Premier League - Kuyt wins it for Liverpool

Eurosport - Mon, 06 Oct 11:35:00 2008

Dirk Kuyt scored another late winner as Liverpool fought back from 2-0 down to beat Manchester City 3-2 in an entertaining clash at the City of Manchester Stadium.

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 Premier League Liverpool Dirk Kuyt - 0

The Reds needed two second-half Fernando Torres strikes to get back on level terms after a goal from the in-form Stephen Ireland and a Javier Garrido free-kick had given City a two-goal cushion at the break.

The home side had full-back Pablo Zabaleta sent off for a lunging tackle on Xabi Alonso and were hanging on at the death as Liverpool pushed hard for a late winner - with Kuyt firing home from close range in extra-time to maintain Liverpool's impressive start to the season.

It was Kuyt's first league goal of the season, but matched his dramatic late winner in the Champions League qualifiers when he fired his side past Standard Liege with a 118th-minute goal.

The Dutch international had a golden chance to open the scoring for Liverpool when Alberto Reira - Liverpool's chief attacking threat - pulled the ball back to him, only for the Dutchman to balloon his shot on the spin over the bar from eight yards out.

And City made the breakthrough just a minute later when Shaun Wright-Phillips cut the ball back from the by-line; Jamie Carragher blocked Robinho's stabbed effort, but the ball fell to Ireland, who rifled home an unstoppable shot.

With Liverpool getting plenty of players forward and putting plenty of pressure on City, it looked like the home side would need a second goal - and they got it just before half-time through the unlikely source of full-back Garrido.

Wright-Phillips won the free-kick 25 yards out with a typically mazy run, but even the most staunch City fan wouldn't have expected the Spaniard to curl a stunning effort into the top corner to earn a mobbing from his team-mates.

The visitors came out flying at the start of the second half, and it came as no surprise when they cut the deficit as Torres bundled home Alvaro Arbeloa's low cross from close range after the overlapping full-back had been played in by Steven Gerrard.

Robinho, who had a quiet game and was bundled off the ball a number of times by combative Liverpool challenges, should have restored City's two-goal lead just after the hour but he somehow conspired to send the ball over the crossbar from five yards out after Wright-Phillips had out-paced his marker down the right.

City's job was made harder when they lost Zabaleta to a red card, the full-back diving in recklessly on Alonso in midfield, with the referee pulling out his card with no hesitation.

With relentless pressure on the City goal, the Liverpool equaliser was inevitable. It came on 73 minutes when Torres lost his marker to meet a Gerrard corner with a glancing header at the near post to beat Hart.

The visitors continued to push foward in search of a winner, with Torres missing a fantastic chance for his hat-trick when he matched Robinho in sliding the ball over the crossbar from three yards after meeting substitute Robbie Keane's low cross.

But Kuyt was on hand to spare his blushes and win the points that keep Liverpool in the top two, turning home the rebound after Torres had seen a shot blocked by his own player, Keane, on the edge of the six-yard box.

Alex Sharratt / Eurosport

Comment 64 - 83 of 143

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  1. You`ll never @#$% alone - not when you have tossers of the quality that log on to this site from scouseland. You are not funny but i must admit your team are laughable

    From Patrick, on Sun 5 Oct 9:06PM

  2. LFC lucky so wot would u call man ure's luck in the last 2 weeks wiv ronaldo dropping like a sniper had shot him and getting a penalty and then vidic elbowing brown yesterday and they r calling us lucky but lfc have 2 win the premiership this year not just 4 us fans but also it will be a victory 4 football so chelski and manure don't buy the league or get lucky again

    From DJ, on Sun 5 Oct 8:52PM

  3. LFC are getting the points an avin a great run............now SKIRTEL gets injuried, that's a major blow...............lucky we have AGGER bt still it's a major blow!!!

    MAN UTD suffer injies like this but still grind it out through the season!!

    LFC have gotta show they can now....................can we?

    I hope so..........................just are defence getting weakened is a worry!!!

    From Richie, on Sun 5 Oct 8:29PM

  4. LFC far was far better team than MCFC.............. it was hard game for my team but they show great passion.

    YNWA !

    From Nikola, on Sun 5 Oct 8:19PM

  5. COYR!!

    From JayR, on Sun 5 Oct 8:12PM

  6. Mr T says: The T man pitys you knuckle dragger football fans!

    From MR T, on Sun 5 Oct 8:05PM

  7. Liverpool will only win the league if Man U chelsea and Arsenal all bugger it up, and thats very unlikely.

    From manu0862@..., on Sun 5 Oct 7:50PM

  8. Liverpool won't win the league, END OF STORY!!!!

    From Stephen, on Sun 5 Oct 7:44PM

  9. dteacher1uk
    you are a man u fan i take it, you shouldnt be complaining about refs as you have paid most of them

    From MARK W, on Sun 5 Oct 7:23PM

  10. Great Xter, great mentality, great discipline. Check out the stats, especially the 2nd half's. Zabelata lun notwithstanding, Liverpool no doubt were great value for the three points. May be the one thing missing in the Reds last couple of seasons. May be the recipe to re-enact Rafa's heroics @ Valencia four yeras ago. With Torres firing @ all cylinders particularly away from Anfield, I can smell Victory Champaign in May '09. Keep your feet on the trottle lads, another great result in a forthnight @ Stamford Bridge will do well for a great evening out. This is the season 4 LFC.

    From Nice N, on Sun 5 Oct 7:18PM

  11. legbreaker, my a'rse! Guess you ignored Skrtel's dirty bstrd 'challenge' on JO did you?
    Fookin cheatin batsrds, simple as. I hope Skrtel is out of the game for a long while, the thug.
    From dteacher1uk, on Sun 5 Oct 6:17PM

    You really are full of hatred arent you.You need to go away and have a long hard look at yourself.
    Because all that poison in you will infect your metabolism and you will die. :- ))
    Get help fast matey.

    From MICHAEL M, on Sun 5 Oct 7:17PM

  12. it's surelly now or never
    Liverpool will be EPL champion
    they won't be neither liverfool nor looserpool

    From bin_kuyus, on Sun 5 Oct 7:14PM

  13. Liverpool to win EPL this season..
    Come on The Reds..

    You'll Never Walk Alone
    You'll Never Walk Alone
    You'll Never Walk Alone

    From deddi a, on Sun 5 Oct 7:07PM

  14. Bout time we get the luck that chelsea, man u and arsenal hav been having the past few years. tho we r not gettin the pens we shud hav at least we are scoring goals in the last minute!!! were coming from behind and we r scoring from corners. THIS IS LIVERPOOL'S YEAR!!!

    From Suzy, on Sun 5 Oct 7:02PM

  15. cmon the pool....dazza

    From darren_dazza, on Sun 5 Oct 7:01PM

  16. Is Torres a journey man you @#$% what about when Sven was your manager ? you get a few quid and think you are top 4 material wake up it is the first time you have tried to beat us in years you normally play for a draw

    From alan.darlow, on Sun 5 Oct 7:00PM

  17. Fantastic Result, Fantastic Comeback, Fantastic Manager- what a half time team talk by Rafa it worked tho, Fantastic Players, Fantastic Kuyt and Torres, FANTASTIC YEAR TO WIN THE TITLE!!!!!!! Liverpool Greatest in World. All that rubbish frm Man City bout if we beat lpool we'll win league. They'll hav trouble finishing in the top half espec are 11th at mo. LIVERPOOL FOREVER!!! GO REDS i love u x:)

    From Suzy, on Sun 5 Oct 6:58PM

  18. Oh yeh lucky!! Twice the shots at goal that city had and two thirds of the posseion!!

    Must remember that you deserve to win when you spend most of the game defending!!

    From stuartc44, on Sun 5 Oct 6:53PM

  19. jdd111270 SAY BRING ON CHELSEA....I JUST WORRY IT WILL FIRST LIVERPOOL LOSE THIS SEASON IF THEY AGAINST CHELSEA TODAY..LOOK AT THE TABLE.. CHELSEA SAME POINT BUT SCORING MANY GOAL AND LESS CONCEDE THAN POOL EVEN WITHOUT 4 KEY PLAYER EARLY SEASON

    From andrew, on Sun 5 Oct 6:49PM

  20. come on bolton

    From toecutter, on Sun 5 Oct 6:49PM
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