A hat-trick for the home crowd, a quiet start to Liverpool FC’s new European adventure, a thrilling jaunt in London and a challenging kick-off to a Carling Cup campaign at Leeds.
And all things being Anfield, a smattering of business news and a goalkeeper as well as a manager who likes speaking out!
Liverpool FC Barclays Premier League Result
Saturday 12th September 2009
Liverpool FC 4 – 0 Burnley FC
(Benayoun 27,
61 & 82,
Kuyt 41)
Yossi Benayoun gets a hat-trick as Liverpool clinch victory over Premier League newcomers Burnley.
The midfielder’s first came after he had artfully run through the defense, and Liverpool’s second was after Benayoun’s shot was parried with Dirk Kuyt doubling the lead before the break.
Then Israeli international Benayoun clinched his hat-trick with two second-half goals topping off a masterful and creative display.
Burnley’s only chances were two long-range strikes from Martin Patterson, and Liverpool rarely looked troubled.
Red’s boss Rafael Benitez said after the game:“Yossi had been away on international duty and done a lot of travelling, but he wanted to play.
“It is important to him to show his quality in every training session and every match.
“Over the seasons he has shown his value coming off the bench, but now he is showing how important he can be with movement and passing from the start.”
Watch Benitez praising the hat-trick hero on the BBC.
Liverpool FC: played 5, won 3, lost 2, gd +6, points 9, position 5th
The next day, Rafa tried to put a Pepe Reina interview into context, following reported comments in the weekend’s press.
The keeper had spoken out before the victory against Burnley,
saying that winning the title this season “is not a realistic objective”.“I think Pepe was trying to say something that we have spoken about before,” said Benitez.
“We should not think about silverware or titles – just to get three points in the next game and see what happens.”
Reina had told the Guardian in an interview:
“There isn’t frustration, there is resignation.“Maybe it’s time to get realistic and not think about the title but just about winning the next game.” The 27-year-old Spanish international called for the club’s American co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to improve Liverpool’s chances by giving manager Benitez more money for players.
“It would be lovely if we found ourselves in an economic position where we can bring in players and build a squad that can compete with other sides.” He said, “But it’s up to the owners to try to bring players in, not us.”
On the 14th September the British Medical Association (BMA) called for an end to alcohol sponsorship of sport.
Happily for Liverpool,
Standard Chartered Bank is to become the main sponsor of LFC after signing a four-year deal.The agreement will end Liverpool’s 17-year association with Carlsberg and begins next July.
It is the club’s largest ever commercial agreement, thought to be worth around £80million over the four years.
Better player news on the15th September, as Liverpool Football Club sign 16-year old Michael Ngoo from Southend. The striker has had a successful trial period at Anfield, and has now agreed scholarship terms. “It’s a good deal for us and a great opportunity for Michael,” Southend’s Ricky Duncan told the club’s website.
“The deal could be worth more than £250,000 if he goes on to realise his potential but the initial fee is a lot smaller than that.”
16th September had Rafa Benitez speaking out about the new quota rules levied by the Football Association. Next season, all top-flight clubs must name at least eight players under 21 that have been trained in either England or Wales in a 25-man squad.
“It may now be difficult to maintain quality. The number of players is not the point, the quality is,” he warned.
“The problem in England is that there is a big gap between the academies and the first team, the reserve league is not filling this gap.”
Liverpool only just meet current Champions League criteria of eight home-grown players in their 28-man European squad.
Liverpool FC Champions League Group E Result
Wednesday 16th September 2009
Liverpool FC 1 – 0 Debreceni VSC
(Kuyt 45+1)
Liverpool began this season’s Champions League campaign with a narrow win over Hungarian champs Debrecen.
A subdued Anfield was host to an uninspiring Liverpool game, with Dirk Kuyt’s goal in first-half stoppage time enough for the win.
Fernando Torres had his shot stopped by Vukasin Poleksic, but the keeper failed to hold onto the ball and Kuyt punished him with the goal.
Liverpool deserved the win having controlled most of the first half, but Debrecen gave the home side a few scares as they stuck to a plan that could well have earned them a point.
But ultimately Benitez’ 300th game in charge was Liverpool’s 100th European victory in this competition.
The starting line-up was the same team that beat Burnley 4-0 at Anfield on Saturday, but the game was a different animal entirely, with skipper Steven Gerrard picking up an early yellow for taking a free-kick too early.
Boss Rafael Benitez conceded that Liverpool had made heavy weather of the match: “We made a lot of chances and just did not take them,
“So we ended up under pressure at the end of the match when we should have been winning comfortably.
“Although we did not score the goals we wanted, we did win and I’m happy.”
With Lyon beating Fiorentina at home in the other Group E match, both Liverpool and Lyon are equal-placed on top.
More business news on the 17th, with co-owner Tom Hicks speaking out over the club’s proposed new £350m stadium, saying that it will be built once the global financial crisis stabilises.
“We’ve spent lots of money and we have a fully designed stadium,” said Hicks.
“We have every permit in place, the council’s approval, everything is done. Certainly it will happen.”
A new stadium in the adjacent Stanley Park
is expected to hold 60,000 fans, 15,000 more than Anfield.Liverpool FC Barclays Premier League Result
Saturday 19th September 2009
West Ham United 2 – 3 Liverpool FC
(Diamanti 29pen, (Torres 20, 75
Cole 45) Kuyt 41)
A thrilling encounter with West Ham sees Fernando Torres scoring twice to help Liverpool to their fourth win on the bounce.
West Ham almost took the lead inside two minutes when Zavon Hines hit the post; after twenty minutes Torres opened his account, but Alessandro Diamanti scored a debatable penalty that he appeared to touch twice.
Dirk Kuyt struck following a Steven Gerrard header to put the Reds ahead once more, but set-piece frailties were on show again by the break as Carlton Cole headed in from Mark Noble’s corner.
The Hammers were eventually tiring in the second half – they had been forced to make two substitutions after 25 minutes of the first-half - when Ryan Babel chipped in for Torres to head the winner.
Manager Rafael Benitez said afterwards: “We showed character and the team has confidence. Four wins in a row means that the team is in good shape.
“It was a very competitive game, they were working very hard too, but we gave them hope. It was difficult, but we did enough to win.”
Watch Rafa speaking of his teams improvement on the BBC.
Benitez then singled out Fernando Torres for special praise; the lone striker for that game was pleased with the team’s display which you can watch here.
Liverpool FC: played 6, won 4, lost 2, gd +7, points 12, position 3rd
Liverpool FC Carling Cup Third Round Result
Tuesday 22nd September 2009
(Ngog 66)
A trying third-round tie at Elland Road takes a sole David Ngog goal to take the Reds forward to the last 16.
Liverpool started the stronger side, but Leeds got over any nerves after five minutes to make for a challenging match.
Rafa Benitez had a number of fringe players on the pitch, although Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson all started on the bench.
Ngog’s excellent strike after the hour mark sealed the win, as Leeds had an earlier goal disallowed and their striker Jermaine Beckford had a rare ‘bad day at the office’.
Liverpool boss Rafa said afterwards: “It was a great goal (by Ngog). He showed quality, very good movement. He was also fighting big lads, so I think he had a very positive game.
“We won with a lot of players not playing and I am really pleased with my team, with the squad.”
Liverpool FC’s next match is on Saturday 26th September, against Hull at Anfield.