitez, 2-1 at Anfield in September, and defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in October to end the London club's record-breaking 86-game unbeaten home record.

Such success contrasts sharply to Liverpool's poor record in previous campaigns against fellow members of 'The Big Four' since Benitez's arrival from Valencia.

DANIEL AGGER'S future at Liverpool has been cast into further doubt by the player's agent.

Despite the defender insists he wants to stay at Anfield and manager Rafael Benitez declaring that he would like to keep the player, talks have stalled over a new contact.

The 23-year-old has only 18 months left on his current deal and his agent Per Steffensen has refused to comment on any extension.

LIVERPOOL defender Jamie Carragher has admitted that it is important for the Anfield outfit retain its Scouse heartbeat.

Along with Whiston-born captain Steven Gerrard, Carragher, who hails from Bootle, remains one of the most influential players at the club.

However, with the pair the only Englishmen let alone Merseysiders in Rafael Benitez's first-team squad, Carragher is eager to see more local lads come through the ranks to bridge the gap between the end of their Anfield playing days.

ROBBIE KEANE finally showed Rafael Benitez last night that if he manages to stay on the pitch beyond the midway point of the second half then he is actually capable of producing something special.

There were still no goals from the £20million striker but a peach of pass to set up David Ngog for his first competitive goal in a Liverpool jersey showed that there is far more to the game of Ireland's all-time record scorer.

Playing just off the French youngster, Keane displayed signs of returning to his silky best against the Dutch champions, who currently look well short of confidence. Keane missed a couple of good opportunities to net himself, and spent long periods gesturing in frustration but Liverpool will hope that his is a disappointment of a man determined to succeed and he should have had another assist to his name after picking out Lucas for a golden opportunity.