Kuyt hails the impact of Liverpool’s dynamic duo

Apr 15 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

DIRK KUYT has hailed the combination of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard that he believes has taken Liverpool to the brink of Champions League qualification.

Both players were on target as Rafael Benitez’s side earned a seventh successive league win at Anfield with a 3-1 triumph over Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.

The victory moved fourth-placed Liverpool five points clear of nearest rivals Everton with only four games of the season remaining.

It came two days after Gerrard and Torres were nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, with Torres also in the running for the Young Player of the Year award.

And Kuyt has praised Gerrard, who celebrated his 300th Premier League start by breaking Blackburn’s stubborn resistance with his 21st goal of the campaign.

“He was absolutely fabulous, scored a great goal and produced a good assist for Torres too,” said Kuyt.

“He played like a real captain and it was nice for him to mark his 300th game with a great performance and the opener.

“But then that isn’t anything new, he’s played like that all season and it’s no secret that he is a really important player for us.”

Torres’s goal was his 30th strike of his debut season and ensured he became the first player in the club’s history to score in seven consecutive top-flight matches at Anfield.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Kuyt. “Fernando keeps scoring goals and it feels as if every time he plays at Anfield, he scores. It’s incredible how somebody can come in and achieve what he has in what is his first season at a new club in a new country.

“He deserves all the credit he gets and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He does a lot of good work for the team and is a great asset to the club.”

Of the win, the Dutchman added: “It was really important we got the three points. It moves us five points ahead of Everton and gives us some breathing space going into the last few matches.

“What we need to do now is keep winning so that we make sure we are definitely going to finish in fourth and we need to try and confirm that in the next few matches if we can, beginning with Fulham next week.”

Gerrard himself insists his desire to win silverware at Liverpool remains undiminished after his landmark performance at the weekend.

“I wasn’t really aware that this was my 300th league game until a couple of days ago so it was a really proud day for me,” said the skipper. “It only seems like a couple of days ago that I made my debut so I’m really proud to clock up that many appearances.

“I love playing football and I love playing for this football club. I’ve still got a load of goals, a load of ambitions and stuff to achieve here and that’s what drives me on.

“Obviously, I’d love to win the league and win more trophies. Playing with top players and being coached by a top manager – that also drives me on.”

Since their shock FA Cup defeat to Barnsley in February, Liverpool have lost only one of 13 games.

And Gerrard added: “We are enjoying it at the moment. We have got through to the semi-finals of the Champions League and hopefully we can sew fourth place up on Saturday.

“I think since Barnsley we have gone on a fantastic run. It was disappointing to lose against Manchester United when we went down to 10 men but hopefully we can continue the run now until the end of the season.

“We are playing well, creating chances and it was a bit disappointing to concede a goal late on against Blackburn because I thought the back four and the keeper deserved a clean sheet.”