[lfc-news] Sunderland report - PA

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PA Sport, 20 Aug 2005
Liverpool 1 Sunderland 0

Champions of Europe they may be, but Liverpool cannot be satisfied with
this disjointed display against a 10-man Sunderland who more than
embarrassed the Anfield men.

Xabi Alonso struck a sweet free kick to give Liverpool a first-half
lead, but when they should have hit top gear and put the Barclays
Premiership new boys in their place.

But it was the Wearsiders who showed all the fight, refusing to throw in
the towel despite losing winger Andy Welsh to a debatable red card.

Reds boss Rafael Benitez took off Steven Gerrard on the hour, and the
collective Anfield audience held its breath.

And once again Liverpool showed they can be rudderless without their
leader - and they were relieved to hear the final whistle, which was
followed by Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy making his views on two denied
penalties known to referee Barry Knight.

Former Everton skipper Alan Stubbs made his debut for Sunderland after
his summer move away from Merseyside, and he was at the heart of a
defiant Sunderland defence which did not wilt under pressure.

Liverpool had Djibril Cisse in the starting line-up, but he played for
long spells like a man who had other things on his mind.

The Frenchman, linked with a move away from Anfield despite Benitez's
assurances that he is going nowhere, was a peripheral figure for long
spells.

He lacked the industry of Gerrard, certainly. It was match number 11
already for the Anfield skipper, and he was in the fray from the off.

In the opening minutes the England midfielder picked up possession on
the left, cut inside and unleashed a swerving 25-yard effort which
cracked against the far post, hit Stubbs, and flew behind.

And it was Gerrard taking the corner, curling the ball in for Fernando
Morientes to send a header flashing just wide from 10 yards.

Sunderland played primarily with Andy Gray on his own up front, and the
Stadium of Light new boy managed one glancing header which went wide
from 10 yards.

Gary Breen was booked for hauling back Fernando Morientes, before Bolo
Zenden headed a long angled cross from Steve Finnan wide of a post
against a Sunderland side who fought for everything and were capable of
breaks from deep.

In the 23rd minute Carl Robinson was next into the book for a trip on
Zenden, and when Xabi Alonso stepped up to take the free-kick 20 yards
out, he curled a beauty into the top corner of the net, although
goalkeeper Kelvin Davis got a hand on the effort.

Sunderland hit back when Welsh's fine through-ball sent Dean Whitehead
racing into the box to fire a low cross into the six-yard area, where
Finnan hurled himself in front of Liam Lawrence to scoop the ball from
danger virtually under the bar.

Mohamed Sissoko was next into the book for a late foul on Tommy Miller,
before Robinson's cross from the left bounced on top of the bar.

Within minutes Stubbs caught Xabi Alonso late and got another lecture
from Knight before Luis Garcia replaced Gerrard, who played most of the
90 minutes for England in Copenhagen in midweek.

Liverpool then took off the erratic Zenden to allow John Arne Riise to
take over on the left - but still there was no flow about their play and
it took the Kop to remind them they were European champions.

Sunderland produced a double substitution, sending on Stephen Elliott
and Chris Brown for Lawrence and Whitehead, sensing there was still
something in the game for the Black Cats.

Then in the 73rd minutes Welsh was harshly dismissed for bowling over
Luis Garcia as he ran into the action following a challenge on the
Spaniard by Julio Arca.

Knight again consulted his assistant and produced an instant red card,
to Welsh's amazement, with television replays showing very little
contact and even less intent.

That was the point when Milan Baros was introduced for Cisse to a warm
welcome from the Kop, who were maybe seeing the Czech for the last time.

Knight then turned down a couple of debatable Sunderland penalty appeals
for challenges on Brown and Elliott which had McCarthy hopping up and
down on the line in fury.

He sent on Chris Brown and Stephen Elliott to try to salvage a point,
while Nosworthy was also booked late on for fouling Riise.

Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Warnock, Sissoko, Alonso,
Gerrard (Luis Garcia 55), Zenden (Riise 63), Morientes, Cisse (Baros 75).
Subs Not Used: Josemi, Carson.
Booked: Gerrard, Sissoko.
Goals: Alonso 24.

Sunderland: Davis, Nosworthy, Breen, Stubbs, Arca, Lawrence (Elliott
66), Miller, Whitehead, Robinson (Woods 81), Welsh, Gray (Brown 66).
Subs Not Used: Caldwell, Joe Murphy.
Sent Off: Welsh (74).
Booked: Breen, Robinson, Nosworthy.

Att: 44,913
Ref: B Knight (Kent).

GERRARD TO MISS EUROPEAN CLASH

Steven Gerrard is almost certainly out of Liverpool's Champions League
clash with CSKA Sofia on Tuesday with a calf injury picked up in the 1-0
victory over Sunderland at Anfield.

Captain Gerrard, figuring in his 11th match so far this summer and
played 84 minutes of England's miserable defeat in Denmark this week,
was replaced by Luis Garcia in the 55th minute.

Now boss Rafael Benitez said: "Steven felt something in his calf, he
will have a scan and I will talk to him before making a decision.

"But it is very unlikely that he will play against Sofia and I hope to
have him for the Super Cup game in Monaco on Friday against CSKA Moscow."

Benitez refused to criticise the length of time England boss Sven-Goran
Eriksson asked Gerrard to play in Copenhagen.

But there was surprise from the Anfield hierarchy at how much of the
friendly international the Reds captain was expected to play -
particularly with both England and Liverpool being acutely aware of the
huge workload the midfielder is taking on this season for club and country.

On the stuttering performance in beating the Barclays Premiership new
boys, Benitez said: "We did not play with any fluidity, but after an
international week when lots of the players have been involved in 90
minutes of matches, it is important just to win.

"We started well and scored a good goal, and needed a second. But it
wouldn't come.

"Some days when we create chances we score, other times like this game
strikers seem to need a lot of chances before they do score."

Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy said referee Barry Knight has agreed to
have a second look at the red card given to midfielder Andy Welsh.

McCarthy said: "It quite clearly was not a red card.

"The lad didn't lash out or anything like that, he is a little nippy
midfielder, not a big 6ft-plus centre-back.

"In fact having seen it on TV it wasn't even a yellow card.

"I politely asked the referee at the end whether he would look at the
incident again and he said he would.

"I feel a bit sorry for him because he asked his assistant's opinion and
I believe he was told that my player swung out at the player.

"He certainly hasn't done that, he has twisted and just run into the lad.

"But if a linesman says he saw something that he may not really have
seen, the referee has no option but to send him off."

The former Republic of Ireland boss added: "We could also have had a
penalty and after being on the back foot in the first half, we were much
better afterwards.

"Had we had 11 men on the field, I could have put more strikers on and
gone for it at the end, but it wasn't possible."

The Sunderland boss also had a view on the incident between Alan Stubbs
and Gerrard in the second period, which saw the Liverpool man
substituted soon after.

He said: "Alan was clattered, and with players going at the pace they do
it only takes a nick and they are over.

"Gerrard had already been booked and maybe the injury he has got came
from that challenge - but it may have been a good idea to take him off
at that point."

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