[lfc-news] Bolton report - PA

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PA Sport, 29 Aug 2004
Bolton 1 Liverpool 0

Kevin Davies, snapped up for nothing, left Liverpool's big-money buys on
the floor at the Reebok Stadium.

The industrious striker grabbed the winner to give Bolton their third
victory in four games.

For a club that continues to view avoiding relegation as a success, it is a
remarkable start.

While manager Sam Allardyce will be delighted, new Liverpool coach Rafael
Benitez has a lot of work to do if they are to regain a place at the top table.

He was looking for his team to bounce back after the defeat by Graz AK in
the Champions League but they carried little threat at the Reebok.

Benitez gave debuts to Spanish duo Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia for this game.

Alonso was drafted in from Real Sociedad for £10.7million while Garcia
moved from Barcelona for £6million.

However, it will take both players time to get adjusted to the demands of
the Barclays Premiership.

Benitez packed the midfield with Czech Republic striker Milan Baros the
lone striker.

Liverpool central defender Sami Hyypia was left in a daze inside the first
minute when Davies backed into him.

Davies caught Hyypia's face with an elbow but TV pictures indicated that it
was an accident.

Hyypia was able to resume after treatment on the pitch, although he looked
in a little bit of discomfort.

There were reports his nose had been broken and he had difficulty seeing
out of his right eye.

He eventually came off in the 14th minute and was replaced by Djimi Traore,
who could well be playing his last game for the club ahead of a move to
Everton.

Alonso and Garcia were struggling to get into the game and Baros scuffed a
shot wide of the post from a good position.

However, Alonso found space and set up Dietmar Hamann, only for his effort
to go wide of the target.

Play switched down the other end and Jamie Carragher did well to block Gary
Speed's goal-bound effort.

Greece winger Stelios Giannakopoulos got on the end of a cross from Jay-Jay
Okocha after 30 minutes but failed to test Jerzy Dudek with his header.

Steven Gerrard was beginning to win a lot of possession in the middle of
the park and tried to steer a shot beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen, only to see
his effort go wide.

The England star then picked out Stephen Warnock with a good crossfield
ball with Bolton pushing up.

Warnock showed pace to skip away down the left before delivering a cross
into the path of Garcia.

He flicked the ball on but there was no-one in the area to take advantage
of the opportunity.

Bolton took the lead after 38 minutes when former Southampton striker
Davies scored his first goal of the season.

He ghosted in at the far post to toe-poke a shot into the net after Henrik
Pedersen had got away from Josemi down the left before delivering a low cross.

It was good work by Pedersen, who has been recalled to the Denmark squad
for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Liverpool manager Benitez decided to boost his attacking options at the
start of the second half.

He brought on Djibril Cisse to partner Baros with Warnock being replaced
despite a bright display on the left flank.

Bolton almost added a second in the 46th minute with the industrious Davies
sending in a powerful 25-yard effort.

Poland goalkeeper Dudek, however, was equal to it and did well to turn the
ball around the post.

Pedersen then put Traore under pressure when Davies flicked on a cross from
Bruno N'Gotty. The Liverpool defender was happy to hack the ball into the
stand.

Liverpool were again forced on the back foot when Ivan Campo found space
but his effort did not trouble Dudek.

Pedersen was giving Josemi a headache with his insistence on taking him on
and the Spaniard looked uncomfortable.

Dudek produced another fine save in the 58th minute, clawing away a header
from the Tunisian Radhi Jaidi.

This was a good spell of pressure by Bolton who were stringing together a
number of neat passes.

Okocha got away a minute later and Dudek did well to get down early and get
his body behind the ball.

Liverpool retaliated and Gerrard picked out Garcia, only for his effort to
go the wrong side of the post.

Cisse was becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of service but
Bolton were continuing to dominate in midfield.

Allardyce rang the changes, bringing on Les Ferdinand and Kevin Nolan for
Davies and Giannakopoulos.

With time running out, Liverpool pushed forward and Garcia found the net
only for his effort to be ruled offside by referee Uriah Rennie.

Cisse could have equalised for Liverpool in the 87th minute but sent a shot
wide from a tight angle under pressure from Jaidi.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, N'Gotty, Jaidi, Gardner, Okocha (Hierro 85),
Campo, Speed, Giannakopoulos (Nolan 75), Davies (Ferdinand 72), Pedersen.
Subs Not Used: Poole, Cesar.
Booked: Nolan, Hierro.
Goals: Davies 38.

Liverpool: Dudek, Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia (Traore 14), Riise, Luis
Garcia, Alonso, Hamann, Warnock (Cisse 45), Gerrard, Baros.
Subs Not Used: Diao, Biscan, Harrison.

Att: 27,880
Ref: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).

BENITEZ NEEDS TIME TO MAKE REDS WORK

New Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has admitted it could take "three or
four months" for the team to be up and running.

Benitez saw his side go down 1-0 to Bolton at the Reebok Stadium with free
transfer signing Kevin Davies getting the winner.

The defeat ended a disappointing week for Benitez after the defeat by Graz
AK in a Champions League qualifier, although Liverpool did go through.

Substitute Djibril Cisse could have equalised in the 87th minute but sent a
shot wide from a tight angle under pressure from Radhi Jaidi.

Benitez said: "We need to continue to work hard. It will take some time to
get things right.

"We need three or four months to have a powerful team."

Benitez felt hard done by that referee Uriah Rennie ruled out a 'goal' from
£6million signing Luis Garcia on his debut.

He found the net after Dietmar Hamann played a neat ball over the top to
split the Bolton defence.

Benitez said: "We have seen TV pictures and it is is a goal. The problem is
we cannot do anything about it now."

The former Valencia coach was forced to change his side early on after
defender Sami Hyypia was injured in an accidental clash with Davies.

Hyypia suffered a broken nose and blurred vision in his right eye and was
replaced by Djimi Traore.

The injury to Hyypia could now delay Traore's arrival at Everton after they
claimed a fee had been agreed with Liverpool.

Asked if Traore would be going to Everton, Benitez said: "At this moment, no."

He admitted that that had missed Hyypia's presence on the pitch.

"Sami is good in the air and losing him made it a lot more difficult for us.

"But I felt we did enough in the first half to win the game. We had three
good opportunities."

Not only was it Garcia's first game in England, £10.7million signing Xabi
Alonso also made his bow.

Both players struggled but Benitez said: "They played well but can play
better. They need to understand that referees allow contact here."

Bolton have made a blistering start to the season with three wins in their
first four games.

Former Southampton striker Davies scored his first goal of the season in
the 38th minute with a clinical finish.

He ghosted in at the far post to toe-poke a shot into the net after Henrik
Pedersen had got away from Josemi down the left before delivering a low cross.

It was good work by Pedersen, who has been recalled to the Denmark squad
for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Manager Sam Allardyce was thrilled with the way his side full of bargains
went about their business.

"The players were a little tired after the trip to Southampton in midweek
but they used their skills and brains to good effect," he said.

"It was a fantastic victory. Liverpool have spent a lot of money and have a
lot of talent.

"For us to play to that tempo is tribute to the players. We used the ball
correctly and played well as a team. Defensively we were solid.

"Our main striker (Davies) got off the mark and the victory was something I
felt we deserved."


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