Anfield becomes the gift shop of horrors

A FORTRESS? More like a gift shop.

Just when it seemed the fear factor for visitors to Anfield was back, Liverpool shot themselves in the foot spectacularly.

Rafa Benitez had talked about the need to swot all-comers aside at home this season but this was a million miles away from the perfection the Spaniard craves.

A remarkable 28 goals had flown past opposition keepers in the Reds’ last eight games on this ground to extend their proud unbeaten home league record to 31 games.

Not since Manchester United in December 2007 had a visiting team departed with all three points.

But Aston Villa stormed the barracks last night and infuriatingly it was so straightforward.

Lapses in concentration and basic mistakes were gleefully punished as an own goal, poor marking from a set-piece and a cheap penalty handed Martin O’Neill a victory to savour.

Liverpool vented their fury at hapless referee Martin Atkinson but this was a defeat all of their own making.

The Reds found to their cost last season that the margin for error in the higher echelons of the Premier League has never been smaller.

A haul of 86 points, 13 away wins and the best goal difference in the land still wasn’t enough to land the title.

This season may only be just under a fortnight old but the fact is that if Liverpool are going to seriously challenge for the crown once again there is now very little room for manoeuvre. After all, they have now already lost as many league games as they did in the whole of the last campaign.

Lessons must be learned and fast if last season is to be a stepping stone to glory rather than the closest Benitez gets to landing the prize supporters crave the most.

The 4-0 rout of Stoke proved to be a false dawn as too many key players went missing last night.

And when those stars don’t perform, the lack of depth in Benitez’s squad means there is no Plan B.

Villa had won just two of their last 18 matches and had failed to beat the Reds in the last 15 league clashes between the clubs.

Having arrived on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Wigan and a 1-0 loss at Rapid Vienna in their Europa League qualifier, they looked there for the taking.

Memories of their 5-0 thrashing at Anfield back in March were still vivid and they must have feared a repeat during a promising opening period.

Boosted by the return of Martin Skrtel, the Reds adopted the high tempo attacking approach that has served them so well at home since the closing months of last season.

They went for the jugular and almost grabbed the lead inside 35 seconds as Yossi Benayoun beat Brad Friedel to Fernando Torres’ lofted pass but his header flew narrowly wide.

Soon after Torres, Benayoun and Steven Gerrard all failed to provide the killer touch during a desperate goalmouth scramble.

Ultimately, Friedel somehow managed to divert Gerrard’s effort from point blank range over the bar.

It proved to be a triumphant return to Anfield for the American shot-stopper. He was harshly sent off in this fixture last season but this time he pulled off a string of fine stops to deny his former employers.

Frustration began to grow among the home ranks and few felt it more than Torres.

When the striker got Habib Beye’s elbow in the back of his neck it was the third time he had been sent crashing to the ground in the first half but on each occasion Atkinson waved away his pleas for a free-kick.

Torres, who was still sporting a black eye from his battle with Stoke, could barely contain his disdain and his mood soon darkened further.

Having failed to find the early breakthrough, the Reds were hit by a sucker punch 11 minutes before the break.

Villa counter attacked at pace and Lucas needlessly shoved over Stiliyan Petrov 25 yards out.

The Brazilian then compounded the error by nodding Young’s free-kick past a helpless Pepe Reina.

It was a poor mistake from a player who has worked tirelessly this summer to try to prove he’s good enough to make the grade at this level.

Agitation in the stands transmitted to the players and Liverpool lost their way as their passing became increasingly sloppy. On the stroke of half-time their problems deepened.

Reina picked up a senseless booking for throwing the ball away in protest at Atkinson awarding a corner for a deflection off Skrtel.

The Reds switched off and paid the price as Curtis Davies rose at the near post to head home.

The Kop demanded better and at the start of the second half Benitez got the reaction he was looking for.

They laid siege to the Villa goal but Friedel refused to be beaten.

The American pushed away Gerrard’s strike after a surging run into the box from Glen Johnson

Javier Mascherano then stung his finger tips before Friedel tipped over Dirk Kuyt’s header.

Kuyt was making his 150th appearance for the club but like Benayoun on the other flank he was largely anonymous.

The Dutchman should have halved the deficit just before the hour mark but somehow conspired to head against the post when it looked easier to score.

The goal finally arrived 18 minutes from time when Emiliano Insua raced forward and provided the perfect cross for Torres to volley home.

It should have been a launch pad for the Reds to rescue something from the contest but instead they swiftly pressed the self-destruct button.

There was little danger when the impressive Nigel Reo-Coker latched on to Shorey’s pass but Gerrard’s reckless tackle sent him tumbling to the ground. It was a stonewall penalty and Young wrapped up the points from the spot.

Benitez struggled to contain his fury and the manager will rightly demand that some of his star names take a long, hard look in the mirror.

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Insua, Kuyt, Mascherano, Lucas (Voronin 66), Benayoun (Babel 75), Gerrard, Torres. Not used: Cavalieri, Riera, Kelly, Dossena, Ayala.

Bookings: Reina, Torres, Skrtel.

ASTON VILLA: Friedel, Beye, Cuellar, Davies, Shorey, Milner, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Young (Heskey 80), Agbonlahor. Not used: Albrighton, Delfouneso, Delph, Guzan, Gardner, Lowry.

Bookings: Young, Reo-Coker.

Referee: Martin Atkinson.

Attendance: 43,667.

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