Kuyt stands tall in Merseyside battle

Liverpool managed to grind out another result in their favor easing up the pressure on Rafa Benitez and moving them to the coveted fourth place, iSporter Praneet Mhatre brings you the explosive action from the Mersey Derby which saw two players being sent off.

kuyt_pic

The Merseyside derby has always been an explosive affair and today’s clash was no exception. With a total of 17 red cards in their previous Premier League meetings, this matchup always promised more sending off’s than goals, and eventually that’s how things ended at Anfield. But the Reds deserve credit for grinding out this victory is spite of playing nearly two thirds of the game with a man down.

Phil Neville’s overtly aggressive tackle on the Liverpool captain in the third minute was a clear sign of things to come. And ten minutes into the game, tackles were flying all over the field. Liverpool had their first good chance in the 14^th minute, but Daniel Agger’s shot went over the cross bar. Dutchman Johnny Heitinga played a clever through ball for Louis Saha in the 27^th minute, but the former Manchester United striker couldn’t react fast enough to make a real opportunity out of it. These were probably the only moments of flair in a fiercely contested half that was controversial in more than one ways.

Halfway into the first period, Steven Pienaar went for a two footed lunge that landed on Javier Mascherano’s shin. It looked like a straight red, but the South African got away with a booking. Not a surprise, considering that referee Martin Atkinson had not shown a single red card this season before this game! But if there is one thing that all experts have been asking from the officials, it is consistency and Sotirios Kyrgiakos’s sending off clearly showed that they have a point. The Greek defender’s challenge on Marouane Fellaini was similar to Pienaar’s but the referee somehow decided that it was worth a sending off. It later transpired that Kyrgiakos also got two stitches on his leg after returning to the locker room – not a very good day at the office for the central defender!

Returning to the Football – the two rivals continued to fight a fierce battle throughout the half, without creating any major openings. The best chance of the half came in the stoppage time, but an unmarked Tim Cahill couldn’t find the back of the net from six yards out and the Australian kept kicking himself as the two teams went into the tunnel.

The start of the second half saw a much quieter atmosphere around Anfield, but all that would change in the 55^th minute. An inch perfect corner kick from Steven Gerrard required Dirk Kuyt to simply deflect the ball past the Everton defense and send the home fans into frenzy. The Dutchman has now scored 4 in the last 4 Premier League encounters and all his goals have been invaluable to the team in the absence of Fernando Torres. The rest of the game was simply a case of a frustrated Everton side trying to score, but lacking any creativity whatsoever. The Toffees attack did create an occasional chance or two, but Pepe Reina stayed as solid as he has been throughout the season.

A frustrating afternoon for the Everton fans was capped off with Steven Pienaar getting what many would call a well deserved red card. Rafa Benitez, on the other hand, was a much relieved man after earning 3 absolutely crucial points. But if the Spaniard wants to ensure a top 4 finish, as he has promised the Scouser fans, the next two Premier League games against City and the Gunners are going to be his team’s acid test.