Eurosport - Tue, 25 Aug 09:12:00 2009
Liverpool suffered their second defeat of their opening three Premier League games of the season by losing 3-1 to Aston Villa at Anfield.
An own goal from Lucas Leiva followed by a goal from Curtis Davies (pictured left) put last season's runners-up two goals down at half-time.
Fernando Torres struck with 20 minutes remaining to give Liverpool hope, but just minutes later Anfield skipper Steven Gerrard gave away a penalty that Ashley Young converted, while Villa keeper Brad Friedel made a string of important late saves to secure the result.
Brazilian midfielder Lucas gave the visitors a surprise lead on 33 minutes when he guided Young's free-kick past the wrong-footed Pepe Reina into his own net.
Things got worse for Liverpool when - as manager Rafael Benitez was complaining to the fourth official about the length of added time at the end of the half - defender Davies glanced Nicky Shorey's corner past Reina.
Torres lashed Emiliano Insua's cross into the roof of the net on 71 minutes, but that fillip for the home crowd did not last long before Gerrard slid in and upended Nigel Reo-Coker inside the Liverpool box with a desperate lunge.
Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot and Young calmly sent Reina the wrong way and re-established Villa's two-goal advantage.
After losing just two league matches all season as they ran Manchester United close in the title race, Liverpool have now lost as many games this term before the end of August.
After losing 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day, Liverpool looked imperious in the 4-0 win against Stoke in midweek, and it seemed they had carried that form into this match when, in the very first minute, Torres chipped a diagonal ball into the box which Yossi Benayoun almost beat Friedel with via a backwards header.
Villa, who looked out of sorts in their opening match at Wigan, then rode their luck in the 10th minute when Torres, Benayoun and Gerrard (twice) miscued shots inside the area as the ball pinged around haphazardly.
The visitors struggled to create any clear chances from open play, but on 33 minutes they went ahead courtesy of Lucas's misfortune after the Brazilian had fouled Stiliyan Petrov.
Liverpool found themselves two down at the break when neither Jamie Carragher nor Torres could get close enough to Davies, who rose at the near post to steer his header past Reina.
The home side came back out early for the second half, before even the match officials, and they almost got off to a blistering start when Glen Johnson weaved his way into the villa box before finding Gerrard, whose shot on the turn from an acute angle was beaten away by Freidel.
Dirk Kuyt went close with a pair of headed chances before Torres got on the end of full-back Insua's toe-poked cross to score his fifth goal in his last seven league matches at Anfield and give the home crowd a lift.
After Young had scored from the spot following Gerrard's desperate lunge on Nigel Reo-Coker three minutes after Torres's goal, Liverpool tried to throw all they could at Villa, but lacked the creative options that perhaps the recently-departed Xabi Alonso may have offered them.
Kuyt and Gerrard were both thwarted by Friedel in the closing stages as Villa held on for their first league win over Liverpool in eight years.
Comment 498 - 517 of 517
As a Liverpool fan, I am not too comfortable with Manager Benitez. I think is is high time we looked elsewhere to be able to make a statement in this years premiership.
From gbenga
i agreee wt owolabi,there is no hidden place for spanish benitez this year.afta d cover up of one c,league n a FA cup in 6 seasons it is natural dt beni should turn in d towel n face challenge in oda leagues.he is destined for imminent sack should he continue to b stubborn.4rm vemmy
i agreee wt owolabi,there is no hidden place for spanish benitez this year.afta d cover up of one c,league n a FA cup in 6 seasons it is natural dt beni should turn in d towel n face challenge in oda leagues.he is destined for imminent sack should he continue to b stubborn.4rm vemmy
Gerrard shouldn't have been playing anyway - he should have been inside at H.M. pleasure, nothing but a scouse thug - and I have many Liverpool pals who agree with me
an we know that u want him in your cheatin team bt it wont happen ever if he duz go it will be to atletico madrid! thats a fact from him
dazmanutd: i dont know what your goin on about sayin that liverpool is 'my team' coz im not even a liverpool supporter and i didnt know torres played for middlesbrough!!!! so get ur facts straight before u start sayin stuff. an for ur info torres isnt like your ronaldo he wont leave just coz he wants some more cash somewhere else. torres is more loyal and kind natured and sticks by his team coz he has respect for the manager and the clubs fans! get ur facts straight once again!
1st goal late analysis: Lucas ran five yards to foul Young.A free kick was offered.Lucas ran back,took a position as a striker without marking any opponent.Suddenly Young as if he planned it with him striked the ball directly to Lucas's head which he made no mistake to nod it displacing Reina.Was it a planned act?
tamerair its probably cos you have never seen a real one you nobjockey
footyfan4eva its cos he carries your team every game and i bet he is getting sick of it you have got him for one more season if your lucky and then he is on his way with fat benny and gerrard your out of the title race already how does it feel after your optimism of coming second so its your divine right to come first this year ha ha lmao its a pity all the other teams never realised that its your league this year pmsl cheeky villa who do they think they are stopping you winning the league forever in uniteds shadow fact
I like naked girls
Liverpool have flattered to deceive for many years now, and that fat pig bennytez is nothing more than a chancer. how long will it take shhpeedy gonzhhaaarrlesh fernanjo chorresh to realise he's with a bunch of perpetual losers and sod off to real or barca? or, even funnier, utd? god we hear the same @#$% every year from the permed hair and stachio gang - "eeerrrrmmmmm weeerreeee going toooo weeeennnn thissshhh yeaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhh.."
yeah right. and i'm gonna win a euro millions lottery rollover next week.
get real (no pun intended), scouse neanderthals. liverpool have more chance of going down than winning the league.
I was at the game last night and as a villa fan it was a mad night of brillant entertainment...
Liverpool were pretty much played off the park Gerrard and Torres weren't in the game at all.
Reo-coker, Sidwell and petrov runied liverpool's tatics and like someone else mentioned struggled in the end with ideas.
People were complaning because of the 4-5-1 system villa opted for but whats wrong with a winning tatic.....
Pride of Birmingham
liverpool should have won the game if theyd taken there chances. torres seemed a bit tired you could tell from his body movements and his face bless him was covered with cutz, bruses and a black eye the poor lad went to get the ball but got knocked down instead and got up with a bruse on face. he tried protestin to the referee bt he wasnt havin any of it. i think torres was treated unfairly in that game it wasnt a game of football it was a game of 'who can get torres the most and knock him in with a injury so he cant score any goals and liverpool can go down' game. and it wasnt fair everytime he got the ball he got kicked, knocked practically slaughtered by the opposition playera!!!!!! what the hell is there problem! x
kuyt is @#$% he could'nt the side of a barn
Neil don't talk rubbish, Liverpool may of had more shots on target but long range efforts from 30 yards are there to be saved and to be honest aren't really "chances". Villa played a great game last night catching you on the break, Liverpool looked lost for ideas at times, hence why so many of these "chances" or shots on target were players having a go from 30 yards, it is because out wide Liverpool have zero creativity and through the middle the loss of Alonso's creative passing was shown.
Face it without Gerrard and Torres Liverpool have nothing going forward that can be considered quality.
The fact is Liverpool have spent a lot of money on a position that very rarely makes or breaks a team (18m for a right back when you had an ok rb anyway).
The money from that transfer and Alonso sale should of been used to buy a class right winger or forward. Not a rb and an injury prone italian.
The only reason Villa won was because of Friedel, without him they would of been slaughtered, i would be interested to see the shots on target stats.
its all a load of rubbish
liverpool has two strong clubs in three games
spurs and villa played well
modric pass well in the first match
ashley young asist the first goal and score a penalty
liverpool can't control the abll well after alonso's leaving
Wasn't long ago that the fat Spaniard was complaining the whistle was blown 20 seconds early. Next manager to go?... Bet he don't last the season
Liverpool's Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt appear dejected after a missed chance - Photo what a pair of divers
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account