Liverpool 2:2 Man City (3:2) In game and post match Rapture.

ANOTHER HOME DRAW !!!!!!!!!!!!! F***ing DISGRACEFUL !!!!!!!!!! DALGLISH OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!! HODGSON, HICKS & GILLETT IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ............ Only joking

Here are the goals for anyone who missed them..................http://www.fullhighlights.com/2012/01/liverpool-2-2-manchester-city.html

May as well give my thoughts on the players performances as I don't really agree with the ones I have read.


Reina - thought he was arguably at fault for both goals. First one he never moved his feet at all..... would have still had to have been a great save even if he had, but not doing so cost him any chance of a save. The second I thought he could have tried to cut out the cross. 6/10

Enrique - defensively sound but his distribution and final ball was very poor. 6/10

Skrtel - Had a great game..... has proved me completely wrong in writing him off as an average player. 8/10

Agger - Good game but lost Dzeko for Citeh's second. Made up for it with a couple of fine blocks late on. 7/10

Johnson - As usual much better in the oppositions half than his own, kept the ball well when in possession, not only surprised me but Bellamy as well when he played the one-two for our second goal rather than having a shot himself.  6/10

Downing - much improved performance tonight, back to his early season form rather than an outstanding performance. 7/10

Gerrard - While not quite a Captain Marvel performance, kept a grip on the midfield and put his penalty away comfortably. Prefer him to play further forward but gave everything for the team 8/10

Adam - Good game even though he almost gave a penalty away. Couple of decent shots, a superb cross and some fine passing matched by some hard work. 7/10

Henderson - did better off the ball than on it. Worked his socks off in midfield but still not enough adventure in his play for me. 7/10

Kuyt - Best game of the season from Kuyt. Worked hard, made space for Bellamy and used his experience well when he needed to. Never enough of a goal threat for me, but made up for it with hard running and persistance. 7/10

Bellamy - Did everything you could ask from a forward tonight. Worked exceptionally hard, closed down defenders, used the channels to stretch the center backs and scored. 9/10

Excellent team performance 8/10

Kenny - got most things right and turned an abysmal team performance against Bolton around with an excellent performance against Citeh 10/10

   

excellent performance, excellent win!

LONG LIVE THE KING KENNY!

Still buzzing, great performance by the lads. A few have come in for some criticism which is surprising. Personally my take on the performances was:

Reina: Couldn't fault him for either goal and had little else to do, as usual distribution was top draw, people saying Hart is the better keeper must have missed him fluffing one corner, punching out straight to one of our lads 8 yards out and standing still for the penalty to just be placed past him. Yes he's an exceptional keeper but selling Reina to 2nd place based on this type of performance is harsh, I think they're definitely comparable but no clear winner in my eyes.

Johnson: Instrumental in Bellamy's goal and correctly criticised for the City 2nd, but there were 4 errors in that goal not just his 2 and overall he had a decent game. You have to either accept it with Glen or shift Kelly in, will always split opinion this one, for me put both in with Johno on the wing.

Skrtel: Played well and dominated any challenges he went for.

Agger: Fell asleep for the 2nd goal not expecting the ball to get passed Gerrard and Johnson, otherwise excellent throughout.

Enrique: Looked nervous all game and gave the ball away too often, although you could see the Gaffa has had a word in his shell about getting rid if in doubt. Still plenty of positives in his game though.

Kuyt: Best game of the year for him, ran all day, plenty of movement and touch was much better, linked well with Bellers and Henderson all game, probably only beaten by the obvious MotM

Henderson: Started brightly, looked more up for the challenges and getting stuck into people, still gets ran passed and lets people run too often but some of his first touch football is sublime.

Gerrard: Not a barnstormer of a game, but slotted his penalty away with confidence while most people would of probably felt sick with nerves. The early booking hurt his pressure game and perhaps why he chose not to dive in on Kolarov on the 2nd goal, expected the classic Stevie lunge that never came. Still overall played well but looked to be tiring near the end and was clearly disgusted with Carroll when he tried a quick pass in the last 5mins to him.

Adam: Our weakest link by a mile, got away with a penalty, lots of wrong decisions, allowed De Jong to get space just out side the box for the goal and overall disappointing. His challenges are a liability and he's too easily shrugged aside and space made near him, need Jay or someone similar back sharpish.

Downing: Actually thought he had one of his better games for us, tried to beat his man many times, got back and helped Enrique out and whipped in a few better passes into the box. Not saying he looked a £20m man but after his recent form was a step back in the right direction.

Bellamy: Godly, performance of a lifetime and could see how much it meant for him from minute 1 to minute 85 when he came of completely shattered and not a drop of water left in him I think. Would love to see him playing up front with Luis, defends would have nightmares for weeks afterwards the amount they'd get harrassed and his pace left people 10 years younger than him completely standing still. Easily MotM

Kelly: Didn't really do much from when he came on to judge.

Carroll: Jumped and missed a header, totally didn't read a Gerrard pass on a break, fell over and claimed for somethign I have no idea what and stood in the corner and barked at the linesman for a thrown-in that was clearly theirs. Looked disinterested from the moment he came on and his attitude is a big worry as much as anything else.

Overall a fabulous match to watch, we dominated for 90% of the match and to see Kenny's reactions was an absolute pleasure can't help but love that man and long may he be our Manager. Simply watching that and seeing what it means to him (echoing what it means to us, he's a supporter as much as a manager) puts to shame anyone calling for his head and hopefully those who are have well and truly retreated to the rocks they belong under.

FCB 3-1 MU sir alex ferguson Trembling

But the result doesn't exactly show it being one sided. I meant one sided like 5-0 or something! Or like the first half in Istanbul and then the second half. Can you imagine a team going 3-0 up in like the first 30 minutes .. the next hour would be like drinking an ice lemon tea in Bahamas with bikini chicks.

Anyways, just saw the stats and oh my, we had 16 shots at goal, 13 of which were on target. Crazeeeeeee.

WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!  WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!! 

That was a fantastic performance!  We had the usual problem of poor finishing, but to be fair Joe Hary played a blinder.  Now, if we can get a result against the other Manc cu*ts on Saturday we will be in the midst of a mini revival!! 

On a side note, I heard the announcer say that this was the 7th game of Suarez's ban, but I thought it was only the 6th.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but Suarez missed the game against Newcastle due to the one game suspension from the finger incident against Fulham, so the league defeat to City was actually the 1st game of his 8 game suspension.  By those numbers, I am coming up with the Spurs game as Suarez's return to action.  Can anyone shine some light on this?

Just came on to mention the same thing JD did above. The fact we made it to our first final in yonks, and yet a few notable posters aren't on this thread shoving their vile and vitriol down our throats is a pathetic F***ing sign of what some people have become.

How people grovel in the disappointment and despair of others and don't even make a F***ing peep when we win is just beyond outrageous.

Anyways, we're in a final, let the good times rollllllllllllllll!

Craig Bellamy is a F***ing beast!!! Love him.

Enrique has dropped form and is not as solid as before. But who cares we are in the final!!!! Where are the people calling for Kenny's head. I know where, in the darkest hole they can find until the next time we slip. Pathetic so called supporters.

Anyone got Joe Hart's post match interview?

Here you go.

Liverpool vs Manchester City 2-2 (3-2 Agg) - Joe Hart (25-01-12)

So proud of the lads. So proud to be in a final. So proud to be a Liverpool fan. Bossed the game, played very well all over the park. City missed some key players, but take nothing away from what was a great performance. Kenny got his selection bang on. I didn't anticipate Bellers playing up as a striker but my word I'm glad that he did.

I wouldn't be too positive Remember what happened when we played Santos or West Ham (almost lost).

I can't recall a one-sided final ever in my history of being a footbal fan.

.                                                                                                            Man utd vs Millwall few years back they got steamrolled

This is such an amazing feeling. A cup final!!!! Been far too long!

Overall, I thought we were excellent and Kenny was 100 percent spot on tonight. Everything from selection to tactics, the King was on the money.

Having watched the replay on Fox Soccer here in the States (I had to miss the second half live  ) the team performance, desire, hunger, and most importantly, pride in the Liverpool shirt were on full display. The lads really do deserve a pat on the back with this performance after the Bolton horror show. Great resilience.

On the penalties, I'm not sure I would call either as penalties. Both Dzeko and Adam have their foot out. In real time, a ref can't make that call IMO.

I said during the match that the penalty on Richards was harsh and I still think so. I can see the reasoning for it though. He did have his arms outstretched, no matter what. But, I don't know. That's a tough call.

Players

Reina - Don't think he had much to do. Should have done better on their first goal, but in fairness Spearing or Lucas would have prevented de Jong from ever getting a shot off.

Johnson - So/so tonight. I think you can probably place some of the blame on him for the Dzeko's goal. Of course, he did grab the assist for our second, so he did make up for it, eh?

Skrtel - Beast. Great defensive performance, and a special mention to his shot in the second half. If only some of our attackers would take a shot like that!

Agger - Like Reina, don't think he had much to do. Still a very solid performance and won a penalty.

Enrique - Mixed bag for me personally. He should have scored. Probably would have if he would have taken it on his right foot. But he was solid defensively. I was critical of him on Saturday because I thought he had a shocker early in that game.

Gerrard - Played deep today and showed he can play there if necessary. I would still prefer him as an attacker, but in this case needs must. Ice cold veins to take that penalty. Legend.

Adam - I thought Adam was good tonight. After City scored, he kind of dropped somewhat, giving away a stupid foul, until he played that ball to Kuyt. He seemed to pick it up a bit then. I'm still terrified when I see him defending in, near, and around our box though 

Henderson - Showed why we bought him. The kid has great potential and played a few beauties of through balls. Thought he displayed great maturity in his play tonight.

Downing - One of his better performances (on TV at least - don't know how his movement was?) for me. His shooting still leaves a lot lacking, but I think Dalglish's Bolton post-match comments have awoken him  somewhat. No matter what you think of Downing, he's a better player than how he's been playing for us this season.

Kuyt - Best performance this season. Good to see Dirk back. Great movement and energy, and - sit down because this may shock you - he controlled the ball well to set up the Glen/Bellers combo for the goal. Well done Dirk!

Bellamy - MOTM by a country mile. It wasn't just his goal or his pace, his work rate was phenomenal, movement excellent, and he was a threat all game long. A well taken and well deserved goal (with his left too). He came on a free. FREE!  FREE!


I just hope we're not too burned out for Saturday. God, I'd love to knock both Manchester sides out of cups in the span of 3 days......

I'm f***in ecstatic,i'm in f***in tears here, absolutely drained with emotion,well done lads f***in superb result, Slurguson will be as sick as F**k, suck it up you Kunt, your f***in next,

Bellers f***in immense performance from my little celtic friend, deffo motm, Kenny in tears, with Jocky, Rushy, and Thommo with massive grins,

Neg-Meisters take note, this is just the f***in start, dont f***in dare any of you drag this result down,

Well in Redmen, superb feeling is this, i'll be smiling for f***in weeks now,
Luuving it,  YNWA.

Another home draw.  But probably the best one all season. 

After reading so many years of "F**k it, it's only the League Cup", the attitude this year has been refreshing. Lets hope we treat it the same next year, whether we're in Europe or not. It's not such a bad competition to win after all.

So happy with the result last night. Finally, a trip to Wembley to look forward to!

I'm not going to go into individual performances - there were a few mistakes but it was a huge mark up on the sh*te we endured on Saturday against Bolton. I'm proud of the lads and hope that we approach the final with Cardiff with as much will as we did last night.

Agger certainly must shoulder some of the blame for the second goal. You could tell by his reaction he was mad with himself. He thought Skrtel was going to get to it and he turned off for a second.

Other than that, he was great.

I'm not going to go into individual performances - there were a few mistakes but it was a huge mark up on the sh*te we endured on Saturday against Bolton. I'm proud of the lads and hope that we approach the final with Cardiff with as much will as we did last night.

Well said!

Players and fans alike turned up last night, was great to see!

Still well chuffed after that performance, was great to see us display such character after they scored twice out of the blue. We didn't panic and just got on with it, creating chances and harrying them.

1974 FA cup final us v newcastle.

"and newcastle were undressed"

you're probably not an old git  like me though adryan!!

My cousin was on the barcodes bench that day Stewart Barrowclough !

Here you go.

Liverpool vs Manchester City 2-2 (3-2 Agg) - Joe Hart (25-01-12)

Good on Hart. He gave us credit. Usually players and Managers have excuses to tell.

 Well that result has made this old feller very happy,the thing that made the most happy was the fight shown by the lads.I was disappointed with the way we played at Bolton but praise must be given for our dispklay against City.It is pleasing to see that there is no complaints about drawing against City and nor should there be.Well done to Kenny and the lads after a difficult week and I say bring on Manure so we can progress in the F.A.Cup.

1974 FA cup final us v newcastle.

"and newcastle were undressed"

you're probably not an old git  like me though adryan!!

I remember that match well,it was3nil to us and pre match  Malcolm McDonald had been telling anyone who would listen how he was going to take us apart.He hardly touched the ball in the whole 90 minutes.We did indeed take Newcastle apart that day.We have earned the right to go to Wembley after beating City in the 2 legged semi final.

Much better performance from the lads last night, we're going to Wembley guys!!!!!!!!! good ol Bells played his lil socks off too up front and deserved his goal in the end! how many chances did we have? my god thats how you play Citeh at Anfield, imagine if Suarez was not suspended too!

Now the hard part is having to look at the ticket allocation criteria, we havn't been to a game in quite a while either

Anyone worried about the knock on effects of this game going into the weekend?

Bellamy and a few really emptied the tank last night? Can they possibly repeat it again?

Well PG every silver lining has a cloud.
We could blame this match for the Bolton loss too,
But hey we're going to Wembley!