LIVERPOOL
After 19 games without scoring Peter Crouch has finally come good for Liverpool. He actually scored twice but the first was credited to Mike Pollitt as an own goal. The second was a good controlled lob over the keeper.
Liverpool beat Wigan 3-0 and have moved into 3rd spot on the log, just 2 points behind Manchester United.
Date - 05/11/2005 - In a match that surprised no-one with the lack of quality Liverpool managed to pull off their first back-to-back victories in the Premiership this season. The first goal came by way of a Steven Gerrard penalty only ten minutes away from the end of the match. The ref, Steve Bennett, gave the spot-kick after judging that Liam Ridgewell had pulled down Peter Crouch. Villa then swept forward to try and get an equaliser which obviously left them open at the back. Xabi Alonso pounced on a loose ball and smashed in into the net past the Villa keeper Peter Sorensen.
David O'Leary was fuming after the match saying that the penalty was in now way deserved, "I think it was definitely not a penalty but it changed the game. It wasn't a penalty - end of story. The referee cost us the game - end of story."
Liverpool were outplayed at home by Fulham who beat them 2-0. A poor show with Liverpool missing Steven Gerrard and them playing a style of football that seemed better suited on the continent than in the Premiership. Collins John scored on the half-hour mark and the final nail in the coffin got driven in by Louis Boa Morte in stoppage time. A disappointment for the reds to say the least. They are now in a lowly 12th position on the log and have a terrible goal difference of -3.
Date - 18/09/2005 - Arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United played out to a goal-less draw today at Anfield. Both teams would not have wanted this as the gap to Chelsea widens so early in the season.
Liverpool are now 12 points behind Chelsea and lying in a lowly 10th place.
Date - 13/08/2005 - Liverpool could only pull off a draw against Middlesborough even though they only had ten men for the last 15 minutes of the game.
Despite clearly dominating the game at Middlesborough the Reds could not score and Gerrard, as ever, was at his best. Mark Schwarzer made a few brilliant saves to keep one point for the home side.
Rafa Benitez was not pleased with the result but was pleased with his team's performance away from home saying that "...already I can see that we are going to be better away from home than last season.".
