Premier League - January 30th report

Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool

Walcott stunner completes outstanding Gunners comeback

Arsenal came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 against Liverpool in a thriller at Emirates Stadium.

Jordan Henderson had added to Luis Suarez's 17th league goal of the season to put Brendan Rodgers’ team in control at the hour mark but, just when it looked like the Reds were going to shed their flat-track-bully tag, the Gunners produced a storming revival, scoring two goals in three minutes through Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott.

In a grandstand finish, Arsene Wenger’s team went all-out for the winner but Liverpool remained resolute through a combination of grit, fortune and poor finishing from the hosts.

The draw means that Arsenal remained four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the race for the Champions League positions and it will agitate Wenger that they have mustered only a single point in league fixtures against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in January after some more abject defending on a marquee occasion.

The hosts recalled Jack Wilshere, Walcott, Santi Cazorla, fit-again Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, Santi Cazorla and Kieran Gibbs to the team that began the 3-2 FA Cup win at Brighton.

For Liverpool, Rodgers also rung the changes, with skipper Steven Gerrard returning to the team alongside fit-again pair Pepe Reina and Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Lucas Leiva, Jamie Carragher and Stewart Downing.

It was like football in fast-forward in the early exchanges as the two teams traded lightning-quick attacks and clear goalscoring opportunities.

Suarez, starting on the left of the three attacking midfielders behind centre forward Daniel Sturridge, caused havoc with his uncanny ability to find space and also for some spectacular passes from out wide.

The Uruguayan's goal owed much to some calamitous defending from the home side. Sagna's slip allowed Johnson to run clear on the left and, after a hashed clearance from Vermaelen and a smothered shot from Sturridge, Jordan Henderson tapped the rebound to Suarez, whose shot deflected off a defender and in.

Arsenal responded by carving open Liverpool’s defence seemingly at will with some excellent combination play. The menacing Walcott (twice) and Giroud both coming close to scoring an equaliser.

Somehow, Liverpool held firm, although they had Gerrard to thank for an excellent last-ditch clearance that followed another zippy Arsenal attack.

Rodgers’ pre-match sermon appeared to have fired up the visitors, who were incisive in possession and pressed the hosts’ jittery defence into making mistakes as they ended the opening period the better team.

The one let-down was Henderson, who made a series of wonky passes when well placed. Yet the midfielder kept getting in good positions and came close to doubling the visitors’ advantage with a chipped shot on the cusp of half-time that landed on the roof of the net with Wojciech Szczesny stranded.

Following 15 minutes of second-half dominance from Arsenal, Henderson made another excellent run and finally made it count with a fine solo goal.

After turning past Per Mertesacker and outmuscling the substitute Andre Santos, the midfielder collected a lucky rebound after his first shot was saved to pass the ball into an empty net.

Arsenal were momentarily demoralised but were soon back in the game following two goals in three minutes.

The comeback began when Giroud headed in Jack Wilshere’s right-wing free kick for his fifth goal in three games and his 14th of the season.

But the best goal of the night came after 67 minutes, when Walcott, who had been lively all game on the wing, received a lay-off on the right side of the box and sent the ball flying into the far corner of the net with a shot of tremendous speed and precision.

Arsenal threw bodies forward as they went all out for the winner with some wonderful attacking play.

Giroud got in some excellent positions but was guilty of missing a hat-trick of chances late on, including a sitter with only a few minutes left on the clock.

Reading 2-2 Chelsea

Benitez on brink after injury-time collapse

A superb cameo from Adam Le Fondre sparked a remarkable late fightback as the Blues let a two-goal lead slip and saw more pressure piled on their interim manager

Second-half substitute Adam Le Fondre scored an injury-time winner as Reading staged a stunning comeback from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Chelsea at the Madejski Stadium on Wednesday night.

Juan Mata grabbed the opener, driving home from close range after a superb through-ball from Fernando Torres, before Lampard belted a header into the top corner halfway through the second half only for Le Fondre to hit twice in three minutes to stun the London side.

Brian McDermott made seven changes from the FA Cup win over Sheffield United, with Pavel Pogrebnyak returning to the starting line-up after being rested. Ryan Bertrand replaced the suspended Eden Hazard for Chelsea, Cesar Azpilicueta and Juan Mata also coming in at the expense of John Terry and Marko Marin.

The away side started to control the flow of the game after a turgid start, keeping possession for long periods, but were unable to make a quick impact on the Reading defence.

Ashley Cole blasted a long-range effort over the bar in the visitors’ first half-chance of the game, before Torres was shut out by Adrian Mariappa and Federici after a looping ball caused problems for the Reading defence.

Frank Lampard had a shot blocked as Chelsea continued to press, but Torres was penalised later on for clipping Mariappa after the defender sliced a simple clearance. 

Gary Cahill then wasted a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock from a Lampard free kick, failing to connect with the ball when unmarked inside the penalty area as the missed chances started to mount up.

Cole blasted another speculative effort way off target, with Chelsea looking thoroughly out of idea heading into the break but, with with practically the last kick of the half the away side took the lead.

Torres collected the ball and scooped a delightful pass into the path of Mata, who fired the ball first time low past Federici.

Oscar should have made it two just five minutes in the second  half when he sprung the offside trap to meet Lampard’s floated ball, but the youngster opted for an acrobatic finish when he had plenty of time to take a touch in the box.

Chelsea were not to rue the missed opportunity for long though as Lampard rose highest to meet Mata’s corner delivery to double his side’s lead and seemingly confirm all three points.

As the half went on, Reading continued to spurn their own rare opportunities with Ross Turnbull untested heading into the final 10 minutes.

But that record was not to last long as second-half substitute Le Fondre latched on to a through-ball from Hope Akpan to notch what looked like a consolation with the hosts first shot on target.

Ramires then forced a fine stop from Federici 30 yards out, before Le Fondre was there to equalise with a first-time volley from the edge of the area to send the home crowd into raptures and pile further pressure on Chelsea’s interim boss Rafael Benitez.

Manchester United 2-1 Southampton

Rooney fires twice to extend league lead

The Red Devils move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League while a first defeat in six games leaves the Saints only three points above the relegation zone

Manchester United came from a goal behind to take a seven point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Southampton at Old Trafford.

Jay Rodriguez capitalised on a mistake from Michael Carrick to give the Saints a shock early lead but a double from Wayne Rooney had the hosts in front by half-time.

The Saints improved in the second half, with Rickie Lambert testing David de Gea on a couple of occasions, but the league leaders were worth their win despite a nervy end.

Sir Alex Ferguson reinstated Robin van Persie back into his attacking-looking starting line-up, with Danny Welbeck, Shinji Kagawa and Rooney supporting the Dutchman while Nemanja Vidic returned in defence. 

Mauricio Pochettino made two changes from the draw against Everton, Danny Fox and Rodriguez replacing Luke Shaw and Guly do Prado.

The hosts got off to an awful start when Carrick's backpass put De Gea in all sorts of trouble in the third minute. Rodriguez pounced, taking a touch to beat the United keeper before passing it into an open net.

The Saints' lead didn't last long, however, as Rooney fired the hosts level five minutes later when he timed his run on to Kagawa's lobbed pass and stroked the ball easily past Artur Boruc.

The Japan international was involved again moments later, getting down the left flank and cutting inside before striking a shot on to the near post.

Southampton were pegged back in their own half from then on and could only hold off the Red Devils' attacking onslaught until the 27th minute. 

Van Persie drifted a deep free kick towards Boruc's back post, where Evra was on hand to head the ball back across the box for Rooney to turn into the net from a yard out.

The Saints started the second period brightly, with Lambert forcing De Gea to make his first save with a tame volley.

Pochettino's men continued to apply pressure and could have gone ahead on the hour mark when Lambert hit the target with a fierce free kick. De Gea spilled the initial effort but cleared before Adam Lallana could pounce on the loose ball.

United weathered the Saints' storm and then created some chances of their own with Rooney and Kagawa combining to drive Sir Alex Ferguson's side forward.

Van Persie thought that he had added his name to the scoresheet in the 75th minute when he headed past Boruc at the second time of asking but the Dutchman had his celebrations cut short by a harsh offside decision.

Lambert then came close to grabbing the equaliser with another free kick; the Saints striker curled an effort perfectly over the wall only to see De Gea make an outstanding low save.

Rooney then wasted a chance to seal his hat-trick when he was slid through by Van Persie but the England forward took a bad touch, allowing Boruc to smother.

Source: goal.com

Manchester City 3 Liverpool 0

Normal service resumed as Reina gives leaders an easy night

On and off the pitch, Liverpool’s defence was poor. Morally in the case of Luis Suarez and manually here at the Etihad Stadium.
The two statements they released shortly before kick-off were depressingly predictable from a club that has turned a serious issue into a public relations disaster. Only in opting not to appeal against Suarez’s eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra have they behaved correctly.
More surprising was their sudden inability to defend effectively here, some alarming lapses in concentration seeing them concede more than one goal in a game for the first time since September 18. Indeed, it was only their second defeat since then.

For all the problems Kenny Dalglish has faced this season, his boys at the back have given him very little trouble. The back five here were playing together for the 11th straight game but first came a rare mistake by Pepe Reina and then weak defending at a corner from Glen Johnson.
While Reina enabled Sergio Aguero to score after 10 minutes, Johnson let Yaya Toure strike with a header 23 minutes later and so propel Manchester City clear of Manchester United at the summit of the Barclays Premier League.
If that left Dalglish disappointed, what followed after the break must have made him more than a little miffed. With the dismissal of Gareth Barry in the 73rd minute, his side had a fighting chance, but within 60 seconds, from a move that started with a Liverpool free-kick, City had earned a penalty that James Milner then converted.
For Roberto Mancini’s side, it was a welcome return to form after a last-minute goal condemned them to defeat at Sunderland on Sunday and it was all the more impressive because they delivered such an energetic display so soon after that.
For Liverpool, however, it was rather depressing; a defeat that undermined their efforts to stay in the hunt for those precious Champions League places but one that also highlighted how hard life will be in the absence of Suarez.
Without the Uruguayan, Dalglish’s side were impotent. Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing struggled to make any impact.

Carroll was playing his third successive game and he did create a fine opportunity for Dirk Kuyt with an athletic header. But he still looks well short of that £35million valuation and that has to be a concern for his manager.
Mancini, of course, has no such worries and this was a fine way to respond to the recent setbacks at  Sunderland and West Bromwich.City needed to respond to a decent start from Liverpool last night, when Downing should have made more of an excellent pass from Henderson. His hesitancy enabled the excellent Joe Hart to block.

That proved costly when Aguero opened the scoring two minutes later. Kuyt lost possession to Milner and the ball found its way to Aguero via David Silva. Liverpool’s goalkeeper then allowed Aguero’s speculative 25-yard shot to dip under his body.
Clearly, it was the Spaniard’s intention to palm the shot away but he misjudged it completely, his failure to get his body behind the ball his biggest crime.

It left Liverpool facing quite a challenge against a side that completed 2011 without losing at home in the Premier League. Of the 18 games they contested, they won 17 — some record. Adam tested Hart with a decent free-kick and Henderson unleashed a long-range effort that drifted just wide.
Despite that early setback, they were playing with the confidence of a side that has not been accustomed to defeat.

Kolo Toure’s reckless challenge on Adam on the edge of City’s area in the 29th minute presented them with another opportunity, but Henderson’s free-kick was driven straight at Gael Clichy.
City might have been awarded a penalty when the ball popped up and struck Martin Skrtel on the arm as Aguero attempted to surge past him. The Liverpool defender was certainly lucky there.

He was more than a little fortunate soon afterwards, too, when he was comfortably beaten in the  air by the outstanding Vincent Kompany. On that occasion Reina rescued him with a quite marvellous save.
But when Silva then delivered a fine corner in the 33rd minute, Johnson proved no match for Yaya Toure and the Ivorian midfielder beat Reina with a thumping header to double City’s lead.

As Mancini conceded afterwards, City are going to miss their all-action midfielder when he leaves after this weekend for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The game was crying out for  Steven Gerrard, if only to give Liverpool an option beyond playing balls into a fairly ineffective Carroll. That said, Carroll did well to head the ball into the path of Kuyt, only to see Kompany courageously block the Dutchman’s volley.

Dalglish made his changes before the hour, replacing Adam and Kuyt with Gerrard and Craig Bellamy. After 73 minutes Liverpool were suddenly presented with a chance to strike back, Barry’s second yellow card — for a blatant body check on the fast-advancing Daniel Agger — leaving City with 10 men.
But from the subsequent free-kick it was City who scored, the home side winning possession and launching a rapid counter-attack that ended with Skrtel sending Yaya Toure crashing to the ground as he accelerated on to an excellent ball from Edin Dzeko. Referee Mike Jones pointed to the penalty spot and Milner did the rest.

Mancini should not have responded by raising an imaginary card in an attempt to get Skrtel dismissed but, if this was a morality tale as well as a football match, the focus remained on Liverpool.
On every level, this was not a  brilliant statement

Source: mailonline

Reina: We don't miss Torres now we've got Suarez

Pepe Reina

Goalkeeper Jose Reina believes Liverpool have not missed striker Fernando Torres since his £50million move to Chelsea as replacement Luis Suarez is even better.

Reina and Torres sat on the same bench together at Wembley a week ago for Spain's 1-0 defeat to England but on Sunday they face each other for only the second time since the forward's transfer to Stamford Bridge.

Back in February Torres made his Chelsea debut against his former club but drew a blank and was replaced after 66 minutes as Raul Meireles - now also at Stamford Bridge - scored the only goal for the Reds.

Since then the paths of the 27-year-old Spaniard and that of new Anfield hero Suarez have taken different directions.

Suarez has assumed his predecessor's role as primary goalscorer and quickly won over fans with some determined, high-energy performances and he is the club's leading scorer this season with seven goals in all competitions.

Reina expects the £22.8million January arrival from Ajax to match and then surpass Torres' record of 81 goals in 141 appearances in three and a half years.

"Fernando is top class; Luis is as good or even better than Fernando," said the Reds goalkeeper, speaking at the launch of his book Pepe: My Autobiography.

"Those players are really special. You don't find those kind of players very often.

"The club did a good job in signing Luis and hopefully he will be many years with us and hopefully he will score as many goals as Fernando."

Torres has admitted he has found it more difficult to settle in London than he did in Liverpool and that has been reflected in his form.

In the first half of last season he scored nine Barclays Premier League goals in a red shirt but since moving to Chelsea he has just three league goals and two Champions League goals (both in the same match against minnows Genk) to his name.

Reina counts Torres as one of his best friends in football and they lived in the same street in Woolton in Liverpool before his compatriot left and Suarez moved into the same house.

And despite the striker's struggles at Stamford Bridge he expects him to rediscover the form which made him one of the most deadly strikers in the world at his peak.

"He is the same player but it is a different team so it is difficult to judge (how he compares to his best form for Liverpool)," added Reina.

"I think there are a lot of periods when goalscorers' lives are like that.

"Sometimes you do it, sometimes you go through bad spells but Fernando does know how to score and is a very good player.

"With Juan Mata (another international team-mate) behind him he will deliver more goals and will be better.

"He (Torres) is such a good player and he will be a real threat for us - not just him because they have a lot of good players that can create us problems.

"It is going to be a tough game. We have to do things right and hopefully we will take three massive points."

While the former Atletico Madrid's forward departure from Anfield almost a year ago still rankles with many fans Reina was not surprised.

Torres handed in a transfer request just days before the end of the January window and his deal went through just minutes before it closed.

But Reina admitted in his book he had expected him to leave in the summer after he returned to Merseyside as a World Cup winner.

"It was his decision. We have to respect that," he said.

"It (the transfer fee) was such a large amount of money but it was still a difficult thing for the club.

"Nothing was clear but Fernando, for me, thought he had to leave the team to continue growing as a player."

Reina himself has been close to leaving on a couple of occasions during the troubled reign of former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

However, under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group, who celebrated their first anniversary in charge last month, he views the situation much more positively.

"I am glad to be here and still be a part of this club," he said.

Source: Mirror Football