Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn
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Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers
Big guns back for Reds
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is set to revert to his strongest line-up for Sunday's visit of Blackburn after resting a number of players in midweek.Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Raul Meireles and Lucas Leiva are all set to return after being left at home for the Europa goalless draw against Napoli in Italy.
Defender Jamie Carragher came off at half-time in that game and needs to be given the all-clear to play but right-back Glen Johnson is set to return after missing the last two games with a hamstring problem.
Centre-back Daniel Agger missed the trip because of illness but could come back into the squad.
Forward Dirk Kuyt is still at least a couple of weeks away from returning from an ankle injury.
Hodgson believes the club's struggles this season will make them a stronger unit over time.
The 63-year-old faces former club Blackburn knowing his side have to put in a performance after just one victory in eight Premier League matches.
Liverpool's position in the relegation zone is unfamiliar territory for a club which is used to regularly finishing in the top four and excelling in Europe.
At the moment, just qualifying for next season's Europa League would be an achievement but Hodgson remains confident his team will rise to the challenge and prove their - and his - critics wrong.
"I think we are getting stronger as a team and a squad and we are becoming more organised in the sense of how I would like to see us organised,'' he told Press Association Sport.
"As far as I am concerned it is still a work in progress and we have an awful lot of rebuilding to do.
"But having gone to Naples after a derby defeat and getting a good goalless draw with a team no-one expected to get that is positive going into the game on Sunday.
"What we need is a bit of luck. When you are down there and you are not getting the victories the pressure builds up and confidence takes a battering and everyone starts to question things.
"There is lots of speculation and negative things being said but we understand that. It is par for the course and that is what football is.
"But the only way you can get out of it is keep working hard, keep trying to get those results and then hopefully, when you have done it, it will make you stronger for it.
"Most of the players and myself are more accustomed to pats on the back than kicks in the teeth but we also know that in football kicks in the teeth are part of the game.
"What you do is try to keep as many teeth as you can and try to get on with it.''
Christopher Samba is suspended but Ryan Nelsen may have recovered from a thigh injury picked up on international duty.
Keith Andrews (groin), Jason Roberts (ankle) and Vince Grella (hamstring) are out.
New recruit Herold Goulon, who signed a two-year deal after a successful trial period, will not feature as he awaits international clearance.
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce believes Liverpool counterpart Hodgson deserves time to address the Reds' on-field ills - but is hoping to add to them.
Liverpool have finally completed a protracted change of ownership and Allardyce insists Hodgson cannot be blamed for all Liverpool's failings so far this season.
"I always thought this would be a year of transition for a club that has sold off a lot of its players and Roy has a huge task, but I didn't think they would have as few points as they have at the moment,'' said the Blackburn manager.
"All the pressure of the takeover and the money situation has obviously affected the team.
"There's a healthy atmosphere in a football club that you can feel that there's something great and it's building, and there's the opposite which has created a knock to that normal Liverpool feeling.
"It's one of the institutions of football made great by the late, great Bill Shankly and that has declined now, the feeling has been lost and it's a great shame, and that's what they must grasp back.
"It's not just down to Roy Hodgson, it's the structure of the club as a whole, building the atmosphere back.
"I feel for Roy, he seems to be bearing the brunt of the blame. If he gets enough time he will get it right.''
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blackburn win 3-0 or 5-0
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Blackpool not easy meat for Liverpool.
And Liverpool better dont underestimate Blackpool.
Show respect to Blackpool.
Blackpool will win. The worst result will be a draw.
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0-0. blackburn have sh*t upfront. liverpool have sh*t everywhere
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Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn Rovers: Torres And Kyrgiakos Seal Vital Win But Hodgson’s Side Stay In Bottom Three
Goals from Fernando Torres and Sotiris Kyrgiakos, sandwiched between an unfortunate Jamie Carragher own goal, gave Liverpool a deserved three points against Blackburn Rovers.
All three goals came in the first frantic six second-half minutes but it was a game that Liverpool certainly deserved to win. Blackburn created few chances and had to rely on ex-England international Paul Robinson, who made three excellent first-half saves.
Both teams stepped on to the Anfield pitch to a rousing live rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. And it seemed to do the trick for the home side as it was they who started as the inspired team.It took just five minutes for Maxi Rodriguez to win a free-kick after a push from Morten-Gamst Pederson. The resulting cross from Steven Gerrard came to nothing but Liverpool’s pressure did not relent.
Just two minutes later a lovely one-two between Rodriguez and Fernando Torres got behind the static Rovers defence, allowing the Argentinean winger to pull back to Joe Cole. It looked as if Cole was certain to score from just seven yards but ex-England ‘keeper Paul Robinson pulled off a magnificent point-blank save. The rebound fell to Raul Meireles in the box but he sliced wide.
Liverpool continued to pass the ball around nicely, with a fresher looking Torres’ movement causing problems for the Blackburn defence. It took an excellent flick from Phil Jones to deny him a goal scoring opportunity after a pinpoint cross from Gerrard and just a few moments later a cross from Jamie Carragher did reach the Spanish striker but under pressure from two defenders he could only head wide.
Blackburn’s only threat appeared to be the long ball to an extremely isolated Nikola Kalinic and it was Liverpool who forced another great save from the in-form Robinson when Gerrard’s corner was headed goal-wards by Sotiris Kyrgiakos.
Even when Blackburn did manage to reach the Liverpool box, the speed of Liverpool’s counter-attack exposed them. Pepe Reina did well to claim a 25th minute corner and quickly throw the ball to Gerrard. With a four attackers bearing down on just four Rovers defenders, Liverpool quickly worked the ball wide to Meireles. The resulting cut back found Gerrard on the edge of the area and his powerful strike was well pushed clear by the impressive Robinson.
Sam Allardyce was forced to make a change just after the half hour mark when midfielder Steven N’Zonzi picked up an injury and was replaced by Vincenzo Grella. But the change did little to halt the pattern off the game, with Liverpool dominating possession and Blackburn seeing little of the ball to attack themselves. When they did manage to mount a rare attack their play seemed laboured and they could not get one of their few creative midfielders David Dunn on to the ball enough to cause Liverpool any problems.
Liverpool continued to dominate possession but unlike earlier in the half they could not test Robinson. A succession of corners five minutes from half-time led to two half chances. The first corner was headed clear in to the path of Meireles whose thunderbolt of a strike was bravely headed over by a dazed Michel Salgado. From the resulting corner Kyrgiakos escaped his marker but his flick on could only be turned over the ball by an unmarked Lucas who should have done better.
Just as the first-half entered added time Liverpool had another glorious chance to take the lead. This time it was Rodriguez who squandered the opportunity, failing to make proper contact with the ball after strangely attempting to use his right foot instead of his head to turn yet another superb cross from Gerrard goal-wards.
The Kop gave visiting ‘keeper Robinson a great ovation as he walked over to defend the goal in front of them. But unlike the first half, there was nothing Robinson could do about Liverpool’s opening goal. Blackburn’s defence did not learn from the first half and it was Phil Jones who lost Kyrgiakos from Gerrard’s 47th minute corner. The Greek centre-half’s towering header was unstoppable and Martin Olsson could only help it on its way past the unmoved Robinson.
The sense of relief around Anfield was clear for all to see, but it only lasted for a few minutes before Blackburn were back on level terms. In their first meaningful attack of the game, Pederson’s through ball to Benjani was well timed and the striker, introduced at half-time for the disappointing Kalinic, brushed past Martin Skrtel.
His cut back found El-Hadji Diouf in a surprising amount of space just six yards from the Liverpool goal. With Reina stranded at his front post, Skrtel did well to recover and clear Diouf’s scrambled shot off the line. However, his last-gasp clearance hit an unlucky Carragher and went straight back in to the net.
The drama did not end there and just two minutes later Liverpool were back in front. After his corner was headed back towards him, Gerrard laid the ball back to Cole. He dinked a lovely cross to the far post where the flat-footed Blackburn defence was caught out by the predatory instincts of Torres - who finished with a simple side-foot from 7 yards. Torres’ form has been constantly criticised this season but he showed his class to ghost in at the far post.
Unlike with Liverpool’s first goal, Blackburn could not muster an instant equaliser. Instead it was the home side who continued to dominate the game, passing the ball well without creating any significant chances. Cole fired a shot over the bar from some distance as Blackburn struggled to get out of their own half.
Sam Allardyce used his last substitute, throwing on 20 year-old David Hoilett for the disappointing Dunn. The change gave Blackburn a slight lift but their reluctance to commit players forward cost them when Martin Olsson’s glorious left wing cross evaded the Liverpool defence and keeper – only for it to sail harmlessly out for a throw in.
Liverpool replaced Cole with top scorer David N’Gog but it was Blackburn who improved as the game ticked in to the final ten minutes. For a moment it looked as if a few of their trademark long balls might cause a few nerves to creep in to Liverpool. However, Rovers could not muster enough pressure to worry Liverpool and it was the home side that ended the stronger team. Kyrgiakos had a strong shout for a penalty turned down when he was hauled to the floor - referee Phil Dowd waving play on.
Roy Hodgson brought on hot prospect Jonjo Shelvey for Meireles to run the clock down but the Anfield crowd was understandably nervous as the game entered the three allotted minutes of added time. However, the expected aerial assault from Blackburn never came and it was Liverpool who gained a vital three points to claim their first Premier League win since August.