LIVERPOOL 3 - 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED
Sunday 03 May 2009 13:30 , Barclays Premier League
REDS WIN AGAIN TO KEEP UP PRESSURE
Liverpool closed the gap on Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premier League to three points courtesy of a 3-0 victory over ten-man Newcastle United at Anfield.
First-half goals from Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt put the Reds into the driving seat against the Magpies, who were reduced to ten men deep into the second-half when Joey Barton was shown a straight red card for a wild lunge on Xabi Alonso.
Lucas sealed the three points when he nodded Fabio Aurelio's free-kick home with three minutes remaining.
The result moves the Reds to within three points of table toppers United with just three matches left to play for Benitez's men.
Steven Gerrard returned to the Liverpool starting line-up after four matches out with a groin injury, but the Reds were without striker Fernando Torres. The Spain star was not even named amongst the substitutes, but watched on from the Anfield directors' box.
However, Daniel Agger celebrated agreeing a four-year extension to his contract by replacing Martin Skrtel in the centre of defence while Fabio Aurelio and Albert Riera were also restored to the side as Rafa Benitez's charges looked to maintain an unbeaten home league record that stretched back till December 2007.
The Reds had inflicted a crushing defeat to the Magpies earlier in the campaign, running out emphatic 5-1 winners at St James' Park in December.
However, in the build-up to this one, Benitez warned he was anticipating a much tighter encounter against a Toon side battling against the threat of relegation.
From the first whistle, Gerrard was heavily involved. With only a minute on the clock the skipper had burst into the area, beyond Habib Beye, but went down under the challenge of the Newcastle defender.
The referee waved away the appeals of the crowd and the visitors took their turn to threaten as Obafemi Martins' shot deflected off Carragher and out for a corner.
On 13 minutes, Gerrard brought the first save of the afternoon. His low free-kick from 20-yards was gathered by Steve Harper after Fabricio Coloccini had felled the Reds midfielder.
Three minutes later, our exquisite number eight was at it again. This time his drive from just outside the corner of the box was turned around the post by Harper at full-stretch.
Liverpool came even closer in the 17th minute as they began to assume control of the game following a spirited opening from Newcastle.
Kuyt's deep cross from the right evaded everyone gathered inside the box, but was collected by Aurelio on the left. The Brazilian's instant return was headed wide by Kuyt at the far post.
Seconds later, Newcastle broke forward and Joey Barton beat Riera to the ball to feed Peter Lovenkrands into the area. The winger managed to round Pepe Reina, but his shot from an actue angle lacked conviction and Alvaro Arbeloa was able to stop the ball on the line.
Newcastle were left to rue their missed opportunity as Liverpool broke the deadlock on 22 minutes.
The Magpies only half-cleared Riera's cross, allowing Alonso to spread it wide to Gerrard on the right. His low centre should have been dealt with by Alan Smith, but he failed to control allowing Kuyt to collect possession inside the area.
The Dutchman's drilled ball across goal was turned over the line via the knee of the unmarked Yossi Benayoun from two yards for Liverpool's 300th goal in the Barclays Premier League under the guidance Benitez.
It got even better for the Reds six minutes later as Kuyt doubled their lead. The number 18 was left unmarked inside the box and he took full advantage, beating Harper with a powerful diving header from Gerrard's precise corner. The strike equalled Kuyt's best ever tally for a season in a red shirt.
Having made a promising start to the afternoon, Newcastle were visibly shell shocked by Liverpool's quick-fire double and when Riera forced another corner on the half-hour mark, they feared the worst.
Gerrard's ball was met by Agger at the back post, but the Dane's cutback eluded his teammates. Alonso collected possession and lofted a trademark cross-field pass out to Arbeloa on the right, who in turn found Kuyt. His ball across goal was deliberate in trying to pick out Benayoun at the back post this time, however it evaded the Israeli utility man by a matter of inches.
The home side were now playing with the swagger of a team high on confidence and only the boot of Coloccini prevented Kuyt from making it three after Riera had skinned Martins on the left.
There was a time when the Argentina defender's name was mentioned with the likes of Liverpool in the back pages of the press and he, like Harper, was simply a spectator as Alonso crashed a curling strike off the crossbar on 38 minutes.
Alan Shearer's men were at sixes and sevens and they needed makeshift full-back Damien Duff to produce a fine block to thwart Gerrard's goalbound effort after the Anfield captain had surged into the area.
The ball broke for Kuyt, whose spectacular overhead kick was again blocked by Sebastian Bassong, before Riera eventually shot wide of the post.
Harper was then tested by Agger's swerving 20-yarder and the Toon custodian had to produce a flying stop to repel the effort and ensure the away team did not fall further behind before the break.
The interval showed no sign of derailing Liverpool's tempo and Gerrard was inches away from punishing Bassong's wayward clearance, but the midfielder's drilled volley across goal flew the wrong side of the post moments after the restart.
On 59 minutes, the captain went even closer to adding to his 21 goal tally with a rasping drive that narrowly cleared the bar before Riera struck wide from an angle.
It was the last action of the afternoon for the Spain winger as Benitez introduced Ryan Babel to try and stretch a tiring Newcastle defence with his pace.
Liverpool continued to threaten as Kuyt diverted Arbeloa's header goalwards, only for Harper to pluck it out of the air, prior to Mascherano shooting wide from the edge of the box.
Then, with twenty minutes remaining on the Anfield scoreboard, the Newcastle custodian proved equal to Gerrard's curling shot from Babel's cut-back.
A third seemed inevitable, particularly as Alonso rattled Harper's crossbar once again with a similar shot to the one that had found the woodwork in the first-half, before Gerrard clipped an effort wide from the edge of the box with Anfield expecting to see the net bulge.
Newcastle's cause was further disrupted by the dismissal of Joey Barton with thirteen minutes remaining after a rash, and totally unnecessary, two footed lunge on Alonso by the corner flag.
The Liverpool-born midfielder was shown a straight red by referee Phil Dowd and Alonso was unable to continue, with Lucas replacing the midfielder.
Ironic chants of 'Shearer, Shearer' rang out from the Kop before Lucas finally claimed a deserved third for the Reds as the Brazilian nodded Aurelio's free-kick beyond Harper from close-range with three minutes left to play and there was still time for Gerrard to thunder a shot against the bar in stoppage-time.
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Aurelio, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa, Riera, Alonso, Mascherano, Benayoun, Gerrard (captain), Kuyt. Subs - Skrtel, El Zhar, Ngog, Dossena, Babel, Leiva, Cavalieri
Newcastle United: Harper, Duff, Coloccini, Bassong, Beye, Lovenkrands, Barton, Smith, Butt (captain), Martins, Viduka. Subs - Owen, Krul, Guthrie, Nolan, Gutierrez, Edgar, Carroll
Referee: P Dowd
Conditions: Fine and sunny
Attendance: Unknown
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Xabi Alonso
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