[lfc-news]Cissé springs to the champions' defence with decisive volley

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Cissé springs to the champions' defence with decisive volley

Dominic Fifield at the Constant Vanden Stock
Thursday October 20, 2005
The Guardian

The European Cup continues to liberate Liverpool. A side who struggle so
often to rouse themselves in the Premiership revelled against obliging
opponents here last night and condemned Anderlecht to a 10th successive
defeat in the competition, even if the Reds' breathless enterprise was
undermined by a familiar inability to reflect their dominance in a more
convincing scoreline.
This should have been a rout. Instead Rafael Benítez stood flapping
helplessly on the touchline in the closing stages as Anderlecht, offered
undeserved hope of a point, created a few frantic forays that were repelled
- not without a few alarms - by José Reina. The Liverpool manager will have
returned to Merseyside in the small hours still troubled by his side's
failure to have registered a more convincing score but, with Anderlecht due
at Anfield in a fortnight, the holders are on the cusp of qualification for
the knock-out phase.

Benítez, predictably enough, preferred to concentrate more on the positive
aspects of his team's performance than their profligacy, though he
acknowledged that his side had 18 shots on goal yet scored only once.
"To do that away from home is not easy, but we could have done with a
second goal to ease our nerves," the manager said. Had a quarter of those
efforts found the net, Liverpool would still be above Chelsea on goal
difference at the top of the group.

Liverpool could still find solace in victory. Benítez's tactical plan was
simple but emphatic in its impact. Anderlecht, pointless if unfortunate in
their previous two matches, were aware that only a win would realistically
offer them any route out of this group and, with that in mind, their
approach was laced with no little desperation. It was also undermined by
naivety. While they poured forward in the early exchanges, Mbo Mpenza
isolating Sami Hyypia and Christian Wilhelmsson a nuisance on the flank,
they were horribly prone to the counter-attack.

With that in mind Benítez had loaded his side with pace, Djibril Cissé,
Luis García and John Arne Riise offering bite to sink deep into the
Belgians. No other team in the Champions League have enjoyed less
possession than the holders this season but with Cissé explosive and García
elusive, they can flourish at times.

Bart Goor was denied an opener by Reina's critical early block but as
Anderlecht descended further into the gung-ho, the visitors ruthlessly cut
them on the break and exposed the home side's defence as the mishmash it
is. García should have eased them ahead, first slicing Riise's pull-back
over the bar then dragging Cissé's knock-down wide of a post. Yet the
holders' dominance was unlikely to go unrewarded for long.

It was appropriate that Cissé should provide the finesse. The French
striker has endured a torrid Liverpool career, suffering everything from
horrific leg fractures to persistent doubts over his class given his £14.1m
club-record transfer. Rumours circulating this summer suggested his days at
Anfield were numbered. Yet when he found enough daylight between markers to
wriggle through and rasp a blistering volley beyond Silvio Proto, it was
his 12th goal in 22 appearances for club and country this term. That
suggests he is the nearest thing Liverpool possess to a prolific forward.

Cissé reiterated his desire to stay at the club, as well as his
satisfaction at scoring winning goals in successive games. "I'm happy with
the way I'm playing," he said and although he still struggles to retain
possession regularly, his intelligent movement was pivotal to the visitors'
success last night. He remains an enigma, clearly a player of remarkable
ability who can nevertheless drive his own manager to distraction. "But
he's a good finisher and, tonight, he did his job," added Benítez tellingly.

Liverpool, with Xabi Alonso in a creative role, are rarely allowed to revel
to this extent in the Premiership, where teams travel to Anfield in caution
and are just as willing to sit deep at home. Yet the Reds would have been
more comfortable had others shown any composure in front of goal. Djimi
Traoré, spinning free of his marker at the near post, battered a
close-range shot that Proto did well to block, though the goalkeeper was
helpless when Riise slipped Cissé through only for the striker to dribble a
shot wide.

Late forays from Mohamed Sissoko and García, both denied by Proto, would
have eased the visitors' nerves when Anderlecht revived for a nervy finale.
Anthony Vanden Borre might even have hauled them level but blazed over a
gaping net, and Liverpool breathed again. "If we beat them at home [on
November 1], we'll almost be there," said Benítez. His side's shortcomings
are unlikely to disappear quite as quickly.

Champions League Group G
Wednesday October 19, 2005
FT Anderlecht 0-1 Liverpool
20' 0-1 Cisse
60' Alonso
85' Reina
Anderlecht
Aliaj Sylvio Proto, Olivier Deschacht (Serhat Akin), Hannu Tihinen (Lamine
Traore), Anthony Vanden Borre, Mark Deman, Bart Goor, Yves Vanderhaeghe
(Walter Baseggio), Christian Wilhelmsson, Par Zetterberg, Nenad Jestrovic,
Mbo Mpenza

Liverpool
Jose Manuel Reina, Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, Jose Miguel Josemi, John
Arne Riise (Stephen Warnock), Djimi Traore, Xabi Alonso, Dietmar Hamann,
Mohamed Sissoko (Boudewijn Zenden), Djibril Cisse (Harry Kewell), Javier
Sanz Luis Garcia

Referee: Busacca, M

Venue: Constant Vanden Stockstadion

Attendance: 25,000

Corners:
Anderlecht 7
Liverpool 6

Goal Attempts:
Anderlecht 9
Liverpool 13

On Target:
Anderlecht 3
Liverpool 5

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