Fwd: Reserves in action v Man City (Match report)

--- In liverweb@yahoogroups.com, Brown_Eamonn@e... wrote:

Andy is on Holidays for a week so I am once again helping out with
Liverweb
while he is gone. Firstly my apologies about the absence of an Andelecht
report. I was in the Kop on Tuesday night and by the time I got back
to Cork
on Weds evening I was in no fit state to type my own name, never mind a
match report. It will be done by the early afternoon. The report will
be as
much as a full trip EW (As requested by Andy) rather than just a match
report.

So onto the reserve report. Once again The Red and white Kop's roving
reporter Adam was at the raccourse ground last night.

Reds In Reserve: Liverpool 1 - 1 Manchester City
After a good Champions League victory over Anderlecht at Anfield it
was back
down to earth and a trip to the Racecourse to watch the reserves face
one of
their hardest challenges this season. As the 321 people who came to
the game
tonight entered the ground I read through City's line-up to see such
first-team names as Weaver, Thatcher, Sun Jihai, Dunne, Sinclair, Bradley
Wright-Phillips and of course, returning from injury God!

Despite facing a far more experienced City team Liverpool will have felt
aggrieved to be leaving North Wales with anything less than the three
points
after this hard fought game. After struggling a little, especially in the
final third during the first half of the game Liverpool went on to
dominate
the second half and will feel unlucky not to have made more of the chances
they created. They may well also feel that the sending of of
Sinama-Pongolle
after what seemed like some innocuous verbals to linesman was somewhat
unjust as well.

Liverpool started the game brightly enough and for the first five
minutes of
the match City barely had a touch. The first time City were in action,
they
played an intricate move down the right and fired in a good cross. Luckily
for Liverpool Antwi read the danger and got to the ball first to head away
for a corner. Liverpool failed to fully clear the corner though and
after a
messy scramble in the box Micah Richards managed to make good contact.
Dudek
was helpless to prevent City taking an early lead. 0-1.

Liverpool were unperturbed with Flo looking lively up front and with Antwi
looking excellent again playing in his preferred position in the centre of
the defence. Guthrie was looking rusty early on but he gradually came into
the game and with half an hour having passed neither side had really
created
many clear chances.

On 33 minutes Hobbs, uncharacteristically for a player who has been
immaculate this season, gave the ball away in the centre of the pitch. The
industrious Hussein didn't need asking twice. He picked up the ball and
jinked onto his right foot. He unleashed a powerful effort that Dudek
could
only parry. Fowler was rushing in but as the ball flew out he didn't react
quickly enough and the ball ricocheted wide of Dudek's left upright.

With 39 minutes gone Hobbs nicked the ball from Sinclair in typical
fashion,
fed Potter who, after good work, slipped the ever ready Sinama through
down
the left hand channel. Flo was at least two yards onside but the
linesmans'
flag still went up and danger was averted for City.

With moments to go until half time Sun Jihai and Whitbread went in for a
fifty-fifty no holds barred and almost popped the ball. I can't remember
hearing such a noisy collision. It was fair from both players though and
both jogged off unscathed. I thought that was action over for the
first half
but just as my thoughts drifted towards the pie stall, the Reds showed
they
were still eager for an equaliser. In injury time Flo burst forward
and fed
it into Calliste's path, he ran clear of the chasing Thatcher and
Bermingham
and just when you were sure he'd levelled the score he managed to put the
ball wide.

Half time was enlightened by the announcement over the tannoy "Liverpool's
next game here is on November 29th. For those of you that have
mixed...(long
pause) erm... (long pause) feelings (he stuttered) Wrexham will be
playing...".

City took off Sinclair and Dunne at half time with the Reds keeping
the same
XI. Liverpool kicked-off and in a pre-planned move Flo shot from the
centre
circle trying to catch Weaver off-guard. I hoped this would a sign of
attacking intent for the nest 45 minutes and it turned out to be exactly
that. Before Liverpool were to draw level though they nearly went further
behind. Hussein got in behind the defence which was slow to recover
but the
City player crossed weakly into Dudek's hands.

Guthrie was beginning to look himself again after his recent injury
lay-off
and was much more involved in this half. He had a shot on fifty
minutes and
as the ball ricocheted to Calliste he slipped Guthrie in down the inside
right. Danny put in a teasing cross which Weaver could only just get his
fingertips to and the ball fell to Sinama to volley home from an acute
angle. 1-1.

Despite Liverpool now controlling possession the next clear chance fell to
City. Again Hussein was to find space on the right and his excellent cross
was about to be headed goalward by Fowler when Antwi just managed to
get to
it and clear the danger. Even some of the Scousers there sighed.

Calliste was having his best game for Liverpool and looked a different
player to the one that showed up last week. Flo set him through one on one
with a brilliant volleyed pass. Calliste still had it all to do coming in
from the angle with defenders back tracking; he hit a hard low drive and
only an excellent diving save from Weaver prevented a goal.

Hobbs left the field for Idrizaj who moved to the left wing allowing
Potter
to move inside. Potter really improved once he'd switched inside and
Idrizaj
looked much more natural not playing as an out and out striker and his
first
offering was to dribble past a couple of men. It came to nothing, but it's
good to see the young Austrian having an impact.

On 62 minutes Calliste and Sinama linked up again. This time a one-two put
Sinama through into a similar position in which Calliste had found himself
five minutes earlier. This time Sinama beat the advancing Weaver, but his
shot failed to curl enough to hit the target.

A dominant Liverpool didn't have to wait long for another excellent
chance.
Once Calliste gets going he is extremely quick and another ball over
the top
saw him run free. He could have shot but chose to take another touch. The
choice was the wrong one as it allowed a defender to get back and make a
clearing challenge.

You had a feeling Liverpool might pay for missed chances and they nearly
did. With less than ten minutes left City substitute Marc Laird had
the goal
at his mercy from three yards out. The corner that the referee gave as the
ball sailed into the stands may have saved his blushes, but it was clearly
the wrong decision.

As the game entered the final five minutes the excellent Sinama ran
clear of
the City defence. He entered the edge of the area and just as he went to
shoot he was brought down. It was as blatant as penalties come, but it
wasn't given. Sinama appealed to the referee then turned and had a few
words
with the linesman before running off. Before play restared the referee's
attention was sought by the linesman. After a brief discussion the red
card
was brandished and Flo was told to go.

Paco Herrera looked furious as the game was restarted. I don't know
what was
said, but it seemed an injustice considering how bad the decision was
not to
give the penalty.

City tried to punish ten man Liverpool. They played with four up front for
the closing stages and created a couple of chances - a long range effort
from Bermingham that went just wide and a dangerous cross that nobody
managed to get on the end of. The best late chance almost fell to that man
again, Calliste. His pace was displayed more tonight than in any other
game.
He ran clear and only a desperate last minute tackle from Sun Jihai
stopped
him facing Weaver one on one from close range.

Man of the Match: I'm torn. I was going to give it to Flo, but as he got
sent off I'm going to go with Antwi. He and O'Donnell (also the best
performance I've seen from him this season) never really looked
troubled by
Fowler and Bradley Wright-Phillips.

Liverpool Team:
Jerzy Dudek
David Raven
Zak Whitbread (77, James Smith)
Godwin Antwi
Daniel O'Donnell
Jack Hobbs (63, Besian Idrizaj)
Danny Guthrie
Lee Peltier (77, David Mannix)
Ramon Calliste
Darren Potter
Florent Sinama-Pongolle

Unused Subs: Paul Willis, Miki Roque

� AdamS 2005

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