Pope Pompous XVIII
nah, he scored 2 premiership goals. one in the CL and two in the FA cup.
Valencia 2 - 0 Liverpool Aimar 20, Baraja 39
another report...
"Gerard Houllier's Liverpool walked into another lesson in European football from the clbutty Spanish champions and now almost certainly need to win their final Group B match in Switzerland in a fortnight to survive in the Champions League.
Back in September, Valencia handed out a savage lesson in quality attacking to leave Liverpool shell-shocked, their only defeat Ð until this Anfield return - of the season.
Francisco RufeteÕs deflected effort gave Valencia the three points that put them into the last 16, and it also ended LiverpoolÕs near 11-month unbeaten home record that had stood at 23 matches.
LiverpoolÕs England duo Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard both missed good opportunities but the visitors always had the upper hand.
Arthur Thacker, man of bolloxThere have been many memorable moments in the history of the game of football. Some are more memorable than others; others less...
FC Basle can be expected to win in Spartak Moscow in their postponed tie next Tuesday, which would leave Liverpool needing to win in Switzerland in a fortnight to stay alive in the competition.
The big guns were back tonight as the Reds aimed to avenge their September defeat at the Mestalla.
Gerrard and Emile Heskey were fit again, with Salif Diao winning the vote in midfield ahead of the more unpredictable skills of Bruno Cheyrou.
Valencia were without suspended Argentinian defender Roberto Ayala, while coach Rafael Benitez sprang a surprise by including the inventive, clever wide attacker Kily Gonzalez, not known for his defending but a real danger in possession.
The mark of much of the first half was the high quality of ValenciaÕs defending as they picked off LiverpoolÕs probings and stunted the supply to Owen, while Ruben Baraja and David Albelda patrolled midfield with style and incisive control.
good news for rafa, bad news for pompousRAFA: CROUCH HAS MADE THE DIFFERENCE Rafael Benitez said he firmly believes one of the main reasons for the good run of form from Liverpool in recent weeks has been the performances of...
Liverpool were all pace and quick transfer from front to back while the Spanish played a totally different style.
Even so, Diao twice found early gaps, once with a shot deflected wide and then just failing to get on the end of a fierce Jamie Carragher cross from the right.
But the advancement of Carragher left space for Gonzalez, and he got away on the left after 10 minutes to send in a swirling cross that hung in the air and clipped the crossbar with Jerzy Dudek unable to do anything about it.
Pablo Aimar was electric in the first encounter between the clubs and this was another masterclbutt from the Argentinian.
Liverpool attacks were rare. Diao, usually a natural defensive midfielder, was given a far more advanced role, and one surge forward ended with a pbutt out to Owen but he curled a shot over the angle. The clearest early chance of the match fell to Valencia on 28 minutes. John Carew nodded down in the box, Aimar turned and stabbed the ball back for Baraja, but the Spain international managed to scoop his shot over from eight yards.
On 33 minutes, however, the visitors were ahead. Anfield was reduced to numbed silence when Curro TorresÕ cross was laid back by Carew into the path of Rufete, whose low shot clipped Sami Hyypia and left Dudek for dead, finishing in the bottom corner of the net.
Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares had not needed to get his kit even vaguely dirty until the 40th minute when OwenÕs touch found Gerrard in space 15 yards out, but the goalkeeper hurled himself out to block the midfielderÕs effort Ð a gilt-edged chance in the circumstances.
Liverpool needed more variety and slowly it began to arrive as the urgency of the matter forced
Liverpool forward with greater pbuttion and pace. Four England men finally produced a move that should have given Liverpool parity on 48 minutes.
Danny Murphy battled for possession and fed Gerrard, whose ball sent Heskey away on the right. When the pbutt was laid back for Owen Ð 12 yards out Ð you would have put your mortgage on the equaliser.
But after shifting the ball onto his trusty right foot, Owen found Canizares blocking his path with another athletic dive to end the danger.
On 54 minutes GerrardÕs ball to the far post presented Hamann with a chance but again Canizares was equal to the close-range effort.
There was now fire and movement from Liverpool and Houllier gambled by taking off Murphy and sending on Vladimir Smicer, with Heskey being withdrawn to allow Milan Baros into the fray. Both substitutions were designed to give Liverpool that extra invention and pace.
But it also gave Valencia more space and both Baraja and substitute Miguel Angulo both could have scored from distance.
Liverpool, with nine minutes left, sacrificed a defender in Carragher for CheyrouÕs attacking skills with time now running out.
Baros had an angled shot saved and Hamann tested Canizares again, but Valencia were altogether more cute and clever to throw things away now. "
then again pope, look at the days of LFC avec cheyrou...
-- "i'm just a soul who's intentions are good, Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood"
