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Kenny Dalglish’s expensive summer signings show their worth on an emotional night at Anfield

The senior citizens, the 31-year-old Steve Gerrard and the 32-year-old Craig Bellamy, set the tone of tigerish aggression and scored the goals that saw off Manchester City in this match, taking Liverpool to a Wembley final for the first time since 1996, but Kenny Dalglish could take encouragement from the performance of the newcomers to his squad, who had been singled out for criticism in the wake of a limp defeat at Bolton Wanderers last weekend.

The greater narrative of English football’s leading clubs is beginning to overwhelm its cup competitions. Wednesday night’s match at Anfield was the second leg of a Carling Cup semi-final but its significance was vested almost entirely in the individual performance of two teams who are locked in struggles to sustain or restore their credibility over the whole length of the season, with more substantial ambitions than getting their hands on what must be seen, when all is said and done, as a consolatory bauble.

For Liverpool a night of vintage Anfield passion represented a chance to redeem themselves from Saturday’s humiliation, after which they received a rare public tongue-lashing from their manager. The instinct of Kenny Dalglish to protect his players from external criticism was overridden by the knowledge that they had fallen below the club’s traditional standards of effort and commitment and he was prepared to let the world see his dissatisfaction.

In the privacy of Melwood on Sunday morning he was even fiercer. “He told us as individuals and as a group that it wasn’t acceptable,” Gerrard reported. “He went through all of us. The manager has been critical to our faces.”

The Liverpool captain may have been acting on instructions when he chose to turn the spotlight on the club’s four new signings. “There is no good time to perform like that when you play for this club,” he said. “You have to win every game. The people new to the club will appreciate and understand that a bit more now after a performance like that.”

He was referring to Andy Carroll, bought from Newcastle United a year ago, and to the three summer acquisitions: Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam. A total of £70m invested, with 101 appearances between them this season and only eight goals to show for it. While Carroll was left to contemplate the error of his ways on the bench here on Wednesday night, emerging only for the four minutes of added time, the other three were given an immediate and extended opportunity to redeem themselves.

The 21-year-old Henderson had probably been the least culpable of the lot for the team’s recent failings, unfailingly bright and willing even when heads were dropping around him, although he was the one who stood to suffer most from the long-term absence of the underappreciated Lucas Leiva, from whose experience he could have learnt much. Here he was pushed forward into the middle of the attacking midfield line, just behind Bellamy, while Downing, whose erratic crossing has been a severe disappointment, was stationed on the left, with the intention of exploiting his stronger foot to get the ball into the box.

Adam, who started the season impressively but faded with the return of Gerrard, lined up alongside the captain at the base of midfield and began well, although it was he who should have been closing down Nigel de

• Away results are better than at home for Liverpool
• ‘At home not getting what we deserve,’ says Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish disagrees with the school of thought that suggests his Liverpool side perform better away from home. On the road this season Liverpool have picked up four wins, including important results against Arsenal and Chelsea. At Anfield, where they are expected to be stronger, they have registered three wins, although five draws means the points tally is slightly greater.

Liverpool’s last away match ended in defeat at Fulham, their first in all competitions since mid-September.

That result could easily have gone the other way and while Dalglish was happy with that display he does not think it differed from performances at Anfield. “Our away form has been really impressive,” he said ahead of taking his side to Aston Villa looking to avenge the 1-0 defeat on the final day of last season in his 350th match in charge of Liverpool. “We got beaten the last time away from home but the performance was good enough to have won it.

“We have picked up more wins away from home but it doesn’t necessarily say we are playing any better. At home we are playing well but we are not getting the results the performances deserve.”

Although Liverpool returned to winning ways last Saturday with victory over QPR, a familiar story unfolded at Anfield where they created the majority of chances but had to rely on Luis Suárez’s header to secure three points.

Dalglish has almost run out of expressions to decry their luck in front of goal or his sympathy for the players whom he feels deserve more for their efforts, but despite a paltry 18 goals from 15 league matches he will not be altering their approach. “We’ve not come up against a goalkeeper who hasn’t been outstanding against us,” he said.

“I think 16 [shots] against the woodwork makes a contribution as well. At the same time the responsibility is on us to create chances and then finish them off.’ We will continue to make chances and we’ll probably win a game scoring every chance that we make, so we’ll look forward to that.”

Villa, who face Arsenal and Chelsea in the next fortnight for a tricky set of Christmas fixtures, are seven points behind Liverpool and have lost two of their past six matches – against Manchester United and Tottenham – but won last Saturday at Bolton.

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• French striker had been linked with a move away from Anfield
• ‘I was pleased that he crowned his performance with two goals’

Roy Hodgson was delighted with the performance of David Ngog after the Frenchman’s double got the new Liverpool manager’s reign off to a winning start last night and said that he plans to keep the striker at Anfield.

Ngog, playing alone up front, struck in each half as an under-strength Liverpool emerged from a potentially tricky Europa League third qualifying round first leg tie against FK Rabotnicki in Macedonia with a 2-0 win.

Ngog’s future has been uncertain since Hodgson took charge a month ago with reports linking the 21-year-old with a move to West Brom. The player, however, has expressed a desire to remain at Anfield. “I can’t stop players being linked with other clubs. I certainly have never discussed him leaving,” said Hodgson. “I think Ngog has done well in the pre-season matches so far and he has worked very hard in the training sessions. I was pleased that he crowned his performance with two goals.

“I thought his target play, his general movement and his ability to keep the ball for us was also very good. But front players need goals and that will be a very big weight off his mind. It will mean he doesn’t have to worry too much about the coming matches.”

With their Premier League opener against Arsenal still 17 days away, Liverpool were without 10 of their World Cup players in Macedonia. The likes of Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson were left to train on Merseyside while Fernando Torres, José Reina and Dirk Kuyt are still on holiday.

Ngog was one of only a handful of recognised senior players in the starting line-up with Lucas, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Alberto Aquilani.

Youngsters David Amoo, Jay Spearing and Martin Kelly all took the chance to impress against a limited Rabotnicki side and Hodgson’s selection was fully vindicated.

“I am very satisfied,” Hodgson said. “It was a game that could have been very difficult for us. It was a big crowd and some of our players that played are not used to big crowds.

“I was really pleased with the way everyone went about their business and we can go back to Anfield with a margin of victory which will enable us to feel a little more comfortable.”

Some Rabotnicki fans appeared to direct monkey taunts at Liverpool’s black players, David Ngog and David Amoo, during the match. Macedonian football has had problems with racism before and their governing body was fined after England players Emile Heskey, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell were subjected to abuse during an international in 2003.

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