[Liverweb] Portsmouth Match Report

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Liverweb Match Report

Portsmouth 1 Liverpool 3

Liverpool : Dudek, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Gerrard,
Alonso, Sissoko, Kewell, Fowler, Morientes

Subs Used : Kromkamp for Alonso (40), Crouch for Morientes (67),
Cisse for Fowler (82)

Subs Unused : Reina, Traore

Ref : Graham Poll

Att : 20,240

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The Reds finished their league season off with a deserved 3-1
victory at Fratton Park. The only down side of the afternoon on the
South coast was an injury to Xabi Alonso. It makes him a doubt for
the Reds in the Cup Final as a result. The Reds grabbed goals
through Fowler, Crouch and Cisse to earn the three points on the day.

The first half was a relatively none event to be fair. The Reds
started well, had a lull in the middle and finished the stronger.
Momo Sissoko went close to opening the scoring in the first minute
of the match. The Reds flew out of the blocks and forced a corner
straight away. Momo rose well but headed wide of the goal. The Reds
continued to press but didn't force Kiely in to any save of note.
Kiely was forced to save well from Gerrard on ten minutes.

Portsmouth didn't really start in the first half and when Benjani
got free on the right in the first half his cross went behind
Todorov and the Reds were able to breathe again. The Reds were given
a huge injury scare on thirty eight minutes when Xabi Alonso went
down awkwardly. Alonso stayed down and Graham Poll stopped the game
for treatment. It wound the home crowd up a bit as they had a break
on but Xabi isn't one to stay down for nothing. It's likely that
Alonso fell awkwardly on what I can only describe as an iffy pitch.
There's a huge slope on the pitch and it all just seemed uneven.
Players slipped all day. Jan Kromkamp replaced Alonso and pushed
Gerrard more central.

The second half surely had to improve as a spectacle and it
certainly did. Djibril Cisse brightened the sunny day up even more
by warming up in some hideous yellow boots. The Reds started the
second half very strongly and this time they made it count. Just six
minutes in to the half and the Reds were ahead through Robbie
Fowler. Morientes flicked a ball off to Fowler on the edge of the
box and after one shimmy Fowler curled the ball past Kiely into the
corner of the net.

The game at least now sprung in to life. Portsmouth had started the
game with a bit of a party atmosphere only to see it go flat as
their players looked tired. They did at least have more of a go in
the second half although after the Reds scored you felt that the
three points were relatively safe. By this time you knew second
place was gone in reality but we did have the eleventh straight win
to aim for and the 100th goal.

The Reds brought on Crouch for Morientes on sixty five minutes in a
bid to alter things around a bit up front. Portsmouth tried to do
the same by switching D'Allessandro for Routledge. Time ticked on
though and you just wondered if there were going to be any more
goals at all in the game. At just 1-0 though you did expect a late
flurry from Portsmouth so a second goal was needed. Cisse was
brought on but the bright boots were gone to be replaced with blue
ones - get a grip man!

Cisse had only been on for a minute when the Reds doubled their
lead. Kewell played Cisse in on the right edge of the area and he
crossed a great ball to the six yard box. Kiely got hands to the
ball but could only deflect it out for Crouch who gleefully side
footed the ball home. Now the game was safe or at least it should
have been. With five minutes to go Portsmouth got a goal back
through Koroman. Routledge beat the offside trap down their right
hand side and fired a ball across the goal. It managed to get all
the way to the back post where Koroman struck home before Dudek
could get there.

The goals weren't over though and the Reds restored their two goal
cushion with three minutes to go. Peter Crouch played a lovely ball
down the inside right channel for Cisse who beat the offside trap.
Cisse went on in to the area, composed himself and then struck the
ball into the bottom left hand corner of the goal. Game over and the
Reds were away with there three points.

MotM : Robbie Fowler - in celebrating his new contract on his 250th
appearance it was only a matter of time before Fowler would score
his 125th Reds goal. He worked really hard up front though and only
went to prove Rafa right in the new contract issue.

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Portsmouth Liverpool
49% Possession 51%
2 On Target 4
2 Off Target 4
2 Blocked 0
5 Corner 6
5 Fouls 11
5 Offsides 1
1 Yellow 0
0 Red 0

apologies for the lack of a preview for this game but something
seems to have gone wrong in Yahoo as it was posted along with a
second post as well.

Andy
Liverweb

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