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LIVERPOOL 4 - 1 ARSENAL 2007-04-02 13:31:00 Saturday 31 March 2007 12:45 , Barclays PremiershipLIVERPOOL V ARSENAL: THE FINAL WORDPeter Crouch scored a fabulous hat-trick as Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-1 at Anfield on Saturday. Here's the best of the post-match reaction. The Liverpool manager "It was a really good team performance and we wanted to give our supporters something special today. Crouch hadn't played for 20 days because of his nose operation and he was desperate to play and score goals. All of his goals were fantastic and I really liked the move between Pennant and Arbeloa for his first goal. To score four goals against a top side is really good and we are fighting hard for that third place. I still think we have played better games this season but I am really pleased with the team today. Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano controlled the midfield and it has set us up nicely for the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday." Rafael Benitez The opposition manager "Crouch was superb. We couldn't handl
CROUCH: JOB DONE, NOW BRING ON CHELSEA 2007-04-12 11:17:00 Paul Eaton 12 April 2007Peter Crouch reflected on Liverpool's quarter-final success over PSV Eindhoven and admitted: "It'd be a dream to beat Chelsea and reach the final." Liverpool will now face Jose Mourinho's side over two legs with a place in the Athens final at stake for the winners against either Manchester United or AC Milan. Crouch's winning strike last night was his seventh in the competition so far and the Reds' striker admits it was pleasing to maintain his recent excellent form. He said: "It was a case of getting the job done on the night and that's what we did. It was never a spectacular game but we needed to be professional and we did the right things. "All the lads were up for it before the game so there was no problem on that score. I think if it had stayed 0-0 then we would have shown more urgency to try and make sure we got a winner. "I'm really pleased to have scored the goal. I've done well in this competition this season and I think my form of late has bee
BENITEZ: ONE MORE WIN NEEDED 2007-04-19 12:24:00 Paul Eaton 19 April 2007Rafael Benitez is hoping Liverpool will be able to focus on Champions League football next week with qualification for next season's tournament already secured.Victory over Middlesbrough last night means a win over Wigan on Saturday will guarantee a top four finish and ensure the Reds can look forward to the semi-final games with Chelsea free of pressure in the Premiership."We need to play the game and if we can win we will be in the top four and we can then think about the semi-final of the Champions League," he said."It's important to get that sorted as soon as possible. Bolton and Everton now need to win four games and that's not easy, but if we concentrate on ourselves and beat Wigan then it won't matter what the others do."Benitez was pleased with his side's performance against 'Boro, as second half strikes from Steven Gerrard secured three well deserved points."I had confidence we would win because in these kind of games you need to do the job," add
MOURINHO FALLS TO NEMESIS AGAIN 2007-05-02 15:02:00 Another special night at Anfield; another European Cup final. Two in three years under Rafael Benitez and the manager had the extra, rich satisfaction of a victory scored, both on the field and the tactics board, over Jose Mourinho. Read more:MOURINHO
LIVERPOOL 1-0 CHELSEA 2007-05-02 14:50:00 Daily Post 02 May 2007NOW that's what people call history. Another memorable Anfield night, another semi-final win over Chelsea, and another Champions League final for Liverpool.Like in 2005, the Stamford Bridge outfit felt the power of the famous old stadium as Rafael Benitez continued to cast his spell over Jose Mourinho in Europe. The Portuguese had belittled Liverpool during the build-up to the tie. Bad move. Fired up by those comments, the Liverpool players – backed by a raucous Anfield crowd – made Mourinho regret his outburst with a courageous performance to secure a seventh European Cup final appearance. But while the magnificent support from the stands played its part, this was a victory earned on the pitch. Liverpool levelled the tie through Daniel Agger's well-worked 22nd-minute strike before defending resolutely to keep Chelsea scoreless for 120 minutes to force a penalty shoot-out. Indeed, they had the chances to win the game before the penalties with an er
REINA PUTS REDS IN SEVENTH HEAVEN 2007-05-02 11:51:00 The Guardian 02 May 2007Penalties are supposed to be fickle but they have turned into Liverpool's steadfast ally.Liverpool won the 2005 Champions League in that fashion and go to Athens on May 23 by the same method. The sturdy victors will not go to Greece bearing gifts in their seventh final. Manchester United or Milan beware. It would be misleading to refer to the luck of a shoot-out.Only four were needed by Rafael Benitez's men here, with Dirk Kuyt converting the decisive kick after Arjen Robben and Geremi had been thwarted by Pepe Reina as Chelsea nerves succumbed to the animosity of Anfield in this second leg. With the Premiership slipping from them, Jose Mourinho's players have only an FA Cup final to raise their spirits.Such an occasion, with a Carling Cup already in the trophy room, would once have made for a heady campaign at Chelsea. That is no longer the case and as the dejection lingers there will be renewed questions about Roman Abramovich's commitment to retainin
I WANT REVENGE FOR 2005 - KAKA 2007-05-04 12:25:00 AC MILAN midfielder Kaka is relishing the opportunity to avenge the 2005 Champions League final defeat against Liverpool after progressing to the final at the expense of Manchester United.Milan's 3-0 second leg victory in the semi-final at the San Siro set up a rematch with the Reds, their conquerors two years ago.United came to Milan with a 3-2 lead from the first leg but were quickly put on the backfoot by the Rossoneri, who scored through Kaka and Clarence Seedorf.An out-of-sorts United were unable to turn things around and Alberto Gilardino killed the tie in the second half."We have played a perfect game," admitted Kaka, who scored three of Milan's five goals in the tie."We knew against a team like Manchester United that we needed to do something special and we have achieved it with the help of our fans."I am extremely happy with the way the team has played, we were the best side on the pitch and we deserved to go through."The final against Liverpool will be a unique game. I sinc
GERRARD: I'VE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER 2007-05-04 12:09:00 Paul Eaton 04 May 2007Steven Gerrard speaks exclusively to Liverpoolfc.tv about our brilliant victory over Chelsea, the Athens showdown with AC Milan and about the glorious prospect of lifting European football's most glittering trophy for the second time in three seasons.Liverpoolfc.tv: So, Steven, it's AC Milan yet again in a European final.....Obviously I'm really looking forward to it and I'm confident we can go there and bring the Cup back home. They're a fantastic team and we know it's going to be really difficult so we need to be right at the top of our game.What did you make of Milan's display against Manchester United?I was really surprised actually because I had confidence that United would go there and get the result they required. I thought it was going to be a Liverpool-Man United final but credit to Milan because they were excellent on the night and deserved to win the game.Did you get the feeling the way they went about the game that they're desperate to win thi
LIVERPOOL V MILAN AGAIN IN FINAL 2007-05-03 09:48:00 Liverpool and AC Milan will meet in the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons after the Italians knocked Manchester United out of the competition at the San Siro.
Riise: Agger Our Best Player This Year 2007-05-10 16:03:00 John Arne Riise believes that Daniel Agger has been Liverpool's stand-out player this season. zoom - galleria The young Danish international has come on in leaps and bounds this season, forming one of Europe's meanest centre-half partnerships with Jamie Carragher.The latter has been voted as the Reds' best player by fans on the club's official site, but Riise has lavished praise on the young Scandinavian instead."I think Dan has been brilliant for us this year," he said on the club's website. "He's come in, found a place for himself in the team and played well enough to stay there. "Pepe Reina has also had a great season and been absolutely brilliant for us but if I had to pick our Player of the Year then it would be Daniel. "I can't believe he got some stick after the first Chelsea match, because I thought he had a good game, but then he proved at Anfield what a quality player he is. "He's still young and he's going to be a big player for us for many years to come."His b
Reds complain over ticket share 2007-05-10 16:02:00 Liverpool have complain
ed to UEFA over their ticket allocation for the Champions League final but have been told they will not receive an increase.The Premiership club have been awarded 17,000 seats for the clash with AC Milan at the 63,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Athens on May 23 - a figure that nowhere near appeases enormous demand - and a huge black market for tickets has already developed.Liverpool have been criticised by their own fans for their methods of distribution, with some having made arrangements to travel only to be told they will not qualify for a ticket, but a statement from Liverpool given to to BBC Radio Five Live read: "The bottom line is UEFA have not supplied anywhere near enough tickets for the Champions League Final."It continued: "Liverpool have expressed their disappointment and frustration to UEFA - but have been told categorically no more tickets will be allocated to the club, not even the returned tickets from Milan - they will go into a UEFA ballot."Liv
RAFA: PLAYERS UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING 2007-05-09 15:43:00 RAFA: PLAYERS UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING Paul Eaton 09 May 2007 Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool's midfield stars will accept the increased competition for places next season. Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano were selected in the centre of the field against Chelsea last week, with Xabi Alonso among the substitutes and Momo Sissoko not in the squad. The Liverpool boss knows more selection headaches will face him during the next campaign but he has confidence the players understand his way of thinking. "The players know me," said Benitez. "They know I can change one or two players but that doesn't mean I am disappointed with them. "I was talking with Sissoko. The last two or three weeks he has had more problems because Mascherano was playing well and Gerrard was in the middle. "I said to him it was not a problem because we will play 60 games next season and we need a lot of good players. We have injuries also." Benitez also revealed Spanish star Xabi Alonso accepte
GONZALEZ ON CLOUD NINE 2007-05-08 12:14:00 Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez insists he is the happiest he has ever been in his career.
FINNAN: KEWELL COULD STAR IN ATHENS 2007-05-08 12:09:00 Steve Finnan believes Harry Kewell could play "a big part" for Liverpool in the Champions League final. Read more:ATHENS
DUDEK: RAFA WILL WIN TITLE 2007-05-11 11:53:00 Departing Liverpool hero Jerzy Dudek is confident Rafael Benitez will one day win the Premiership title with the Reds.With Spanish goalkeeper Jose Reina nursing a shoulder injury and unlikely to be risked ahead of the Champions League final this month, Dudek could well deputise against relegated Charlton on Sunday.Whether this will also be Robbie Fowler's final goodbye to the club - his contract is unlikely to be renewed - is still not clear, but the final Premier League game of the season could well be an emotional affair.Dudek has already decided to leave when his contract runs out in the summer, and the man who became a hero in Istanbul with his penalty shoot-out performance will probably now play the last of 187 appearances for the club he joined in 2002.And the 34 year-old said: "We are all happy with the way we have played in the Premiership in the second-half of the season and I feel we are not too far away from winning it."Rafa knows what he has to do to take the club across t
KUYT: I'LL ACCEPT RAF JUSTICE 2007-05-14 16:15:00 Dirk Kuyt knows Rafa Benitez will break a few hearts in Athens next week - and one of them could be his. But even if he finds himself left out of the starting line-up for the Champions League Final, the Dutchman insists his trust in the Liverpool manager will remain intact. He believes he won't be alone in accepting without complaint Benitez's selection for the rematch with AC Milan, because the Spaniard has created the collective will for success that is more important than any individual. Benitez, of course, is famous for his rotation philosophy - having once changed his team 99 times in a row before sticking with the same side. But Kuyt, who scored the decisive penalty in the semi-final shoot-out with Chelsea, declares that his manager's record is now so impressive that it cannot be questioned. He said: "So far, I've played in most of the big games and I am very happy about that. But that doesn't mean anything. We are in the Final and the manager will have his ideas.
SMICER: AWESOME FANS CAN BE THE KEY 2007-05-18 13:34:00 Istanbul hero Vladimir Smicer believes Liverpool's 'awesome' supporters can help inspire the Reds to more European glory in Athens.
RIISE: WE'RE MILAN'S NIGHTMARE 2007-05-18 13:32:00 John Arne Riise believes Liverpool are AC Milan's worst nightmare because they hate playing against physical sides. And the Norwegian full-back believes Liverpool will never allow the Italians the freedom to attack they had in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester United. Riise prepares for his second final showdown with Milan next Wednesday in Athens convinced Liverpool can repeat their success of 2005. Riise and his colleagues are increasingly aware that Milan believe them to be inferior to Manchester United, who the Italians eliminated in the semi-finals. Their coach Carlo Ancelotti claims Liverpool are the poorest of the four semi-finalists and even United chief Sir Alex Ferguson believes Liverpool have no hope of success. But Riise said: "We don't really care what people say, we deserve to be in the final. And we know Milan don't like playing against teams like us." He added: "I heard some things earlier that they think they are the more tactical and we
REINA FIT FOR ATHENS SHOWPIECE 2007-05-18 13:31:00 Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed that goalkeeper Jose Reina is fit for next week's Champions League final against AC Milan. However Benitez has a dilemma over who to play on each flank in Athens. Reina injured a shoulder at Fulham and was left out of the final home league game against Charlton as a precaution. But the Spanish star has trained normally all week in La Manga to dispel fears he would struggle to face Milan on Wednesday. But Benitez, who returns from Spain with his squad on Saturday, accepts his key problems involve the wings. He said: "We certainly have options on both wings, these are the areas I am having to consider carefully. This involves Bolo (Zenden), Harry (Kewell) and Jermaine (Pennant) and I have not yet made my decision." Kewell's recent return to fitness after a season out recovering from groin operations, has placed him in Benitez's thoughts for the key left-wing role. Kewell is believed to have trained well in Spain this week, b Read more:ATHENS
Probable teams 2007-05-23 09:22:00 Milan: Dida; Massimo Oddo, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Marek Jankulovski; Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini; Kaká, Clarence Seedorf; Filippo Inzaghi.Liverpool: Pepe Reina; Steve Finnan, Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, John Arne Riise; Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Boudewijn Zenden/Harry Kewell; Peter Crouch, Dirk Kuyt. Read more:Probable
, teams
PRESS conference - LIVERPOOL 2007-05-23 09:12:00 Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez wants his side calm and confident for tomorrow. Jermaine Pennant sees Athens as a great honour and John Riise is optimistic Rafael Benitez had this to say from the pre-match press conference
in Athens: ‘We are here because we have been doing the right things and we deserve to be here. Zenden has some problems, while Kewell is ready to play the entire 90 minutes. Our players are focused and motivated. It’s not easy to play two finals in three years and we should be proud. The secret of my great success in European competitions? My staff are the key. We have good people, good workers. When you have a good staff then you can be successful. Of course we have good players as well. Everything is good. Our motivations are the same as Milan. I don’t know if Bellamy will play or if Crouch will play. I still have to think about it. We have two or three different options, I will decide later on after training. It’s going to be a tough match. The final two y
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