[lfc-news] Tottenham vs Liverpool report

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page
http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/2_TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Tottenham 0-0 LiverpoolPA
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=184432&cc=5739

If England head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had come to White Hart Lane to
find a replacement for Wayne Rooney against Austria, he will have left with
his search still wide open after Tottenham's Jermain Defoe and Liverpool's
Peter Crouch failed to break the deadlock.

AdamDavy/Empics
Grzegorz Rasiak (left) scores, but the goal was chalked off by the referee

But while both England strikers had 'goals' ruled out - a fate which
curiously also befell Poland international Grzegorz Rasiak - it was
midfielder Michael Carrick who should have really caught the England boss' eye.

Carrick, partnered in central midfield by new signing Jermaine Jenas,
outperformed Steven Gerrard throughout this goalless stalemate and should
be a strong contender for a call-up against Austria next month.

Whether Eriksson is persuaded of such a change remains to be seen, with his
greatest concern remaining Rooney's replacement as the striker is suspended
against Austria.

Indeed, the England head coach can only have concluded that he has rather
more strength in central defence - where Jamie Carragher and Ledley King
were both outstanding - than in attack.

However, it is Carrick's form which demands further inspection in the next
few weeks, with England crying out for a holding midfielder, with Gerrard
and Frank Lampard out of form and David Beckham not cut out for the task.

With Spurs including £11million worth of deadline-day signings, Jenas was
handed a central role alongside Carrick, while Lee Young-Pyo provided width
outside Edgar Davids and Rasiak offered height up front.

Liverpool, meanwhile, gave Crouch his first start of the season after
injury, but rather than opting for a cautious five-man midfield, boss
Rafael Benitez included Djibril Cisse up front as well.

It was a relatively open game, but with few early chances as Cisse's
snapshot flew wide and Defoe's drive sped over the bar.

Defoe came even closer with his next effort after indecision in the
Liverpool defence, while Jose Reina failed to deal with a cross by the
former West Ham striker, but Jenas just failed to take advantage.

Spurs had two half-hearted penalty appeals turned down, while Lee made a
handful of penetrating runs down the left flank, King had a shot blocked
and Defoe's 'goal' was ruled out for a clear offside decision.

Not that the home side could rest on their laurels, however, as Liverpool
threatened intermittently.

Stephen Warnock launched a deep cross and, when the Spurs defence's
attention was distracted by Crouch, Luis Garcia was allowed to sneak in at
the far post, only to volley into the side netting.

Crouch also rose to meet Gerrard's free-kick, only to head the ball two
feet over the bar, but the clearest chance of the first half fell to Rasiak
just before the interval.

Reina could only parry Davids' powerful free-kick and the Poland
international looped his follow-up header against the crossbar.

At the interval Benitez replaced Dietmar Hamann, who had received a painful
blow at a free-kick, with Mohamed Sissoko and he was greeted by pouring
rain with the storm clouds having broken.

As the game came to life, Liverpool were now on top, with Cisse letting fly
with a thunderous half-volley from Crouch's knockdown, with Paul Robinson
just managing to parry the ball.

The England goalkeeper also dived full-length to grasp John Arne Riise's
long-range effort, while the Norwegian then let fly with a superb volley
which struck the underside of the bar and bounced to safety off the goal-line.

Tottenham tried to make the most of that reprieve, with Reina doing well to
block Carrick's long-range drive. While Defoe skied his follow-up over the
bar, his blushes were saved by the offside flag.

Rasiak looked to have put the home side ahead, but Carrick's corner was
adjudged to have curled out of play before the Polish international headed
home and a goal-kick was duly awarded.

Rasiak's next header was also ruled out for a push, although that had been
directed well over the bar, while Liverpool made an enforced change with 22
minutes left as Xabi Alonso replaced Warnock.

Within a minute, Liverpool also thought they had gone ahead, only for
Crouch's header to be ruled out for exactly the same reason as Rasiak's,
with the corner having gone out of play before the converter made contact.

And that effectively was that. For Eriksson, it was a familiar sight - yet
another game which raised more questions than it solved.

Unsubscribe: lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.lfc-list.org.uk/

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lfc-news/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/