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segunda-feira, 13 de abril de 2015
LIVERPOOL 2 X 0 Newcastle
Liverpool within four points of top four
Sterling scores 11th club goal of the season
Newcastle slip to fifth straight league defeat
Hillsborough disaster remembered before kick-off
Liverpool moved to within four points of the top four as Raheem Sterling and Joe Allen's goals condemned Newcastle to a fifth straight defeat.
Sterling, at odds with the club over a new contract, cut inside Ryan Taylor and dispatched a smart finish past Tim Krul to open the scoring.
Newcastle had a strong penalty appeal turned down before the break, but Allen's shot put paid to any comeback.
A miserable night for the visitors ended with Moussa Sissoko's red card.
The midfielder was fortunate to receive a second yellow - rather than a straight red - for a studs-up challenge on Lucas Leiva, who was uninjured.
This win against a disjointed Newcastle was far from a return to the fluid form that the Reds discovered at the start of 2015.
But with Manchester City stalling above them, and three fixtures against teams in the bottom seven to follow, it was a result to fuel optimism after back-to-back league defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal.
That may be tempered by a closer look at the league table and the vastly superior goal difference - +31 compared to +11 - that, with six games to go, means the gap to City is effectively five points.
For Newcastle, a fifth successive league defeat continues an end-of-season malaise that is unlikely to end in relegation, but will add to supporters' frustrations.
More scorers, less scores
Joe Allen became Liverpool's 18th different scorer for Liverpool this season - to equal the club record for most scorers in a campaign.
However they have scored 41 fewer league goals than they had at the same stage last season - 47 compared to 88.
Liverpool were lacking the injured Daniel Sturridge and 39 goals down on the tally they had amassed at the same stage last year.
But they started well, continually catching out Newcastle as Sterling, Philippe Coutinho, Jordon Ibe and Alberto Moreno swapped positions, taking it in turns to surge into the area.
Sterling at least partially repaired some bruised relations with the home fans while simultaneously strengthening his bargaining position with an excellently taken goal.
Isolated one on one with Taylor by Jordan Henderson's driven pass, he cut inside the full-back, dodged a half-hearted challenge from Gabriel Obertan and, with minimal back-lift, guided a curling shot into the far corner.
The winger could have easily have had a hat-trick, with an open goal miss particularly glaring, but his profligacy ultimately did not cost his side and he departed to warm applause when substituted late on.
Newcastle's best hope of getting back into the game came when Ayoze Perez was chopped down by Dejan Lovren as Liverpool freewheeled towards half-time.
But referee Lee Mason decided the Croatian's challenge did not warrant a penalty.
John Carver's side continued to improve after the break but Allen's sharp half-volley, as the ball came back off Mike Williamson, snuffed out their hopes.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers: "I thought we showed attacking intent in the game, won the ball back quickly and controlled the game until the last five or six minutes in the first half.
"I think we were fortunate not to give away a penalty, but thankfully it didn't go against us.
"Philippe Coutinho was incredible, sensational. He played in that hole between the midfield and their defence and was outstanding. He showed why he is one of the best players in the best league in the world."
Newcastle manager John Carver: "Everyone out there has seen it is a penalty. Even Brendan said straight away it is a penalty.
"I will phone referees' chief Mike Riley tomorrow, he will probably agree, but it gets us nothing.
"We have six cup finals and we need to pick up some points by hook or by crook.
"That is why our fans are going to be important to us. I have enough belief in this group of lads and if we see anything near what I saw tonight there won't be a problem."
Liverpool vs Newcastle match report: Raheem Sterling and Joe Allen on target as Reds close the gap to Manchester City to four points
The two faces of Raheem Sterling were on display at Anfield. The first was of the striker wheeling away, smiling in wild innocence at the loveliest of goals that showed the full extent of his talent.
The second was a rather guiltier grin posted on The Sun’s website, embarrassingly close to the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. It was a video that purported to show the forward inhaling laughing gas, a legal but dangerous high. It came hard on the heels of him trying out a shisha pipe on a night out. Neither are recommended as ideal preparation for a Premier League footballer, especially one determined to prove he should be paid the annual salary of five nurses every week. The talent is obvious but sometimes the thinking is not.
Sterling, heckled during Liverpool’s kit launch last Friday, must have wondered what kind of reception he would receive. Liverpool is a club that rarely turns on its own, at least while they are wearing a red shirt. Steve McManaman was jeered during his desultory final season on Merseyside when he was obviously saving himself for Real Madrid but the chants of “there’s only one greedy bastard” came from the travelling fans.
Those who came from Tyneside saw rather more resistance than they might have expected but were once more betrayed by the kind of shoddy defending that always seems to have accompanied them through the Premier League years. When Mike Williamson dozily delayed his clearance, Joe Allen had the presence of mind to shoot past Tim Krul.
Liverpool’s second ensured their manager, Brendan Rodgers, would succeed in his aim of cutting Manchester City’s lead in the fourth and final Champions League position to four points.
It was virtually guaranteed when the Newcastle captain, Moussa Sissoko, launched a wretched tackle on Lucas Leiva and turned without waiting for the second yellow card. The night for Newcastle was also done.
Just before kick-off, there was a moment of perfect stillness as Anfield remembered Hillsborough. On that day in April 1989, Newcastle were at Highbury, on their way to being relegated and losing 1-0, as teams so often did there.
It is depicted in the film Fever Pitch as a passing tragedy. “Even that game will be replayed,” says the Nick Hornby character, played by Colin Firth standing on the North Bank, listening to reports filtering through on a transistor radio. It is a tribute to the people of Merseyside that the disaster has remained alive.
But for their run of five straight wins in the autumn that included a victory over Liverpool at St James’ Park, Newcastle would now be stone cold certainties to repeat the feat.
For John Carver, who despite his admirable passion for all things black and white looks like being a very interim manager, the wounds of the abject defeat in the Tyne-Wear derby were still visible: “It will define my spell in charge,” he had said. “I will suffer for weeks, for months, maybe for years.”
All Carver could hope for was a better display than the one they had delivered on Wearside. For that Newcastle would be required to aim two shots at goal. They managed two in the final minutes of the first half with Ayoze Perez forcing a full-length save from Simon Mignolet before Mehdi Abeid shot loosely into the crowd.
Shortly after the interval, Newcastle, who had not won at Anfield since Kevin Keegan’s first spell in charge, looked the better side.
More significantly, Newcastle should have had a penalty when Dejan Lovren, still horribly out of form, appeared to bring Perez down. At half time Carver went to confront the referee, Lee Mason, turned and bumped into a policeman.
Jordan Henderson had once been part of a Sunderland side that had been thrashed 5-1 by Newcastle and, as a Wearsider who had travelled to Wembley to support them in last year’s League Cup final, overcoming the enemy would have meant a lot.
It was his fabulous crossfield pass that opened up Newcastle’s paper-thin defence for Sterling to break through. There was still plenty for the forward to do as he took the ball first past Ryan Taylor and then Gabriel Obertan before curling it deliciously past Tim Krul. There were four black-and-white shirts around him when he took the shot on goal.
Henderson is a vastly better footballer than the one who arrived on Merseyside struggling to answer questions as to how Kenny Dalglish thought him worth £20m.
Now there was a cleverly-taken short free-kick when Newcastle’s defence was expecting something altogether more spectacular that almost sent Philippe Coutinho through. Another, headed on by Lucas Leiva, was fabulously parried by Krul. It was judged offside, though the keeper would have no inkling of the flag when he made the save.
Henderson ought to have produced a second for Sterling with a low cross in front of the Kop that Ryan Taylor missed completely. It fell to the forward six yards out with Krul committed and he somehow managed to screw the shot wide.
Rodgers had already turned to celebrate with one arm raised and turned again to find the score was still 1-0. It was not the only thing about Sterling the Liverpool manager would have difficulty believing.
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