Articles
Djorkaeff devastates Liverpool
By Dominic Fifield at Anfield
The holders are no more. Bolton Wanderers wrested Liverpool's grip on this trophy last night, leaving it late before slamming shut another door to European competition.
Youri Djorkaeff's last-minute penalty earned Wanderers only their second win in this arena since 1954, just as Liverpool appeared to have found their impetus.
Vladimir Smicer's magnificent curled equaliser seconds earlier was rendered irrelevant, preceded as it had been by a stunning 25-yard free-kick from Jay-Jay Okocha which had dipped beyond a fragile defensive wall and beyond a static Jerzy Dudek. For Gérard Houllier, this season is becoming littered with false dawns.
Despite the multitude of changes to both sides, this was still a remarkably coherent contest even if it took just four minutes for Houllier to curse his selection and send the substitutes out to trot on the sidelines. The Liverpool manager had made six alterations to his team from Sunday's league outing and Bolton seven, the most cumbersome of whom promptly slipped the notice of the entire home defence to ease the visitors ahead.
Mario Jardel arrived on Merseyside as something of a footballing figure of fun, more renowned these days for his girth than his goals. A personal tally of 207 goals in as many league games across three countries - Brazil, Portugal and Turkey - prior to arriving at the Reebok was an echo of the quality the 30-year-old has yet to bring to the English game. Yet here was evidence that his talent lingers on.
Djorkaeff's fourth-minute corner bypassed the muddle at the near post and Jardel, having eased passage away from Djimi Traoré, did not need to leap to meet the centre with a thumping header.
This was the Brazilian's third start, all in the Carling Cup, and his third goal. With their advantage established, Wanderers could revert to what they have become best at, defending stubbornly, and might even have added a second on the break when Henrik Pedersen planted a header wide.
In between Liverpool briefly stirred before they lulled back into mediocrity.
Most of their first-half opportunities stemmed from fouls on the edge of the visitors' penalty area; John-Arne Riise skimming his first free-kick viciously through the defensive wall to be parried by a panicked Poole. Smicer, in front of goal, could only batter the loose ball over the bar as the 40-year-old goalkeeper sprawled at his feet. Thereafter, Riise's radar went awry until Danny Murphy took over free-kick duties and chipped an effort on to the roof of the net. That prompted howls of frustration hardly appeased by Emerson Thome's block on Anthony le Tallec's curled attempted after Jon Otsemobor had marauded into the area. Emile Heskey air-kicked as the ball ricocheted free.
That represented a reversion to type for the England striker, eroding the memory of his stunning scissor-kick against Birmingham City, though his was still a menacing presence Bolton's impressive defensive unit struggled to contain.
An early spin away from Ivan Campo at the start of the second period served notice of his intent, though the Spaniard picked himself up to blaze wastefully into the Anfield Road end seconds later.
Bolton could ill afford such profligacy, encamped as they were in their own half and ever thankful only as long as Liverpool's most celebrated and fit attackers were still kicking their heals on the bench.
Ricardo Gardner did well to deny El Hadji Diouf, the Senegalese failing to recover a poor first touch, before Campo nodded Heskey's looping shot from the goalline.
That prompted the belated introduction of Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Harry Kewell, to be followed by Steven Gerrard, and the predictable turn of the tide. Riise immediately skimmed the bar from a tight angle as the Kop clamoured for parity.
On cue, Salif Diao spun a delicious cross for Murphy, arriving unmarked at the far post to head beyond the despairing Poole, but the match was far from over.
Copyright - The Guardian
The holders are no more. Bolton Wanderers wrested Liverpool's grip on this trophy last night, leaving it late before slamming shut another door to European competition.
Youri Djorkaeff's last-minute penalty earned Wanderers only their second win in this arena since 1954, just as Liverpool appeared to have found their impetus.
Vladimir Smicer's magnificent curled equaliser seconds earlier was rendered irrelevant, preceded as it had been by a stunning 25-yard free-kick from Jay-Jay Okocha which had dipped beyond a fragile defensive wall and beyond a static Jerzy Dudek. For Gérard Houllier, this season is becoming littered with false dawns.
Despite the multitude of changes to both sides, this was still a remarkably coherent contest even if it took just four minutes for Houllier to curse his selection and send the substitutes out to trot on the sidelines. The Liverpool manager had made six alterations to his team from Sunday's league outing and Bolton seven, the most cumbersome of whom promptly slipped the notice of the entire home defence to ease the visitors ahead.
Mario Jardel arrived on Merseyside as something of a footballing figure of fun, more renowned these days for his girth than his goals. A personal tally of 207 goals in as many league games across three countries - Brazil, Portugal and Turkey - prior to arriving at the Reebok was an echo of the quality the 30-year-old has yet to bring to the English game. Yet here was evidence that his talent lingers on.
Djorkaeff's fourth-minute corner bypassed the muddle at the near post and Jardel, having eased passage away from Djimi Traoré, did not need to leap to meet the centre with a thumping header.
This was the Brazilian's third start, all in the Carling Cup, and his third goal. With their advantage established, Wanderers could revert to what they have become best at, defending stubbornly, and might even have added a second on the break when Henrik Pedersen planted a header wide.
In between Liverpool briefly stirred before they lulled back into mediocrity.
Most of their first-half opportunities stemmed from fouls on the edge of the visitors' penalty area; John-Arne Riise skimming his first free-kick viciously through the defensive wall to be parried by a panicked Poole. Smicer, in front of goal, could only batter the loose ball over the bar as the 40-year-old goalkeeper sprawled at his feet. Thereafter, Riise's radar went awry until Danny Murphy took over free-kick duties and chipped an effort on to the roof of the net. That prompted howls of frustration hardly appeased by Emerson Thome's block on Anthony le Tallec's curled attempted after Jon Otsemobor had marauded into the area. Emile Heskey air-kicked as the ball ricocheted free.
That represented a reversion to type for the England striker, eroding the memory of his stunning scissor-kick against Birmingham City, though his was still a menacing presence Bolton's impressive defensive unit struggled to contain.
An early spin away from Ivan Campo at the start of the second period served notice of his intent, though the Spaniard picked himself up to blaze wastefully into the Anfield Road end seconds later.
Bolton could ill afford such profligacy, encamped as they were in their own half and ever thankful only as long as Liverpool's most celebrated and fit attackers were still kicking their heals on the bench.
Ricardo Gardner did well to deny El Hadji Diouf, the Senegalese failing to recover a poor first touch, before Campo nodded Heskey's looping shot from the goalline.
That prompted the belated introduction of Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Harry Kewell, to be followed by Steven Gerrard, and the predictable turn of the tide. Riise immediately skimmed the bar from a tight angle as the Kop clamoured for parity.
On cue, Salif Diao spun a delicious cross for Murphy, arriving unmarked at the far post to head beyond the despairing Poole, but the match was far from over.
Copyright - The Guardian
