Liverpool 0, Manchester United 1 (D,Post)

Mar 5 2007 by Ian Doyle at Anfield

Bellamy’s harassment of Vidic created a gilt-edged opportunity for Liverpool on the half-hour, but after the Wales international had dispossessed the Serbian and made his way to the byline, his cutback was too far away from the incoming Kuyt to side-foot home.

John Arne Riise flashed a venomous free-kick inches wide and the otherwise subdued Mark Gonzalez tested van der Sar from range, while at the other end two magnificent tackles in quick succession by Carragher prevented Ronaldo and then Wayne Rooney firing off shots.

After perhaps only shading the first half, Liverpool restarted after the interval in whirlwind fashion. Gerrard fired wide, Riise shot over and Bellamy was denied by van der Sar before having a goal rightly disallowed after Momo Sissoko’s flick-on put the striker in an offside position as he converted Riise’s miss-hit effort.

Sissoko has been impressive since his return from his dislocated shoulder, particularly in the win at the Nou Camp, but Saturday was one of those days when precious little went right for the Malian in a central midfield in which Alonso, Scholes and Michael Carrick also struggled to make much impression.

Ferguson had sounded his concern over the decision to name the relatively inexperienced Martin Atkinson as referee in place of the injured Graham Poll, but overall the official acquitted himself well, although Liverpool were a touch fortunate he waved away what seemed a decent penalty shout when Louis Saha and Daniel Agger tangled in the area with 12 minutes remaining.

Then, as Liverpool sought to capitalise on their numerical advantage in the closing moments, came the sucker-punch.

After Finnan was adjudged to have fouled Ryan Giggs on the United left, Ronaldo whipped in a dangerous low free-kick that Reina, distracted by the nearby Saha, did well to parry out. However, Liverpool’s players were slow to react and O’Shea, who had been introduced as a hardly like-for-like substitute for the injured Rooney, shot into the roof of the net in front of the Kop.

While the pain of this unjust defeat cut deep, a similar performance and indeed scoreline tomorrow night against Barcelona would see Liverpool safely through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Benitez, though, will hope that talent and not luck sends his team into the last eight. After all, their season now rests on it.

LIVERPOOL: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise; Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko (Crouch 79), Gonzalez (Aurelio 60); Kuyt, Bellamy (Pennant 69). Subs: Dudek, Hyypia.
BOOKINGS: Alonso (dissent) and Carragher (foul).
 
MANCHESTER UNITED: van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra (Silvestre 63); Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs; Rooney (O'Shea 73), Larsson (Saha 67). Subs: Kuszczak, Brown.
BOOKINGS: Carrick and Neville (both fouls).
SENDING-OFF: Scholes (violent conduct).
 
REFEREE: Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire).
 
ATT: 44,403.
 
NEXT GAME: Liverpool v Barcelona, Champions League first knockout round second leg, tomorrow 7.45pm