2 February 2011 Opposition: Stoke City Competition
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Date: 2 February 2011 Times Guardian Mail February2 2011 Opposition: Stoke City Telegraph Independent Mirror Echo Competition: League Stoke City (4-2-3-1): A Begovic -- A Wilkinson, A Faye (sub: D Collins, 66), R Huth, D Higginbotham -- S Diao (sub: R Delap, 61), M Wilson (sub: R Fuller, 67) -- J Liverpool show the first signs of moving on Pennant, D Whitehead, J Walters -- J Carew. Substitutes not used: T Sorensen, G Whelan, M Etherington, K Jones. Booked: Huth, Diao. Booked: Carew, Collins, Liverpool 2 Stoke City 0 Huth, Diao. Referee: A Taylor. The locals came to fete a new hero to help them to bury an old one and with tension rising inside Anfield, Liverpool's supporters were rewarded with the sight of Luis Suarez scoring at the Kop end and starting what they hope will be a more enduring love affair than the last. In scoring 16 minutes into his first outing at this Suarez dream debut ignites Anfield famous old ground last night, Suarez, the Uruguay forward, precisely replicated Liverpool mourned when Kevin Keegan left and replaced him with the finest what Fernando Torres did against Chelsea a little more than three years ago. player in their history. Liverpool despaired when Ian Rush joined Juventus and The difference this time was that Suarez came off the bench and, after replaced him with arguably the most attractive team in their history. Last night, underhitting his shot, was grateful for a botched clearance by Andy Wilkinson, but thanks to Luis Suarez's fairytale introduction to the Premier League, Liverpool do not expect anyone -- not even the Premier League's "dubious goals panel" -- to hardly gave Fernando Torres a second thought. try to deprive the [pounds sterling]22.7 million man of his moment. As well as Suarez, the pounds 22.8m part of the pounds 57.8m striking investment Liverpool burying the legend of Torres -- at least superficially, until the Spain forward is have made in their future, scored 16 minutes after his introduction to seal three subjected to whatever abuse Liverpool's supporters can bear to direct at him at points against Stoke City and a third successive league win for Kenny Dalglish. The Stamford Bridge, his new home, on Sunday -- the Suarez goal buried a Stoke City bounce-effect survives Torres at Anfield. team who had competed well enough after falling behind to a goal by Raul Torres also scored 16 minutes into his Anfield debut, against his new employers Meireles early in the second half. More significantly, perhaps, Suarez continued Chelsea in 2007, and even the Kop chant that once belonged to the Spaniard was the Liverpool revival that now amounts to three consecutive Barclays Premier given over to the Uruguayan. Liverpool move on, a fact they have demonstrated League victories under Kenny Dalglish. The pace of progress was not enough to on and off the pitch this week and throughout their past, and although Anfield satisfy Torres but, with Suarez making an immediate impact and Andy Carroll, debut goals for Nigel Clough, Stan Collymore and El Hadji Diouf guard against wild their [pounds sterling]35 million signing from Newcastle United, watching from expectations, Suarez provided both closure and a fresh start for his new club. the directors' box as he recovers from injury, Anfield is certainly a happier place "I'm delighted for Suarez," said Dalglish, one of the former Ajax captain's than it was a month ago in the unhappy final days of Roy Hodgson's tenure. predecessors in the Liverpool No7 shirt. "He has not even had the opportunity to Of all the things that Torres said in his first interview with Chelsea TV on Monday train with us yet because of administrative issues to sort out with his work permit. night, none cut deeper than his suggestion that he was now with a top-level club. He just went straight in the squad tonight and when he starts training with the There was a more conciliatory tone in a later interview with his official website, lads, I'm sure we will see him improve." but the damage had been done in the eyes of Liverpool's supporters, who, rightly The Liverpool caretaker manager's words were laced with sarcasm on that final or wrongly, saw it as adding insult to injury. If only Torres had changed the word point. Suarez only entered the fray as a 63rd-minute replacement for Fabio "club" to "team", far less offence would have been taken on Merseyside. Their Aurelio but a few sublime touches and his movement inside the Stoke area in performance in the first half-hour last night must have had Carroll and Suarez particular had supporters drooling. wondering where the service was going to come from, such was Stoke's comfort. He even has fortune on his side. On another day his finish might have been Dalglish's team selection -- with three central defenders and Steven Gerrard and accredited as an own goal by Stoke's Andy Wilkinson, who should have Meireles operating in advance of two holding midfield players, Lucas Leiva and intercepted after Suarez latched on to Dirk Kuyt's pass, rounded the excellent Fabio Aurelio -- was a compliment to Tony Pulis's team. In his column in the Asmir Begovic and rolled his effort towards the Kop goal. Wilkinson only match programme, Dalglish wrote that Stoke "can rightly be proud of what succeeded in slicing a clearance against his own post and in, but as the effort was they've done" and that "it's a great credit to Tony that they play their strengths". goal-bound no one was in the mood to be churlish. "Well I gave him the goal, and It was hard to imagine Arsene Wenger offering such praise. Dalglish's selection of he can have the first one as well if he likes," said Dalglish. "It has not been too bad three central defenders -- Martin Skrtel, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Daniel Agger -- was a a day for us." nod to the height in the Stoke team, echoing the approach that he would at times Suarez began on the bench having not started a competitive game since late adopt in matches against Millwall, Wimbledon and even George Graham's Arsenal November, when he received a seven-match ban at Ajax for sinking his teeth into in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The difference is that last night Liverpool were an opponent. With pounds 35m signing Andy Carroll recovering from a thigh facing a team with only one centre forward, John Carew, and with at least seven injury, Liverpool were initially given a glimpse of what life would have been like players behind the ball for much of the game. Stoke looked comfortable for the had Tom Hicks and George Gillett still been in charge and spent the pounds 50m first half-hour, taking every opportunity to get the ball wide to Jermaine Pennant, for Torres at the bank rather than on the pitch. It was not a pretty sight. "Stoke who, easy to forget, was Liverpool's outstanding performer in a Champions are a difficult team to play against," said Dalglish. "You have to compete and then League final less than four years ago. Pennant, up against a right-footed left wing get your own game going and we did that. I thought Soto [Sotirios Kyrgiakos] was back in Glen Johnson, knocked in a couple of decent crosses but, with Kyrgiakos brilliant for us. He commanded everything in the box." and Skrtel standing firm, Stoke's only half-chance before the interval came when Liverpool's new signing made his first impact without even setting foot on the Jonathan Walters found space in a crowded penalty area and shot high and wide. pitch. Dalglish responded to a lethargic opening, during which Stoke threatened Skrtel, improbably, created a chance for himself after winning the ball from Salif frequently down the flanks but failed to offer support to the lone striker John Diao, another undistinguished Anfield alumnus, but when Liverpool finally began Carew, by sending out Suarez for a warm-up and a rapturous reception in the to gain the upper hand as half-time approached, it was through the threat from 36th minute. Within seconds Martin Kelly swept an inviting cross from the right their wing backs, Johnson and Martin Kelly. They combined effectively in the 37th on to the head of Glen Johnson but Begovic kept his effort out with a fine one- minute, Kelly crossing from the right touchline and Johnson leaping on the six- handed stop before Robert Huth hooked clear. yard line to head the ball goalwards, only to be denied superbly by Asmir Begovic. Kuyt missed two decent chances as Liverpool improved towards the end of the Liverpool came close again in the final minutes of the first half, Dirk Kuyt twice first half and, their momentum uninterrupted by the interval, took the lead two missing the target after good approach work from Gerrard, but Stoke were also minutes after the restart. Salif Diao's foul presented Steven Gerrard with a free- grateful to Anthony Taylor, the referee, who showed only a yellow card to Robert kick 30 yards from goal that deflected off the Stoke wall and into the path of Huth when the defender lunged at Kelly with both feet off the ground. Huth had Kyrgiakos. The Greek defender controlled as a true centre-half would, but also had a scare early on, when the ball bounced up in the penalty area and hit his fortunately for Liverpool his wayward touch fell perfectly for Raul Meireles to hand -- or was it hand to ball? If Huth had been riding his luck, it did not carry long drive home his third goal in four games from 12 yards.