Nathan Andrada’s Blog

Captain Steven Gerrard once again came to the rescue for a Liverpool side that went two goals down in the first half in their fixture against Hull City at Anfield last Saturday. Despite the disappointing finish, it was enough to keep them top of the Barclays Premier League as chief rivals Chelsea suffered a similar result against West Ham United barely 24 hours later.

In fact, all of the dubbed ‘Big Four’ clubs in the premiership failed to snare maximum points in their respective matches in the weekend. Manchester United, which closely follows Chelsea at third place, was held by Tottenham Hotspur, not the best of results leading to their stint in the FIFA Club World Cup in Tokyo this week. The same goes for inconsistent Arsenal, which paved way for Aston Villa to snatch the crucial fourth spot from the Gunners.

Liverpool has Gerrard to thank for after the inspirational midfielder almost single-handedly lifted the Merseyside club back in the game which was clearly dominated by the Tigers in the early goings. The Reds almost completed an amazing turnaround but failed to capitalize in their many chances in the second half.

Liverpool is set for a massive encounter against Arsenal in the final weekend fixtures  before Christmas Day. A victory would secure them top of the league and a needed breathing space between them and Chelsea, which has been ripped lately for their poor form.

They were a totally different Liverpool side that went out of the tunnel to begin the second half of their away fixture opposite Blackburn Rovers last Saturday. It was clear that Blackburn made it difficult for Rafa Benitiez’s lads to find any opening for a clear attempt on goal in the entire first half. The club was determined to end a string of 0-0 results which have made it difficult for them to pull away against Chelsea and reigning champions Manchester United, which occupies second and third places respectively in the Barclays Premier League.

Xabi Alonso’s low strike off a Dirk Kuyt blocked shot ended a two-game spell for the Reds without scoring a goal. Yosi Benayoun’s difficult angle shot made it almost academic for Liverpool before Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz negated the Israeli’s effort by scoring a headed goal on the other end which made the game still interesting.

Benitez elected to field in El-Zar over Robbie Keane and the former provided the pass that led to a Steven Gerrard goal, which finally iced the game. Gerrard, the team’s influential captain, earlier in the week admitted that this is the best Liverpool side he has ever played with and he has high hopes for the team’s chances of eventually lifting the Premier League trophy come May. Despite of Liverpool’s overall success in England and in Europe, they have not won the English title since 1990.

For the second straight game, Liverpool failed to find the back of the net and settled for another 0-0 draw, this time against West Ham United. Still, it was good enough to put them ahead of rivals Chelsea for the leadership of the Barclays Premier League.

Despite going behind early, Arsenal managed to score two goals courtesy of Dutch striker Robin Van Persie and frustrate Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. That essentially ended the Gunners’ three-game losing skid in England. For Chelsea, the loss was only their second but a crucial one since Liverpool managed to gain a point against the Hammers.

It could have been worse for the Reds had Craig Bellamy made his 30-yard strike shortly before the end of the first half. Spanish striker Fernando Torres did not suit up for the Merseyside club while Captain Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso both were given but missed their chances to end the deadlock.

Liverpool will meet Blackburn Rovers on Saturday before their final Champions League group game against PSV Eindhoven on December the 9th.

Not the best weekend for the so-called Big Four could hope for in the Barclays Premier League. Neither Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal could gain maximum points as they were held by their respective opponents in last Saturday’s fixtures. As it stands Liverpool and Chelsea are deadlocked at 33 points.

Liverpool were clearly not in their usual dominant form in their game against Fulham, a game that ended in a 0-0 draw. The usual sharpness was clearly absent and they were caught a step behind in many occasions especially on the defensive end. It could have been fatigue that was caused by the international friendly fixtures in the mid-week where many of their players came back from international duties. Javier Mascherano, who captained Argentina in their win against Scotland, was constantly out sprinted by Fulham striker Bobby Zamora. Fernando Torres did not have his usual speed and his shots lacked power.

Captain Steven Gerrard’s absence was another crucial blow. He could have made a huge difference especially inside the box. Many times Albert Reira did managed to slip the ball inside the penalty area and had Gerrard suited up, he could have provided more threat to Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer.

Manager Rafael Benitez’s tinkering with the lineup starting Lucas Lieva instead of the much experienced Xabi Alonso and opting to sit out Gerrard very much indeed proved costly for the Reds.  As the game was wrapping up, I could not help but check the Chelsea-Newcastle game which was shown on the other channel because a Chelsea win would have brought them two points ahead. To my relief, Newcastle held their own in Stamford Bridge and ended with a goalless draw of their own.

Liverpool has a midweek Champions League fixture against French Ligue 1 club Marseille and will return to action in England against West Ham United on Monday, December the 1st.

I missed most part of the game because my wife and I spent extended hours for the second tranche of our gift buying for our nieces and nephews for the holidays. As soon as we got home, we both raced for the television and we had a huge sigh of relief when the scoreline showed Liverpool were two goals ahead of Bolton Wanderers. It stayed that way until the final whistle and the victory put them at the top of the table in the Barclays Premier League with 32 points which Chelsea would match a few hours later with a predictable victory over Stoke City.

The game involved a Dirk Kuyt goal in the 28th minute off a feed from Fabio Aurelio. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard also got into the score board in the 73rd minute after a terrific cross from striker Fernando Torres. More scoring opportunities were given for Liverpool where Robbie Keane could have made it two-nil before halftime and Xabi Alonso and Torres missed their respective chances for a third goal for the Reds. But in the end, there was no need for it.

There were some scare for the Liverpool defense especially in the second half as Bolton showed some physicality. A header goal by Bolton’s Gary Cahill that was disallowed offered a few controversies in the match to the dismay of the local supporters at the Reebok Stadium.

Liverpool will face dangerous Fulham this Saturday while Chelsea is set for a huge showdown with Newcastle United as both clubs vie for some more breathing space between them and inconsistent Manchester United and faltering Arsenal.

Pundits on the ESPN Star coverage panel believed it was Robbie Keane’s best game so far as a Liverpool player. I agree as well. No question that Keane provided the threat for Liverpool against a much overwhelmed West Bromwich Albion defense. Liverpool went on to an impressive 3-0 victory at Anfield.

Before the game, Keane did score a couple of goals for the Reds but all in European competition. With Fernando Torres continues to be not yet in game fit, it was certainly time for Keane to deliver the needed boost as the results of the last two games were definitely unimpressive by manager Rafa Benitez’s standards. And deliver he did last Saturday which moved them again at the top of the Barclays Premier League table with 29 points before Chelsea tied them up the next day with their own thrashing of Blackburn Rovers.

It was also a timely lift of confidence for a Liverpool side that seems to have lost a step after their conquest of Chelsea a fortnight ago. It was evident in the early goings of the first half wherein West Brom managed to create a few chances before Liverpool took control of the midfield which brought an impression that it would only take a matter of time before they scored their first goal. Keane has eager to oblige in the 34th as well as the second goal which resulted from another Liverpool’s pesky defense at midfield. Arbeloa provided the finishing touch with a third goal in the second half. Liverpool will meet Bolton Wanderers in the weekend.

Early this morning when I was preparing to go to work, I opened the TV to watch the latest in Wall Street but was surprised to see Barclays Premier League games on ESPN and Star Sports. I did not catch SportsCenter last night but I did check out the TV listings on ESPN’s website yesterday and found there were no BPL games on schedule.

Still, I was a bit disappointed that the Liverpool-Portsmouth game was never covered but I did see Arsenal went ahead 4-2 against Spurs after a massive Emmanuel Adebayor goal. Amazingly, when I checked the results just a few minutes ago on the web, Tottenham managed to grab a point at the Emirates as the scoreline ended 4-4. No doubt that the Houdini has really made a positive difference in that club.

Earlier, I was concerned that Liverpool might lose two points or worse will be beaten by Pompey with the match still scoreless at the half while the rest of the Big Four already hacking up a double in their respective fixtures. But Captain Marvelous Steven Gerrard made a goal 15 minutes left that proved to be the winner. That kept the Reds a full game ahead of Chelsea and 8 points top of Manchester United.

This is a good sign for Liverpool despite missing their top striker Fernando Torres. They are not burning the back of the net like the rest of the Big Four but they are getting the job done. And that is what matters. Incidentally, they will be up against the resurgent Spurs in the weekend in an interesting match up of two clubs that have so much to prove.

Coming into this game, I already conditioned myself that we would be lucky if Liverpool could at least snatch a point in their game against Chelsea. Odds are certainly against us especially that the it has been four years now since Rafael Benitez acrimoniously left then La Liga champions Valencia to manage England’s most decorated club, yet until Sunday he has yet to muster a win against their bitter rivals from London.

Can not blame me nor even many of Liverpool fans all over the world for being cautiously pessimistic on any idea of a win at Stamford Bridge since Chelsea themselves has not tasted defeat in their grounds in 86 games. Although, the day eventually belonged to Liverpool, defender Jamie Carragher, who received the nod as the game’s best player for keeping Nicolas Anelka less ambitious in the box than usual, was quick to downplay their title credentials saying it was still too early in the season.

I, too, believe that Liverpool, despite at the top of the BPL table after nine matches played, needs more than this win to convince most especially their supporters that they are indeed serious contenders for the league this season. What they need is to win against the middle table clubs like the Blackburns, the Portsmouths, and the Aston Villas consistently, something they have had difficulty in the last four years.

This Wednesday, Liverpool has a chance to stay three points or more clear of their closest rival as they face a Portsmouth side which drew in the weekend and just lost their manager Harry Redknapp to Tottenham. This is a good opportunity to bolster their chances as they find themselves in unfamiliar territory being chanced by the rest of the Big Four.