Articles
Liverpool in the driving seat
It has been a long wait but Liverpool will feel their time has come. After overcoming Bradford here last night Gérard Houllier's team will be flushed by the knowledge that three more Premiership wins will see them reacquainted with the European Cup.
It may be a tall order - Liverpool's hectic schedule not only includes the FA Cup and Uefa Cup finals but league fixtures at home to Newcastle and Chelsea and away to Charlton - but they must feel they are in pole position after leapfrogging Ipswich and Leeds into third position courtesy of second-half goals from Michael Owen and Gary McAllister.
Houllier has repeatedly stressed that, for all Liverpool's success in knockout competitions, their season would still be an anticlimax should they fail to secure a Champions League place.
At this stage of the season it is all about timing and, in voicing his reservations, the Frenchman will doubtless have been mindful of the damaging repercussions of last year's end-of-season tailspin in which his side failed to register a solitary goal in their final five league matches.
This year scoring goals has not been the main hindrance but the sheer weight of matches. This was their second game in a sequence of seven in 21 days and, having come out of an even more gruelling run, it was perhaps inevitable that the gulf between themselves and the Premiership's wooden-spoon club was not always evident.
Throughout the opening exchanges, indeed, Bradford managed to repel most of Liverpool's attacking thrusts with little fuss and will reflect that a free shot for Benito Carbone on the left of the penalty area represented the best chance of the first half. The Italian, however, flashed his shot wide of Sander Westerveld's goal.
Valley Parade echoed to the familiar sound of disillusioned sighs but, for all Liverpool's possession, Liverpool's journey along the M62 was not half as comfortable as might have been expected.
There were opportunities but half-chances rather than clear-cut openings. Markus Babbel was denied by Gary Walsh as early as the first minute and, as the visitors' elaborate passing game started to force Bradford deeper into defence, the goalkeeper had to be alert again to block Emile Heskey's grass-cutter.
Yet, as so often happens after relegation has been confirmed, Bradford seemed to be playing without the weight of pressure associated with a club at the bottom of the table.
It has been anything but heroic failure this season but, in front of their biggest crowd for 31 years, the Yorkshire side were suddenly showing something like self-belief.
Houllier had much to ponder at half-time but within two minutes of the restart his side were ahead. Owen's pace and alertness had been a feature of Liverpool's play and McAllister's through-ball was weighted to perfection.
Andy Myers is no slouch but Owen is positively lightning and after outpacing the Bradford defender into the penalty area his expert finish, lifting the ball over Walsh with a deft flick of his right boot, gave him his 16th goal of the season.
The home side were thrust into depression once again and, almost immediately from the kick-off, another defence-splitting pass, this time from Danny Murphy, would have provided Owen with No17 if Walsh had not dashed off his goalline to save at the striker's feet.
It could easily have been costly. Just before the hour Westerveld inexplicably handled a back-pass from Jamie Carragher to concede an indirect free-kick eight yards from goal. Eoin Jess touched the ball to Carbone whose shot was batted down by Carragher's hands only for the referee Jeff Winter to wave away the long and vociferous penalty appeals.
Bradford smouldered with injustice and, to make matters worse, on 67 minutes McAllister's exquisite free-kick, after Owen had been fouled by Robert Molenaar, put Liverpool two up and considering the possibility of a return to their European Cup days.
Bradford (0) 0 - 2 (0) Liverpool
Owen (47)
McAllister (67)
Bradford City
Walsh; Halle, Jacobs, Molenaar, Myers; Jess, McCall, Whalley; Blake, Carbone, Ward.
Liverpool
Westerveld; Babbel, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia; Gerrard, Hamann, McAllister (Berger), Murphy (Smicer); Heskey, Owen.
Referee: J. T. Winter (Stockton-on-Tees)
Attendance: 22,057
Bookings
Bradford City: None
Liverpool: Westerveld (56) Carragher (83)
Sent off
None
Free-kicks
Bradford City: 11
Liverpool: 13
Corners
Bradford City: 3
Liverpool: 6
Goal attempts
Bradford City: 15
Liverpool: 11
On target
Bradford City: 4
Liverpool: 10
Hit woodwork
Bradford City: 0
Liverpool: 0
Offsides
Bradford City: 7
Liverpool: 0
© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001
It may be a tall order - Liverpool's hectic schedule not only includes the FA Cup and Uefa Cup finals but league fixtures at home to Newcastle and Chelsea and away to Charlton - but they must feel they are in pole position after leapfrogging Ipswich and Leeds into third position courtesy of second-half goals from Michael Owen and Gary McAllister.
Houllier has repeatedly stressed that, for all Liverpool's success in knockout competitions, their season would still be an anticlimax should they fail to secure a Champions League place.
At this stage of the season it is all about timing and, in voicing his reservations, the Frenchman will doubtless have been mindful of the damaging repercussions of last year's end-of-season tailspin in which his side failed to register a solitary goal in their final five league matches.
This year scoring goals has not been the main hindrance but the sheer weight of matches. This was their second game in a sequence of seven in 21 days and, having come out of an even more gruelling run, it was perhaps inevitable that the gulf between themselves and the Premiership's wooden-spoon club was not always evident.
Throughout the opening exchanges, indeed, Bradford managed to repel most of Liverpool's attacking thrusts with little fuss and will reflect that a free shot for Benito Carbone on the left of the penalty area represented the best chance of the first half. The Italian, however, flashed his shot wide of Sander Westerveld's goal.
Valley Parade echoed to the familiar sound of disillusioned sighs but, for all Liverpool's possession, Liverpool's journey along the M62 was not half as comfortable as might have been expected.
There were opportunities but half-chances rather than clear-cut openings. Markus Babbel was denied by Gary Walsh as early as the first minute and, as the visitors' elaborate passing game started to force Bradford deeper into defence, the goalkeeper had to be alert again to block Emile Heskey's grass-cutter.
Yet, as so often happens after relegation has been confirmed, Bradford seemed to be playing without the weight of pressure associated with a club at the bottom of the table.
It has been anything but heroic failure this season but, in front of their biggest crowd for 31 years, the Yorkshire side were suddenly showing something like self-belief.
Houllier had much to ponder at half-time but within two minutes of the restart his side were ahead. Owen's pace and alertness had been a feature of Liverpool's play and McAllister's through-ball was weighted to perfection.
Andy Myers is no slouch but Owen is positively lightning and after outpacing the Bradford defender into the penalty area his expert finish, lifting the ball over Walsh with a deft flick of his right boot, gave him his 16th goal of the season.
The home side were thrust into depression once again and, almost immediately from the kick-off, another defence-splitting pass, this time from Danny Murphy, would have provided Owen with No17 if Walsh had not dashed off his goalline to save at the striker's feet.
It could easily have been costly. Just before the hour Westerveld inexplicably handled a back-pass from Jamie Carragher to concede an indirect free-kick eight yards from goal. Eoin Jess touched the ball to Carbone whose shot was batted down by Carragher's hands only for the referee Jeff Winter to wave away the long and vociferous penalty appeals.
Bradford smouldered with injustice and, to make matters worse, on 67 minutes McAllister's exquisite free-kick, after Owen had been fouled by Robert Molenaar, put Liverpool two up and considering the possibility of a return to their European Cup days.
Bradford (0) 0 - 2 (0) Liverpool
Owen (47)
McAllister (67)
Bradford City
Walsh; Halle, Jacobs, Molenaar, Myers; Jess, McCall, Whalley; Blake, Carbone, Ward.
Liverpool
Westerveld; Babbel, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia; Gerrard, Hamann, McAllister (Berger), Murphy (Smicer); Heskey, Owen.
Referee: J. T. Winter (Stockton-on-Tees)
Attendance: 22,057
Bookings
Bradford City: None
Liverpool: Westerveld (56) Carragher (83)
Sent off
None
Free-kicks
Bradford City: 11
Liverpool: 13
Corners
Bradford City: 3
Liverpool: 6
Goal attempts
Bradford City: 15
Liverpool: 11
On target
Bradford City: 4
Liverpool: 10
Hit woodwork
Bradford City: 0
Liverpool: 0
Offsides
Bradford City: 7
Liverpool: 0
© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001
