Topic: Liverpool 2 - Sunderland 2 : Match Commentary & post-match stuff

[Mad Men]

Hi All,

5 points from 5 games for the start of the season hasn't been impressive by any measure of the imagination but a valuable win today againt Steve Bruce and his merry men will be an important step towards moving back up the table instead of being stagnant and stuck way down in 16th spot.

Stay tuned for team news 30 minutes before kick off....

[Mad Men]

Right, we are led to believe the line up for today's 3pm kick off at Anfield is....

Reina, Johnson, Konchesky, Carragher, Skrtel, Gerrard, Poulsen, Meireles, Cole, Kuyt, Torres.


Subs: Jones, Kyrgiakos, Lucas, Ngog, Agger, Jovanovic, Maxi.

So, the same line up as what we saw last sunday against Man U with ony one change. Maxi drops to the bench whilst the energizer bunny Kuyt is back, back, BACK, in today's line up.

I think many of you will agree, Kuyt's presence has been missed on the right wing.

[Mad Men]

15 minutes till kick off..................

[Mad Men]

McMahon on the telly.."never thought Liverpool would miss (a player like) Dirk Kuyt..sign of the times...."

Was Kuyt's energy on the right missing from the side over the last 3-4 games?

[Mad Men]

No.      NAME      POS
22   Simon Mignolet   (G)
19   Titus Bramble   (CD-L)
4   Michael Turner   (CD-R)
2   Phillip Bardsley   (LB)
15   Nedum Onuoha   (RB)
6   Lee Cattermole   (CM-L)
10   Jordan Henderson   (CM-R)
8   Steed Malbranque   (LM)
27   Ahmed Al Muhammadi   (RM)
17   Danny Welbeck   (CF-L)
11   Darren Bent

So, Sunderland come to this match missing Kieron Richardson, Anton Ferdinand and John Mensah are all out with hamstring injuries, Micheal Turner just returned to training this week while first choice Craig Gordon is on the bench!

Asamoah Gyan does not start while skipper Lee Cattermole is back in the side after a two game suspension.

GAME ON!

[Mad Men]

Liverpool kick off! It's a nice sunny afternoon (late afternoon) with the side attacking the Kop end.

[Mad Men]

1st Minute, early challenge by Cattermole on Cole and we have a free kick 20 yards outside of the penalty box...

A beautiful cross into the box, Torres puts the ball in to the goal with a header...IT'S A GOAL!!!! AND is called offside..

It's borderline....REALLY BORDERLINE!!

No goal!

[Mad Men]

Liverpool are looking lively...and up for it today.....

4th Minute..Liverpool attack on the left..fine passing between Kuyt and Cole...but the ball is given away and a free kick to Sunderland....ball is given away from the free kick!

5th Minute Torres intercepts...WHAT A CALAMITY!!! Torres lays the ball off to Kuyt..and SCORES! 1-0 to Liverpool!!!

But wait...Sunderland players surround the referee...and he is consulting his assistant...

GOAL GIVEN..1-0 TO LIVERPOOL....Torres was sharp..and intercepted...Micheal Turner rolled the ball back to the keeper for the keeper to take it from a spot away from the original foul area..but Torres intercepts....referee walked away from the incident. Ball was STATIC...but what a silly mistake so early in the game..the ball was never, NEVER going to get back to the keeper at that pace....

To the letter of the law, it was the correct decision in my opinion...

[Mad Men]

8th Minute....Cole shoots over from outside the box from a cross....watsed.

10th Minute...Sunderland ball into the Liverpool box..cleared by Konchesky,..and Liverpool attack again on the left...

Sunderland look/seem stunned by the early gaff and goal...

A long ball launched deep into the right side of the liverpool box..cleared by Johnson....no threat.

[Mad Men]

12th Minute. Sunderland corner!

Short ball played..Henderson crosses but cut out by Raul.. ball switched to the right side and a deep cross back into the Liverpool box but its cleared again by Johnson...good Liverpool defending thus far.

13th Minute..Malbranque looks dangerous on the right...and a corner for Sunderland..ball is crossed in but goes over harmlessly over everyone but is crossed back in from the left...cleared but again, back to a Sunderland player...and a snap shot by defender Turner goes high and wide.

Liverpool goal kick!

[Mad Men]

It's been a stop/start match thus far over the last 15 minutes with Liverpool having the better of possession thus far and chances...

15th Minute. Malbranque is fouled by Poulsen and a free kick to Sunderland. Ball is played forward but reach's Reina..harmless...

Roy looks nervous on the bench...finger bitting...

16th Minute..Torres and Turner collide in the Sunderland box...fan's shouting for a penalty but Torres and Turner accept it was an accidental collision and both move on without complaint...

[Mad Men]

17th Minute...a poor pass from Gerrard..Darren Bent almost intercepts the poor poor header back to Reina..and Reina JUST beats Bent to the ball and seems to have taken a knock from the collision but is back in goal...Reina was very, very brave and saved his skipper with a vital interception with his foot...

Ball cleared...

18th Minute...good cross by Kuyt into the Sunderland box...lots of red shirts in the box but the ball is intercepted by Sunderland and the ball is cleared.

Liverpool are playing with confidence..a lot of confidence today. And a big change from their poor first half last weekend.

Torres is looking much, much sharper than he has in recent weeks...

20th Minute, Raul with a snap shot from outside the box...but straight at the keeper...Kuyt is a vital part of the side today..he is everywhere..creating chances, and showing vibrancy we have missed in the side over recent weeks..

21st minute...Skrets intercepts the ball at the half way line and goes on a solo run with the ball, has a shot but off target.....good try..good solid interception....

Sunderland goalkick...

[Mad Men]

El Ray asks: gerrard or meireles in the hole?

Meireles appears to be playing further up the field than Gerrard.

[Chakan]

Sorry sorry I am always arriving late

[Chakan]

Goal Bent makes it count from the spot. Ball goes underneath Pepe ....

1-1

[Mad Men]

23rd Minute! Penalty to Sunderland!

Poulsen..handball...few complaints from supporters or the Liverpool players...! Ball is crossed in and Poulsen had his arm up attempting to block the shot..

Bent steps up...and put's it to Reina's right....Reina gets down well, and gets a touch on the ball but the power is just too much for Reina...keeper went the right way but the power....

Liverpool 1 Sunderland 1.....

[Mad Men]

Sorry sorry I am always arriving late

Welcome Chakan leader!

[Chakan]

Welcome Chakan leader!

Ta mate, you want me to continue till half time? Since you have done everything up until now?

[Chakan]

Konchesky down injured, not sure how it happened but he has called for a stretcher.... doesn't look good. Agger getting ready to come on

[Chakan]

Konchesky off Agger on

[Mad Men]

El Campedoer with a SHOUT OUT to corkboy and VdM on the Kop today

[Mad Men]

Ta mate, you want me to continue till half time? Since you have done everything up until now?

Fire away tango leader!

[Chakan]

29:00 Carragher give away a free kick in a dangerous position ..... 30 yards out. 2 man wall for us, Henderson blasts it over the bar

[Mad Men]

Konchesky down injured, not sure how it happened but he has called for a stretcher.... doesn't look good. Agger getting ready to come on

It looks like he over stretched himself there with a tackle...it would appear to be a groin or hamstring injury..and Agger is back on as a sub in an unfamiliar left back position....

[Chakan]

31:00 Sunderland knocking the ball around just outside our box, almost falls to Bent but can control and it goes out for a goal kick

[Chakan]

Some comments from the gallery

Sad to see Konchesky injured, been one of his biggest critics and today he was getting up and down the pitch well on his way to proving me wrong!

Is aurelio a myth, an urban legend? And why not put carra on the left back spot.

Is that a usa usa chant from sunderland fans? Too many questions for you?

Aurelio Injured, Agger has done a good job for us at right back against suspect opposition, didn't hear the chant?

[Mad Men]

The Goodfella comments: "I see that the usual service has resumed with us letting sunderland have 60% posession"

No, I don't think its been that way thus far..but since the equalizer, we are giving the ball away far too easily....Kuyt has been brilliant for us thus far...

But Sunderland, back in now with a shout are looking far more confident than they did for the first 15 minutes....

Gerrard appears to be playing similarly as he did last weekend against Man U...with Raul playing slight ahead of the midfielder Poulsen...Kuyt is roaming left to right/right to left....and getting some vital passes and crosses in...

Kuyt and Torres look dangerous thus far....

[Chakan]

34:00 Cattermole goes down from a poulsen challenge (been quite sloppy so far) 25/30 yards out, henderson over it, floats it in but over hit and it's a goal kick

[Chakan]

Sunderland definitely back in the game now, just having problems with the final pass into the box (lets hope it stays that way)

[Chakan]

Poulsen is a bloody liability to the team.

hasn't done much right in the game so far, hopefully he can turn it around

[Mad Men]

Robbie96 comments: "Shall I be the first to point out that Lucas wouldn't have made that mistake?! "


Well robbo, hard to say...it could very well have happened to anyone...it was ball to hand for me..rather than hand to ball..but most referee's would have given it..and it was as clear as day to the referee who had no hesitation pointing to the spot..

Sunderland are bypassing Poulsen in midfield (again) and Gerrard hasn't really come into the game (again)...could it be down to the fact he is playing deeper?

Would it not be better to have Gerrard in an attacking role and Raul in Gerrards current position?

[Chakan]

Fat Head having a wobble on the side of the pitch.... almost falls over, but manages to balance it out

[Mad Men]

34:00 Cattermole goes down from a poulsen challenge (been quite sloppy so far) 25/30 yards out, henderson over it, floats it in but over hit and it's a goal kick

You're right Chakan leader..it's been sloppy since the Sunderland equalizer....dare I say the Sunderland manager looks like a right &&^*^ on the bench.

[Chakan]

38:00 livepool pressing up the pitch ball falls to Gerrard tries to lay it off to cole but overhit and straight through to the keeper

[Mad Men]

Chakan leader...Cole and Gerrard don't appear to be having much of an impact in the side..some passes here and there..but not the same sort of presence Torres and Kuyt have had thus far.....what do you think?

[Chakan]

40:00 Bad ball by Kuyt leads to a sunderland break with bent but the it breaks down as Carra intercepts and we play it out

[Mad Men]

To be fair, sun's out and some players are having problems locating the ball when it's up in the air....too bright...

[Chakan]

everything is going down the middle. We need to start getting wide

[Chakan]

42:00 Sunderland playing up the pitch but good defending by Johnson see the balls sheparded out into touch for a goal kick

[Mad Men]

everything is going down the middle. We need to start getting wide

Game's become scrappy..loose balls here, there, everywhere...losing possession..but nothing on the scale as what we saw last weekend against Man U. We have had decent possession in this first half, good chances and looked lively and dangerous up front but as we are into the last 5 minutes of the half, Sunderland are playing a hell of a lot better than they did after we scored...

They are a threat.