Liverpool 2 Man United 0 Match Report
Fernando Torres and David Ngog Goal Ease Pressure On Rafa Benitez
Oct 25, 2009
Dogged Liverpool ended their run of four straight defeats with a 2-0 victory over bitter rivals Manchester United.
Second half goals from Fernando Torres and David Ngog meant that Manchester United failed to recapture top spot following Chelsea’s 5-0 victory against Blackburn on Saturday.
Both Nemanja Vidic and Javier Mascherano were sent off in a feisty lunchtime encounter which elevates Liverpool into 5th place, just four points off their opponents and six behind the league leaders.
Torres gave Liverpool the lead in 64th minute when he ran onto Yossi Benayoun’s through ball and held off Rio Ferdinand before rifling a right-shot past Edwin Van Der Sar into the roof of the net.
Manchester United threw everything at the home team late on but their efforts left them exposed at the back allowing Ngog to capitalize on a swift counter attack and slot past Edwin Van Der Sar in the last minute to secure all three points.
Beach Balls Delay Start Of Play At Anfield
The start of play was delayed by dozens of beach balls thrown from the stands, in response to the bizarre incident which led to Sunderland’s winning goal against Liverpool last week.
Once the game could finally begin, United started the brighter with Wayne Rooney’s 2nd minute strike being ruled out for offside.
Liverpool pulled their way back into the match with a Lucas Leiva shot being blocked by Patrice Evra. Evra was booked soon after for a slide on Fernando Torres and the home side came desperately close from the resulting freekick. Edwin Van Der Sar had to be at his very best to keep out Fabio Aurelio’s freekick and quickly block Dirk Kuyt’s strike on the rebound.
Kuyt had another chance on 17 minutes when Lucas robbed Paul Scholes of possession in the centre of the field. The Brazilian played in the striker but a poor first touch allowed him to put the striker off balance and drag the shot wide.
Rooney was on the prowl again after 20 minutes rising well to meet Luis Antonio Valencia’s cross but his header was easily caught by Pepe Reina.
Aurelio tested Van Der Sar on 35 minutes but the Dutch goalkeeper was equal to the midfielder’s powerful header.
HALF TIME:LIVERPOOL 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 0
Liverpool made a bright start to a more open second half when Kuyt chose to pull back to Benayoun despite appearing to have enough space in the box to shoot.
Giggs found himself in a similar position on 61 minutes but a combined block from Javier Mascherano and Glen Johnson denied the Welshman when he seemed destined to give the visitors the lead.
Fernando Torres Goal Against Manchester United
The opening goal came just three minutes later when Benayoun played in Torres for his ninth goal of the season.
It was a deserved lead and they could have doubled it on 70 minutes when Aurelio’s corner was only cleared as far as Lucas who fired over from twelve yards.
Mascherano picked up Liverpool’s first booking of the game on 71 minutes for sliding in Patrice Evra as the Frenchman looked to get a cross in.
Michael Owen Abused By Liverpool Fans On Return To Anfield
The resulting free kick was easily caught by Reina and prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to prepare a double substitution. Loud boos and cries of Judas met the introduction of Liverpool old boy Michael Owen when he replaced Dimitar Berbatov. Nani also came on for Paul Scholes.
The raised atmosphere seemed to raise tempers on the pitch as Vidic was booked for a nasty challenge on Fernando Torres.
United began to rally but Nani could only produce a tame shot when Lucas failed to clear a looping Luis Antonia Valencia to the back post.
David Ngog replaced the goalscorer Fernando Torres on 80 mins. United’s best chance came three minutes later when Owen held off Jamie Carragher well to find an unmarked Valencia in the area. The Ecudorian had a tight angle but was unlucky to see his powerful strike cannon off the crossbar and to safety.
Jamie Carragher Lucky Not To See Red After Pulling Down Michael Owen
Carragher could well have been sent off on 86 minutes after pulling down Michael Owen when the striker appeared to be bearing down on goal. However, referee Stuart Atwell judged there to be sufficient cover for the challenge to only warrant a yellow card.
Sir Alex Ferguson was furious at the decision and would have been even more aggrieved to see Nemanja Vidic receive his second yellow card for a similar challenge on the half-way line three minutes later.
An additional five minutes was signaled by the fourth official and Wayne Rooney hadn’t given up the fight for 10-man United but could only head over from Luis Antonio Valencia’s freekick. Rafa Benitez replaced Benayoun with Martin Skrtel soon afterwards to further protect his side’s lead.
Mascherano picked up his second yellow card after 93 minutes for a late challenge on Van Der Sar, who had come rushing out of his goal to clear a loose ball.
United threw everyone forward in an attempt to equalise but when the ball broke loose in the 95th minute, Lucas and Ngog found themselves in a two-on-one counter attack against Rio Ferdinand. Lucas found Ngog who had all the time in the world to compose himself and place the ball into the corner of the net.
Goalkeeper Reina ran the length of the pitch to celebrate the goal which kept Liverpool in touching distance of the league leaders and will have eased the pressure on Rafa Benitez no end.
