[lfc-news] Serbian's sending-off for racial abuse sours Liverpool taste of success

------------------------ 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
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Serbian's sending-off for racial abuse sours Liverpool taste of success

Dominic Fifield at Anfield
Wednesday November 2, 2005
The Guardian

Anderlecht's striker Nenad Jestrovic faces severe sanction from Uefa after
the referee Kim Milton Nielsen dismissed the Serbian substitute - who had
been on the pitch for only five minutes - for allegedly racially abusing
Mohamed Sissoko as Liverpool moved to within a point of the knockout phase
last night.
Jestrovic had clashed with the Mali international and, in front of the
official, is claimed to have muttered "Fuck off, black" at Sissoko in the
75th minute. The Liverpool player claimed not to have understood what was
said but the outburst was heard by Nielsen, who had no hesitation in
dismissing the substitute before confirming to the Uefa delegate present,
Knud Stadsgaard, that the abuse had been racial. The officials refused to
comment publicly last night, but Jestrovic offered his version of events.
"He [Sissoko] called me a son of a bitch," he said. "I told him to fuck
off, and the referee sent me off. I do not understand why."

Anderlecht's coach Frank Vercauteren will wait for Nielsen's report to be
filed to Uefa before deciding whether to take action against his striker,
though he refused to criticise Jestrovic in the immediate aftermath.
"What was said occurs 50 times in an average match," he said, rather
disturbingly. "It's possible [the abuse was racist]. I cannot approve of
something like that but I think it happens a lot. I believe my player, so
Sissoko should have gone off as well. He didn't say the same, but he said
something also."

Jestrovic has been watched by Wigan, Sunderland and West Ham in recent
weeks, though this may be reason to steer clear. His brief involvement was
a distasteful way for a sumptuous Liverpool win to be remembered.

Had Chelsea beaten Real Betis in Seville then the holders would already
have secured their passage into the last 16. Instead, with this convincing
success pepping their confidence, qualification will have to wait at least
until the Spanish club visit this arena on November 23. Liverpool will
start that match on top of the group needing only a draw which, on this
evidence, should be comfortably within their reach.

Such was Liverpool's dominance here in condemning Anderlecht to an 11th
successive defeat in this competition that it remains a source of
bewilderment as to why they stutter so when thrust back into domestic
competition. A week earlier they had lost to Crystal Palace in the Carling
Cup. Last night there was a swagger to their play which, once the Belgian
side had been worn down in the opening half-hour, duly yielded reward.

That one of their stuttering strikers, Fernando Morientes, should break the
deadlock was particularly welcome. Steven Gerrard's raking pass after 34
minutes found the Spaniard who, having eluded Hannu Tihinen and chested the
ball into his own path, battered a stunning angled drive from the edge of
the area which flew in off the far post.

It was Morientes's 27th Champions League goal yet only his sixth in 27
appearances for the Merseysiders since his £6m move from Real Madrid in
January. When he was substituted early in the second period with a slight
knee injury, the Kop afforded him a standing ovation.

The shame was that Peter Crouch could not follow his partner's lead. The
£7m England striker missed three early chances and prodded a rebound wide
after Silvio Proto had denied Morientes. His 13th Liverpool appearance
ended like the others, goalless, and he watched as the smallest player on
the pitch, Luis García, rise majestically to flick a header beyond Proto to
double the home side's advantage. Djibril Cissé, Crouch's replacement, slid
home the third goal a minute from time to add gloss to a dominant Liverpool
display.

Liverpool (4-4-2) Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise; Gerrard (Kewell,
78), Alonso, Sissoko·, Luis García; Crouch (Cissé, 72), Morientes (Zenden,
52).

Subs not used

Dudek, Hamann, Josemi, Warnock.

Anderlecht (4-3-1-2) Proto; Zewlakow, Juhasz, De Man, Tihinen; Wilhelmsson,
Vanderhaeghe (Pujol, 70), Goor; Zetterberg; Serhat (Jestrovic·,70), Mpenza
(Baseggio, 82).

Subs not used

Zitka, Deschacht, Hasi, L Traoré.

Referee K Milton Nielsen.

Match Facts
Champions League Group G
Tuesday November 01, 2005
FT Liverpool 3-0 Anderlecht
21' Sissoko
34' Morientes 1-0
61' Luis Garcia 2-0
75' Jestrovic
89' Cisse 3-0
Liverpool
Jose Manuel Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypia, John Arne
Riise, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard (Harry Kewell), Mohamed Sissoko, Peter
Crouch (Djibril Cisse), Javier Sanz Luis Garcia, Fernando Morientes
(Boudewijn Zenden)

Anderlecht
Aliaj Sylvio Proto, Roland Juhasz, Hannu Tihinen, Michal Zewlakow, Mark
Deman, Bart Goor, Yves Vanderhaeghe (Nenad Jestrovic), Christian
Wilhelmsson, Par Zetterberg, Serhat Akin (Gregory Pujol), Mbo Mpenza
(Walter Baseggio)

Referee: Neilsen, K M

Venue: Anfield

Attendance: 42,607

Corners:
Liverpool 5
Anderlecht 1

Goal Attempts:
Liverpool 17
Anderlecht 6

On Target:
Liverpool 9
Anderlecht 1

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/