Sheffield United 1-1 Liverpool
What do a wet pitch, a team that parks buses in front of their goal, and another team that cannot shoot, pass or score for bananas combine to give?
An opening day draw for Liverpool.
Going into the match, one could clearly see that Benitez had underestimated the strength of the Sheffield United team. Possibly keeping an eye on the Champions League qualifier on Tuesday, as well as keeping in mind the players who played international friendlies earlier in the week, he rested Mark Gonzalez, Peter Crouch, Jermaine Pennant, Steve Finnan and Xabi Alonso. As he soon learnt, it was a huge mistake.
The match started, and it was Sheffield United who were the quicker off the starting blocks. With Phil Jagielka controlling the midfield and Rob Hulse pressurizing the Liverpool defence, Liverpool hardly looked comfortable in the opening half hour of the match. They did have their breakthroughs, though, and looked dangerous on the counterattack. Despite their best efforts, it was hardly any cause for alarm as they were firing blanks in front of the goal, and could not coordinate a team effort in midfield, such was the prowess of the Sheffield five across the middle of Bramall Lane.
Then the first setback came. Racing onto a long pass from Sami Hyypia down the left, Riise took the ball past the advancing keeper, and attempted to cross for Bellamy with the goal open and gaping. The cross was more power than height and it was headed away for a corner, but the price Riise had to pay for making that effort was high. As he crossed the ball he was tackled from behind and as a result twisted his ankle, making him a doubt for the next few games. He had to be subsituted off, and hence on came Mark Gonzalez in the 22nd minute, with Fabio Aurelio switching to left back to accomadate "Speedy".
The next setback came soon after as Jamie Carragher, who so magnificently controlled a ball and dribbled it out past Hulse earlier, tweaked his left leg as he was performing a clearance and was limping soon after. He had to limp off the pitch and was subsituted with Daniel Agger in the 34th minute. The first half and Liverpool were forced into two substitutions already.
Liverpool attempted to get into the game but looked weary and off-form at times. Sissoko was a shadow of the man he was in the Community Shield match and Boudewijn Zenden was very poor. The only highlight for Liverpool was a fantastic Fabio Aurelio free kick that was tipped over the bar by Kenny. With Webber and Hulse running rings around Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher, Liverpool could have considered themselves lucky to have not conceded until the break.
The luck ran out soon, though, as from a free kick on the left, Unsworth crossed in a beautiful ball and with Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Agger and Mark Gonzalez ball-watching, Rob Hulse took advantage of a free header and planted the ball into the back of the net. 1-0 to Sheffield United in the 46th minute.
Liverpool were clearly shaken: they had not expected this. In typical Liverpool fashion, they tried to get back into the game straightaway and came close as Hyypia's effort from a corner hit the post and bounced out.
Liverpool tried to strike back again and again but Sheffield put their players back and parked all of them in front of the goal such that every loose ball fell for a Sheffield player, denying Liverpool a chance at goal. If it seemed bad then things got worse as the pitch seemed to turn against Liverpool, with Bellamy, Fowler and Gonzalez all slipping as they got into good striking or crossing positions.
Enter Gerrard the midfield maestro, Captain Fantastic. He literally grabbed Liverpool by the scruff of the neck, and dragged them through the match as he attempted to breathe some life back into the club's lacklustre play. Shifting into the centre of midfield, he was able to dictate Liverpool's attack and they shot to life after the goal. Playing a neat one-two with Robbie Fowler, he raced through and was in the clear, except for Chris Morgan's trailing leg in an attempt to stop him. Gerrard tried to stay on his feet but stumbled as he took the shot, making it an easy save for the keeper. However, the referee deemed it was a penalty and Liverpool had a lifeline.
Robbie Fowler stepped up and coolly slotted the ball past Kenny for the equalizer. Liverpool were back in the game and were definitely going for the win. 12 corners in the match as compared to Sheffield's 0 was testament to the pressure they applied in search for the winning goal.
However, they failed to get the winner as Sheffield decided to defend for the draw and the point. Even with Jermaine Pennant on board in the last 10 minutes, Liverpool failed to get a clean shot on goal and gather all 3 points in what was a must-win in the opening game of the season. With such a disappointing pre-season and lacklustre performance in the opening match, one must wonder if Liverpool are fit for the title of serious contenders for the Premier League title this season.
Player ratings:
Jose Reina - 6
Average performance from the keeper. Apart from the Rob Hulse goal, Reina did not have many Sheffield shots to care about. The goal from Rob Hulse was unstoppable and was not really his fault.
Jan Kromkamp - 6
Made several mistakes at the back, but was Liverpool's best defender for the remainder of the match after Riise and Carragher were taken out. Does not perform the wing-back role as well as Finnan does and looks like he needs more match experience.
John Arne Riise - 7
Was a great attacking threat down the left-hand side and provided good cover for Aurelio as well. The loss of Riise largely impacted Liverpool's performance. He only played 22 minutes.
Jamie Carragher - 7
Performed very well in the first half, his best move came when he was controlling a difficult ball and dribbling it away from Rob Hulse who was pressurizing him. Did not feature for majority of the match due to injury - he only played 34 minutes. Liverpool sorely missed his consistency and rock solid defence when he was gone.
Sami Hyypia - 7
Good performance from the Finn, was unlucky not to score with a fantastic header from a corner after Rob Hulse's goal.
Steven Gerrard - 8
Was Liverpool's best player as he dragged them through the match in an attempt to win it. Was the only player who looked as if he knew what he was doing, and was capable of carrying it out. Would have influenced the play better if he had played in the centre rather than on the right for majority of the match. Fantastic run for the penalty and resulting equalizer.
Fabio Aurelio - 5
Did not play well, apart from a great free kick that was saved by Kenny. Failed to cover Rob Hulse when he came in for the goal and failed to link well with Mark Gonzalez on the left.
Mohamed Sissoko - 6
Was a shadow of the player he was in the Community Shield game. His tackling was reckless at times and his lack of creativity or inventiveness killed Liverpool in the centre of the park.
Boudewijn Zenden - 3
Very poor performance from the former Chelsea and Middlesborough man. Looked much better when he played for Middlesborough. His passing and tackling were poor, and he kept on looking for long balls that failed to reach his intended target in the end. Gerrard was deployed on the right which meant he had to take up the strings in midfield for Liverpool and control the match as Alonso always does. He failed to do that today. Why Benitez kept him on for the whole duration of the match is still a mystery.
Craig Bellamy - 7
Good overall performance from the fiery striker. Could not get Liverpool the winning goal though, and the long ball tactics did not suit him as he did not have the height to win them, despite his bags of pace.
Robbie Fowler - 6
He ran out of creative juice as his attempts at flick-ons and one touch passes largely came to nothing. Did not have the pace or positioning to challenge for long ball tactics played by Liverpool, as he played very deep. The tactic would have suited Crouch better, with Bellamy feeding off headers and knockdowns from him. Took his penalty very coolly though, for the equalizer.
Substitutes:
Mark Gonzalez - 6
Not a very good game for "Speedy". Has yet to show his world-beating pace and ability to dribble past defenders. Got a few good crosses and runs but failed to link well with Fabio Aurelio on the left.
Daniel Agger - 6
Played well when put into the fray for the injured Carragher. Looked comfortable in defence and even had a few pot shots on goal. Was partly to blame for Sheffield's goal though, as he failed to pick up Rob Hulse.
Jermaine Pennant - 6
Came on too late to influence the outcome of the match.
Final score: Sheffield United 1-1 Liverpool
Archangel's Man of the Match: Steven Gerrard
"You'll Never Walk Alone"