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Archive for November, 2009

Ashley Cole proves its is about quality, not quantity; Reina saves but Gerrard stays quiet; and Tevez and Hunt show industry

Cole cashes in

Much is made of the importance of Chelsea’s full-backs to the success of Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield diamond, with Ashley Cole in particular bursting down the flank in support of his attackers as much as possible. However against Arsenal both Cole and the right full-back, Branislav Ivanovic, played quite defensively. Cole’s 19 successful passes comparing poorly to Arnand Traore’s 52; however Cole claimed two assists, proving that it is about quality, not quantity.

Gerrard off colour

Fernando Torres may be the Spaniard most beloved at Anfield, but Jose Reina will be held in much affection after this wonderful performance. The goalkeeper made six saves, five of which were from inside the area. Already missing Torres, Liverpool’s reliance on Steven Gerrard is even more pronounced and the captain had a poor game by his high standards, completing just 67% of his passes, well below his usual 79% success rate.

Tevez takes charge

Some eyebrows may have been raised when the in-form Craig Bellamy, rather than Carlos Tevez, was the one to make way for the return of Robinho but Tevez was hugely influential in the final third, managing more passes than any other player in that area of the pitch including the assist for Shawn Wright-Phillips’ opener. Stephen Hunt of Hull was equally active, though in a different way. The Ireland international made nine successful tackles, more than any other player.

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Liverpool can now get on a winning track says their manager, but Everton’s David Moyes claims: ‘We deserved more’

Rafael Benítez described Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at Everton as a possible “turning point” in the club’s season but admitted that his team were indebted to Pepe Reina’s goalkeeping on a day when Everton largely dominated their neighbours.

“Derbies are always difficult and important, and to win could be a boost for the rest of the season,” the Liverpool manager said. “We are higher in the table now and we will see if we can keep winning. This could be a turning point.”

Liverpool’s win was sealed by Dirk Kuyt’s 80th-minute goal after the scoring was opened by a Javier Mascherano shot that ricocheted off Joseph Yobo to wrong-foot the Everton goalkeeper, Tim Howard, after 12 minutes. It extends Everton’s miserable run to one win in 11 games, leaving them fifth from bottom in the Premier League, but their manager, David Moyes, spoke with a sense of injustice.

“Until they made it 2-0 I can’t remember them having a single other chance apart from one header in the first half,” he said. “The players worked extremely hard and I thought they deserved more. I don’t know how many times Liverpool had been in our half before the first goal, but it wasn’t many. We were trying to set the pace, making it difficult for them, and at half-time I just felt that if we did the same again maybe our luck would change. In the main, we kept them quiet, so it’s difficult not to get anything from the game.”

Benítez, describing Reina’s performance as “amazing”, acknowledged that Everton had been the better side for long spells and was asked whether he thought the win was lucky. “Clearly it was a difficult game,” he said. “Everton were direct and playing a set-piece game from the beginning and it was very difficult to control. They are big and good in the air. We had to show character and tried to play on the counter-attack. Sometimes our possession was good, but other times it was not so good, and they were on top of us. We had to show character but maybe at the end we had more control.”

At 1-0, with Everton pressing for an equaliser, Reina produced a double save to keep out Tim Cahill’s header and then the follow-up from Marouane Fellaini at close range. “It was a great save,” Benítez said. “Today Pepe showed he is a world-class goalkeeper. We had to defend a lot of throw-ins, free-kicks and corners against a team that is good in the air, and that is not easy. It was not only his saves but the way he helped his defenders, too.

“When we signed Reina we knew he was a good goalkeeper but he is learning and improving all the time. For me, he is one of the best keepers in the world and he showed that again today.”

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All the action on a derby day special in the Premier League as Arsenal host Chelsea, Everton take on Liverpool, and Wolves play Birmingham