FEBRUARY 5
Kennedy
rues
'irreplaceable' Gerrard blow
By Tom Kell - Setanta Sports
Liverpool legend Alan Kennedy says the
club cannot succumb to the temptation of rushing Steven
Gerrard back.
Gerrard limped out of The Reds’ FA Cup fourth round replay
with Everton less than 20 minutes in with what has
subsequently been diagnosed as a torn hamstring.
Rafa Benitez must do without his skipper for a three-week
period that includes league games with Portsmouth and
Manchester City as well as the small matter of a Champions
League date with the manager’s long-time suitors Real
Madrid.
“It’s a massive blow to Liverpool Football Club,” Kennedy
told Setanta Sports News. “Steve has been tremendous this
season both in making goals and scoring goals. He’s just
about irreplaceable.
“Hamstrings are a tricky thing as we’ve seen with Fernando
Torres. We’ve got to be careful we don’t damage Steven too
much – it does take time.
“I did express my concern when Robbie Keane did leave
because we’re short of firepower up front.
“There’s a lot of responsibility on Ryan Babel or maybe Dirk
Kuyt to play the role should Torres get injured. Liverpool
know what they’ve got to do – they’ve got a big ask ahead.”
FEBRUARY 5
Kuyt
remains positive
By Al Campbell - LFC Online
Dirk Kuyt says Liverpool must remain
positive.
The Reds crashed out of the FA Cup last night thanks to a
deflected goal at Goodison. Kuyt says they have to put this
defeat behind them and concentrate on the league and
European Cup.
"Obviously we are all really disappointed to lose a game so
late on because it did not look like they were going to
score," said the Dutchman.
"That is football though and now we just have to keep going
and look forward.
"We have lost one of our targets but we still have two more
to go for because we are still in the Champions League and
we are fighting for the Premier League title, so we cannot
afford to be too downhearted.
"The key now is how we react to this defeat. The positive
thing from our point of view is that on the two other
occasions we have lost games this season we managed to come
back in the weeks that followed.
"That is what we must do now."
FEBRUARY 5
Gerrard to miss three weeks
Sky Sports
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard faces
three weeks on the sidelines after suffering a torn
hamstring.
Gerrard was forced off early on in Wednesday's FA Cup relay
defeat at Everton after picking up a hamstring problem.
Scans have confirmed Gerrard has suffered a tear to his left
hamstring which is likely to rule him out of action for up
to three weeks.
It means Gerrard will miss this weekend's trip to Portsmouth
as well as England's friendly with Spain next week.
The news is a massive blow to Liverpool's title challenge as
their talisman will also miss the home clash with Manchester
City on 22nd February and possibly the UEFA Champions League
tie with Real Madrid three days later.
A club spokesman told Liverpool's official website: "A scan
today has confirmed a tear in the hamstring of Steven's left
leg. He will be out of action for about three weeks."
FEBRUARY 5
Rafa: "Tired" Gerrard hamstrung
Football 365
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is waiting
to learn the extent of captain Steven Gerrard's injury after
he was forced off during the FA Cup defeat at Everton - and
says fatigue was to blame.
Gerrard was taken off early in the game at Goodison Park
with a hamstring injury, will not play at Portsmouth on
Saturday and is almost certainly out of England's friendly
next Wednesday against Spain in Seville.
Benitez said: "Steven Gerrard will have a scan on Thursday
to see the extent of the injury, we do not really know yet.
"Steven was tired, and he gets injured. He was tired, too,
at Wigan but when I took him off there everyone was saying
he had to play every single minute of every match. Now you
have seen the consequences.
"He asked to be taken off, you could see at Wigan he was
struggling and the same thing happened here."
Benitez also made a sarcastic reference to the fact England
made Gerrard travel to London to assess a previous injury
before accepting he was injured earlier this season.
He continued: "Maybe he will have go down to London again
like last time for a scan to prove he is injured."
Liverpool were struggling from the moment Lucas was sent off
in the second half of normal time and an extra-time goal
from youngster Dan Gosling sent the Toffees through.
Benitez said: "We are really disappointed, to play for a
long time with 10 men and to concede like that from a
deflection at the end, you have to be disappointed.
"The turning point of the game was the second yellow card
for Lucas, I was not happy, but I do not want to say
anything about the referee."
FEBRUARY 5
Toffees boss
keeps feet on ground
TEAMtalk
David Moyes has warned Everton fans not to
get too carried away with the memorable 1-0 FA Cup
fourth-round replay win over Liverpool.
Teenager Dan Gosling struck the injury-time winner on
Wednesday night to set-up a fifth-round home tie with Aston
Villa on February 15.
The Toffees boss, however, urged fans to keep the win in
perspective.
Moyes said: "We haven't won the cup just yet. It was a great
result and everyone was really desperate for it. But let's
not think the cup is already here, there is a very, very
long way to go yet.
"We are in the fifth round, but the draw has not been kind
to us. First we had to beat Liverpool and now we have Aston
Villa next."
Moyes was proud of his team but had special praise for
match-winner Gosling.
He said: "I'm proud of them, but there is more to come. I
enjoyed that one, but we move on now.
"I was delighted with the two youngsters, Gosling and (Jack)
Rodwell, to come on in such an important cup tie and play as
well as that.
"But it says, too, a lot about the other players. We have
had so many injuries and we picked up more during the match,
it meant we were looking around to see what we could change.
"So it was the young boys who had to come on and I did not
have any worries putting the two lads on. They had the
energy we needed, and it was not a worry for me to put them
on.
"Gosling is a really good lad, he wants to learn and is a
good trainer."
FEBRUARY 4
Gosling dumps out 10-man Reds
TEAMtalk
Teenager Dan Gosling won the Merseyside FA
Cup battle for Everton with a winner deep into extra-time to
dump out 10-man Liverpool.
The 19-year-old from Plymouth, in only his fifth appearance
for the club, scored in the 118th minute to finally break
the spirit of 10-man Liverpool.
Everton now face Aston Villa in the fifth round on February
15.
Liverpool ended in disarray. Robbie Keane sold, Steven
Gerrard limping away after just 16 minutes, while Fernando
Torres was withdrawn, exhausted, in extra-time.
They had been facing defeat from the moment Lucas was
sent-off with 14 minutes of normal time left.
The Brazilian midfielder became the 23rd player to be
dismissed in Merseyside derbies, with 16 of those coming in
the last 10 years.
It summed up a fourth-round replay that was a war of
attrition from the start between sides meeting for the third
time in 17 days.
Everton had Marouane Fellaini back from suspension after
missing the two derbies last month, while Liverpool left out
Javier Mascherano and Fabio Aurelio, utilising Lucas and
Andrea Dossena.
A simmering disdain was obvious. A match that was once the
friendly derby turned into a nasty, spiteful one.
Neither manager had helped in the build-up as they sniped
away at each other.
Reds boss Rafael Benitez had moaned about Everton's
defensive tactics and physical approach while David Moyes
claimed Liverpool were treated leniently by officials while
asking for referee Alan Wiley to take a firm stance.
On the pitch the atmosphere was no better, and the
Staffordshire official needed to be right on top of things.
He booked Tim Cahill after just 19 minutes for a flaying arm
into Jamie Carragher's face, and lectures were dished out to
Xabi Alonso, Lucas, Fellaini and Steven Pienaar.
There had been disruption for both sides beforehand.
Everton left out Victor Anichebe from their squad following
his training-ground bust-up with Moyes, while Liverpool were
surely distracted by the Keane saga.
And with the ink barely dry on transfer forms that had taken
him back to Spurs, it was predictable that Liverpool found
need for the Irishman after just 16 minutes.
They suffered the a savage blow when Gerrard pulled up with
a hamstring problem and was replaced by Yossi Benayoun. If
Keane had been around he would have been the ideal
replacement to play behind Torres.
As it was Dirk Kuyt was shifted into a more central role,
and Liverpool had lost their driving inspiration.
Liverpool tried to impose their passing game on Everton, who
responded in their usual way.
Pienaar was booked a foul on Lucas, while the only genuine
shots in the first half came from Alonso with a 25-yarder
that skidded wide, while Leon Osman volleyed over from the
edge of the box.
The second period started with Benayoun and Kuyt switching
roles while Phil Neville and Lucas both picked up bookings.
Everton were soon to lose the injured Fellaini, teenager
Gosling taking over.
That left Everton without any real threat in the air, and
they were forced into another change when Pienaar - who had
seemed to be struggling with a hamstring problem - was
replaced by youngster Jack Rodwell.
Tim Howard needed to make a decent smothering save when
Alonso's angled pass sent Albert Riera into the box.
Mikel Arteta had been pushed forward to help Cahill,
Everton's resources stretched almost to breaking point.
Chances were rare. A Gosling shot failed to worry Jose
Reina, while Howard pulled down a Kuyt header.
Liverpool's own sloppiness eventually allowed Everton the
best chance so far.
Possession was squandered and Arteta passed for Leon Osman
to hit a post.
Arteta was booked for a foul on Riera, but after 76 minutes
Liverpool were reduced to 10 men when Lucas's daft trip on
Joleon Lescott gave Wiley no choice but to brandish a second
yellow and then red.
Mascherano was soon sent on to shore up the centre, Riera
being sacrificed.
The flow of cards continued. Alonso being cautioned for a
foul on Tony Hibbert with a minute of normal time to go.
In the first period of extra-time, Everton penned Liverpool
back, Cahill having two efforts wide and missing a Leighton
Baines cross.
Osman also went close twice before Liverpool took off Torres
- played off the park by Phil Jagielka - and sent on Ryan
Babel.
Andy van der Meyde came on for Neville, Everton searching
for the moment to break Liverpool's resistance. Hibbert
became Everton's fifth booking for a foul on Alonso.
And in the 118th minute, Everton went ahead.
Van Der Meyde's cross from the right was controlled by
Gosling on the left, and his deflected shot went in off the
far post.
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