Liverpool 1, Sunderland 0 (D,Post)
Aug 22 2005
By Ian Doyle at Anfield
IT may have caused much mirth in the Anfield press room, but Liverpool's striking concerns are no laughing matter for Rafael Benitez.
When asked for the umpteenth time this week whether he was contemplating bringing another forward to the club, the Spaniard could only get halfway through his now stock response of "we need a centre-back and a right-winger" before the gathered scribes broke into a hearty chuckle.
Sadly for Benitez, that was where the smiles were consigned after an encounter against newlypromoted Sunderland that brought the expected three points but little joy otherwise.
Just ask Liverpool's current strikers. Djibril Cisse had no fun as his fragile confidence ebbed away on the right flank amid talk of a sale. Fernando Morientes's body language told of someone not amused by the scant service being provided. And Milan Baros was filled with the sad resignation of someone soon to be no longer of this parish.
Then there's the unhappy Michael Owen, his face pressed up against the Anfield glbutt, fists banging loudly against the pane in the hope someone inside will hear and free him from his increasingly frustrating Spanish sojourn with Real Madrid.
Benitez does indeed require a right-winger and a centre-back, but only a fool would deny that Liverpool need Owen's person striking instinct and bursts of pace as much as the forward requires regular first-team football amid welcome surrounds.
The goals may have been flowing for Benitez's men against European football's lesser lights this summer, but in two games against more stubborn Premier-ship opposition they have struggled to convert their territorial dominance into decent scoring opportunities.
And when the chances have presented themselves, so the strikers have thus far failed to live up to the reputation of their transfer fee. It's why Liverpool couldn't overcome 10-man Middlesbrough last week and why they made heavy work of seeing off the challenge of a similarlydepleted Sunderland outfit on Saturday.
And it's why, if not swiftly rectified, Liverpool will struggle to make their desired break into the Premiership top three. Of course, Peter Crouch has yet to kick a Premiership ball in anger and his return will provide more presence and another option to Liverpool's attack. But, given the play-ers at his disposal, Benitez must wonder - Steven Gerrard apart - where the goals are going to come from.
Baros has already paid the price for perceived failure, with the expendable Czech edging ever nearer to an Anfield exit. Now it's the future of Cisse that has buttumed the greater interest.
Lyon have denied rumours of an offer but with Marseille preparing a bid, the transfer tittle-tattle is clearly affecting the player given the evidence of his wayward performance on Saturday.
Mind you, Cisse was not helped by again being asked to patrol the right flank, a position in which he looked ill at ease at the Riverside the previous week.
It was only when moved into a more central position that he stuttered into life, although his failure to convert at least one of three decent openings will not have done his case for inclusion much good.
"I know that Cisse is not a right-winger," conceded Benitez.. "I am sure he doesn't like playing on the right wing, but we needed to change things for the team.
"When you score more goals then you have more confidence, but I know that he can score goals. Then his confidence can improve."
Given this view, and the ponderous pace of Sunderland centre-backs Gary Breen and Alan Stubbs, it begs the question why the fleet-footed Frenchman wasn't asked to play in a more conventional role in the first place. It would probably do him more good than not reading the newspapers, as Benitez advised before the match.
The manager's faith in the present formation seems also not to favour Morientes who, one first-half header apart, offered meagre threat to the Sunderland back line and spent much of his time scurrying back to find possession amid an already congested midfield.
"Morientes had one clear chance with the header, and he is working very hard," added the Liverpool manager. "But it is not easy for him at the moment, and he is maybe working too hard outside the box. When we start crossing the ball better then he will be better."
Such quality delivery was sadly lacking from a low-key Liverpool performance that under-lined Benitez's pressing need for more creativity from the flanks.
With Cisse and later the disappointing Luis Garcia toiling on the right, Boudewijn Zenden faded on the opposite flank after a bright start and John Arne Riise fared little better on his arrival.
It meant the main thrust came from the centre of midfield where, with Gerrard having a relatively quiet game, Momo Sissoko and Xabi Alonso were the star turns.
Sissoko's home Premiership debut was characterised by a crowd-pleasingly tenacious display and a customary booking, while Alonso's pbutting from his deep-lying position was complemented by a willingness to mix it with Sunderland's robust midfield.
But it was the Spaniard's clbutt that ultimately proved the difference between the two sides on 24 minutes. Zenden was fouled by Carl Robinson 20 yards out, and Alonso stepped up to curl a peach of a free-kick around the wall and into the top left-hand corner of Kelvin Davis's goal, despite the best efforts of the Sunderland goalkeeper to palm the ball to safety.
The goal was just reward for the home side after a spritely start. Gerrard had curled a long-range effort against a post that almost ricocheted off Stubbs into the goal and Morientes headed wide from the resultant corner, before Cisse couldn't make a sufficient connection with Zenden's cross when
Once ahead, Liverpool unwisely relaxed and Benitez will have been alarmed at the ease at which Sunderland regularly found a way behind the home defence towards the end of the first half. The visitors also claimed a penalty on the half-hour when Andy Welsh's corner was flicked on by Tommy Miller on to the arm of Sissoko, although it would have been harsh on the Mali international.
The second half saw Liverpool rebuttert their authority on the game but without any real conviction. The misfortunes of Cisse continued when he volleyed wide after Breen had misjudged the bounce of Alonso's ball into the box and then the Frenchman had a goal disallowed following a borderline offside decision.
He also roused anger among the visitors by playing on as Stubbs lay prone on the turf after a challenge from Gerrard. Cisse shot over and was immediately hounded by the Sunderland play-ers, while Gerrard, who had already been booked, was perhaps fortunate the referee decided to take no action and was replaced soon after due to a calf injury that will rule him out of tomorrow's Champions League game against CSKA Sofia.
Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy was even more upset by the actions of the officials 16 minutes from time. Garcia was fouled by Julio Arca, and after referee Barrie Knight had whistled, Welsh barged into the back of the Liverpool player. It was a daft and unnecessary action, but it did not deserve the red card brandished by the referee on the advice of his buttistant, who could have been no more than six yards from incident.
Sunderland worked hard but their search for a Premier-ship victory - they have now lost 17 top-flight games in a row with their last win, ironically coming against Liverpool in December 2002 - was never really in danger of being ended.
For Benitez, however, the quest continues for reinforcements with the transfer deadline peering over the horizon and a new striker having surely been added to his wanted list. No joking.
LIVERPOOL (4-1-4-1): Reina; Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Warnock; Alonso; Cisse (Baros 75), Sissoko, Gerrard (Garcia 55), Zenden (Riise 63); Morientes. Subs: Carson, Josemi. BOOKINGS: Gerrard and Sissoko (both fouls).
SUNDERLAND (4-1-4-1): Davis; Nosworthy, Stubbs, Breen, Arca; Robinson (Woods 82); Lawrence (Elliott 67), Whitehead, Miller, Welsh; Gray (Brown 67). Subs: Murphy, Caldwell. BOOKINGS: Breen, Robinson and Nosworthy (all fouls). SENDING-OFF: Welsh (serious foul play).
REFEREE: Barrie Knight
ATT: 44,913
NEXT GAME: Liverpool v CSKA Sofia, UEFA Champions League third qualifying round second leg, tomorrow, 8.05pm
