Reds cruise through thanks to N'gog and Gerrard
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Liverpool 2 Rabotnicki 0 (4-0 agg): Reds cruise through thanks to N'gog and Gerrard
Joe Cole made an immediate impact as the emphasis switched from possible takeovers to the most emphatic of walkovers at Anfield on Thursday night.
Uncertainty over the identity of Liverpool’s next owners may continue, but there could be no mistaking their right to inclusion in today’s play-off draw to win a place in the Europa League group stage.
On target: David Ngog and Steven Gerrard got the goals on a comfortable night for Liverpool
Leading 2-0 from last week’s first leg, the return was turned into an exhibition, particularly from recent signing Cole.
The England and former Chelsea star was in his element on his home debut, as he strode his new stage with an assurance that had the Kop roaring their approval long before the end. Little wonder he stayed behind to milk the applause from a healthy 30,000-plus turnout.
Though delighted with every aspect of his first appearance as Liverpool boss, Roy Hodgson admitted he would not be dipping into any windfall from new owners this month, even if a takeover was completed before the transfer window shut.
Following: A very, very small contingent of Macedonians made the long journey to support their team
‘The danger in a late takeover would be that we wouldn’t really have had a chance to research players,’ he said.
‘We are targeting players in this window that the club are capable of buying, and if, one day, an enormous amount of money was made available, as it was for Manchester City once upon a time and Chelsea, that would be nice.'
‘But you still have to do a lot of background work before you can start splashing that money around. It is not a question of how much a player costs, it is how good he is.
Impressive: Joe Cole turned in a fine first competitive appearance for Liverpool
‘Milan Jovanovic was signed before I came but we have brought in Danny Wilson and Joe Cole. We still hope there will be a couple more.’
There was enough to hearten Hodgson in the form of Cole’s ingenuity, Daniel Pacheco’s clever prompting and Jovanovic’s industry.
Cole featured in a succession of attacks that would have led to a landslide win but for erratic finishing and agile keeping from Martin Bogatinov.
Heads we win: Ngog scored for the second successive game for the first time in his career
David Ngog had wasted a one-on-one chance when he claimed the 22nd-minute breakthrough with a header from a Cole chip.
Ngog spurned another chance laid on by Cole but made amends in the 40th minute with a turn that bamboozled Fernando Lopes and led to a penalty Steven Gerrard dispatched.
In the second half, overworked Bogatinov denied Cole three times and the bar also thwarted him. Cole said: ‘The main difference (as a Liverpool player) is that I wasn’t getting too much stick! I really enjoyed it.’
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