Liverpool v Brighton Match Report

Liverpool soared into the next round of the FA Cup winning 6-1, with a little help from three own goals from Brighton.

Defender Martin Skrtel headed a ball from a corner kick in the early minutes to open the scoring. Brighton answered with a goal by Kazenga LuaLua from a free kick just outside the box.

The visitors may have made some intention known with the equaliser, but they seemed to lack any fighting power after that. Liverpool created most of the chances from there on.

Unfortunately for Brighton, they left their mark into their own net. The first of their own goals came just before halftime when a header from Reds’ defender Glen Johnson was cleared but then bounced back into the net by Brighton’s Liam Bridcutt.

In the second half, Andy Carroll stepped up to the plate, scoring from eight yards out after a fantastic pass from Stewart Downing.

Poor Bridcutt got his second own goal of the evening from a corner gone wrong. Reds’ captain Steven Gerrard was initially denied a goal but the loose ball was again bounced back in by Bridcutt, adding insult to injury.

Only three minutes later did Brighton’s final own goal come. Brighton’s Lewis Dunk attempted to keep Luis Suarez’s cross away from the goal with his knees. The consequence would be the ball going into his own net.

Suarez attempted to get on the score sheet finally when Dirk Kuyt was brought down in the box for a penalty. The Uruguayan missed his shot, but a few minutes later he redeemed himself with a goal.

It started out as a cross from defender Jose Enrique to Andy Carroll, who then headed it to Suarez. He then got his name on the scoresheet from one yard out, and ending the rout at 6-1.

Liverpool will now face Stoke City in the sixth round of the FA Cup.

Manchester United v Liverpool Match Report

Old Trafford hosted what is arguably the most heated game of the season when Liverpool visited this afternoon, but the Reds would walk away empty handed after Manchester United won 2-1.


The drama started before the whistle even blew. The eyes were more on Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra during the players’ handshakes. While it was expected for the two to shake hands and move on, it was Suarez who refused to shake Evra’s hand, leaving the Red Devils’ captain clearly angry.

Suarez soon seemed to be the distraction between Evra and Rio Ferdinand when the two defenders clashed, seeing Ferdinand land on his neck. A couple of minutes later the veteran would be up again.

Liverpool wasted no time putting the pressure on. Glen Johnson tested keeper David De Gea early on with a low shot but De Gea was able to get it away.

Formally retured Paul Scholes nearly put the Red Devils ahead with a close header but it went straight to Reds’ keeper Pepe Reina.

Danny Welbeck tried again but it was cleared by Daniel Agger when Welbeck made an attempt to find Wayne Rooney in the box.

Just before halftime, Liverpool were granted a corner kick. It was taken by Stewart Downing, and the ball went to Martin Skrtel who blasted it over the bar.

Suarez was left furious a couple minutes later when Ferdinand tackled him. The Uruguayan expected a free kick and was not given it. With his anger escalating, manager Kenny Dalglish kept motioning him to calm down.

More drama at halftime when there was pushing and shoving in the tunnel, with the police having to get involved. It took the players about five minutes to get to their dressing room.

Wayne Rooney scored the first goal of the game from a corner kick in the opening minutes of the second half.

Only a few minutes later, Rooney would double that lead. A pass from Valencia allowed Rooney to easily make it 2-0. It was poor defending from Liverpool.

He tried to make it a hat trick but finally the defense pulled through and the ball was cleared away.

Dalglish made some essential changed in the 61st minute with strikers Andy Carroll and Craig Bellamy replacing midfielders Stewart Downing and Jay Spearing. His final change would be Charlie Adam for Drik Kuyt with 15 minutes left to play.

With only ten minutes left, of all players it was Suarez who got the ball past De Gea to get Liverpool on the scoreboard.

Johnson’s powerful kick nearly leveled it up for the Reds but De Gea sprung it away over the bar. Nothing would come from the corner given.

Of course the scuffle could not be laid to rest. After the final whistle, celebrations from Manchester United players brought in front of Suarez caused more pushing and shoving from the two teams.

Liverpool v Spurs Match Report

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur's meeting at Anfield ended in a stalemate in what was an important game for both teams.

While Liverpool were without defender Jose Enrique for the first time, Spurs were without their manager Harry Redknapp, who could not get to the game due to a glitch in transportation. The Reds also were able to include Luis Suarez back on the roster after the Uruguayan served his eight match ban (nin in total) imposed by the FA.

There was some excitement in the beginning however, when a cat occupied the pitch in the first ten minutes. It took a couple of minutes, but a steward managed to remove the feline from Tottenham’s penalty area.

Finally some real excitement started on the pitch about 20 minutes later. Charlie Adam curled a ball Dirk Kuyt’s way but the Dutch International was offside. A couple minutes later, young Jay Spearing took a shot from outside the box, just nicking the post.

Defender Glen Johnson tried his luck in opening the scoring five minutes before halftime but Spurs’ keeper Brad Friedel stopped it.

Gareth Bale responded for Tottenham but had no power behind his back-kick and Reina caught it.

The second half saw Liverpool even more alive against the Spurs. Even defender Martin Kelly got in on the chances by firing from 25 yards out, but again Friedel saved the effort.

Finally the most talked about man of the last few months was welcomed back onto the pitch. Suarez substituted Kuyt in the 65th minute. He immediately made his presence known by nearly opening the scoring himself but Spurs’ Scott Parker cleared the ball away.

Only a couple minutes later, Parker would find himself on the ground, responding to an accidental kick by Suarez. The Urguayan is booked for it.

Carroll had a brilliant opportunity to finally do it for Liverpool but the ball, which bounced back from the post after Daniel Agger’s attempted header, went clear over the net when the striker was less than ten yards out.

The Reds saw yellow again thanks to Martin Skrtel’s high-flying tackle into Bale.

Poor Carroll could not get that ball to go where it needed to. Glen Johnson’s cross found his head but Carroll headed it too wide.

Despite all the great chances for Liverpool left and right, it was Tottenham with the best chance. Bale had nothing but the ball and a lot of space, until Reina came out. Although a bit messy, the ball was cleared away.

The game ended with both teams taking away a mere point.

Wolves v Liverpool Match Report

Liverpool left Molineaux Stadium with three more points tonight in the Premier League after triumphing over Wolves 3-0.

Manager Kenny Dalglish omitted skipper Steven Gerrard from the night, rumoured to be out with a slight injury but Jay Spearing started after spending some time on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

After 30 minutes, Dirk Kuyt attempted a repeat of his winning goal only a few days earlier that knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup, but it was too high above the bar to make any threat.

But Wolves produced the best chance in the first half. Michael Kightly had a one on one with keeper Pepe Reina while just on the edge of the box but the ball just went wide right.

Charlie Adam for Liverpool created a great chance for Andy Carroll but it was blocked by Stephen Ward. Jordan Henderson tried his luck too but his shot was saved by Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey. It was not a convincing first half for either side as the halftime whistle blew at 0-0.

After halftime, Adam tried again with a fantastic cross right to Carroll who slotted the ball into the left hand corner of the net and finally opening the scoring in the 52nd minute.

Less than ten minutes Craig Bellamy battled it out between three Wolves defenders, taking a shot that Hennessey struggled to stop. It brushed his gloves into the net then doubling Liverpool’s lead.

It was Kuyt who finished it again with the third and final goal. Assisted yet again by Adam, Kuyt put another ball past Hennessey in the right corner of the net.

Although Carroll was obviously hungry for his second goal of the night and had a couple close calls towards the final minutes, the game ended at 3-0 with Liverpool claiming victory.

Reduc@te continuing to be a success at Anfield

Anfield is home to Liverpool Football Club and has been the stage for some highs and lows of English and European football.

There is another group, however, that call Anfield home.

For 13 years now, Liverpool have been running an educational programme called Reduc@te. For the youths that participate in the program, the draw is that it takes place at Anfield.

“I always believed that the principal initial attraction of the education centre was the location, for example here at Anfield, but the materials once here have to be of consistently top quality,” said Education Centre Manager Keith White.

“The combination of these two things leads to much improved educational interest and performance from the children of all ages who attend.”

Originally set up in 1999, Reduc@te is an after school programme for children in primary and secondary school covering numeracy, literacy and ICT (information and communications technology). The best part of Reduc@te for the kids is that they receive this tutoring right at Anfield, including learning experiences in the club store and museum, discovering the ins and outs of the financial side of a successful business.

Reduc@te is not only in the time after school. The programme offers full days, specifically focusing on certain activities such as Spanish and French, Football Globalisation days and Respect Weeks.

Students at secondary school get to enjoy Business days, where they learn about all sorts of activities off of the pitch to understand how the club generates revenue through business partnerships. They get to spend two and half hours with senior members of staff at Anfield to ensure the greatest learning experience possible.

The project was originally funded by the government, but since the introduction of the Coalition Government in 2010, the club has continued with the programme. White indicates that this can be a positive.

“Here at Liverpool we have kept going and even have a brand new centre,” he said. “With a blank canvass we can put on any educational programmes without any direction from Government, national or local,”

Due to no involvement from the government now either local or national, Reduc@te is not just limited to schools in Merseyside. Any school from anywhere can attend. White ensures that he helps design a curriculum suitable to what any attending school’s goals would be from participating in the programme.

“The curriculum is designed around what schools want from their visits and so to this end I and the schools work in partnership,” he said. “This is a successful tried and tested way of ensuring that all visits receive first class evaluations from schools which have visited.”

Because it combines quality learning tools, a specifically tailored curriculum and child-friendly atmosphere, Reduc@te has proven successful with children and leaving educators happy with the experience. After all, the chance to be involved with one of the biggest football clubs in the world would make any child eager to learn.

Liverpool v Manchester United FA Cup Match Report

In what is always a tense meeting between the two teams, Liverpool managed to knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup in the fourth round, 2-1.

Patrice Evra was inevitably greeted by boos and chants after the Luis Suarez debacle but despite the negativity thrown that way, United still dominated the ball.

However, it was Liverpool that opened the scoring in the 21st minute and in front of the United fans too.

Chris Smalling headed out an attempt by Liverpool’s Jose Enrique, allowing the Reds a corner. Captain Steven Gerrard took the corner and it was headed into the net by defender Daniel Agger.

But the Red Devils’ persistence paid off not long after. Ji-Sung Park put the ball past keeper Pepe Reina into the bottom right corner of the net from only eight yards out in the 39th minute.

The second half seemed a near repeat of the first. United continued to control the midfield, and Liverpool was giving the ball away too much for comfort. Manager Kenny Dalglish made some changes in the 63rd minute including Charlie Adam on for Dirk Kuyt and Dirk Kuyt for Jamie Carragher. Later, Craig Bellamy would replace Steven Gerrard. After all of the subs were made only then did United begin to falter. Alex Ferguson tried to avoid the prospect of a replay by also making changes including Berbatov for Ryan Giggs and Hernandez for Paul Scholes.

And it was Dirk Kuyt who saved the trouble of a possible replay at Old Trafford. In the 88th minute, the Dutch international easily blast the ball past United keeper David De Gea from a pass off of Andy Carroll. Anfield naturally filled with deafening roars of cheers.

Dalglish spoke highly of Kuyt and the rest of the team’s efforts after the match.

“For Dirk it's a fantastic day and it's a great day for us to go through to the next round of the FA Cup,” he said. “To beat Manchester United is a great achievement for everybody.”

Liverpool will now face Brighton and Hove Albion in the fifth round.

Liverpool v Manchester City Match Report

Liverpool secured their trip to Wembley with a 3-2 (agg) win over Manchester City in the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final.

Defender Jose Enrique nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute just eight yards from the goal but City’s Joe Hart had a fantastic save. Liverpool continued to make Hart work early in the game with a shot by Charlie Adam and in the 20th minute, an attempt by Craig Bellamy.

Bellamy tried yet again only a few minutes later only to be caught offside.

Nigel De Jong instead opened the scoring with a Manchester City goal with a brilliant curl into the net, giving keeper Pepe Reina no chance.

Liverpool responded immediately bringing the ball back to City’s half but yet again they were denied by Hart. Nothing would come from the corner they were given.

But Liverpool came back. Micah Richards hit the ball with his arms in the box from a Daniel Agger shot, giving Liverpool a penalty. Captain Steven Gerrard comfortably took it and brought the Reds back five minutes before halftime.

Liverpool continued the fight in the second half. A sneaky attempt by Martin Skrtel had Joe Hart scrambling but the keeper managed to save it. Bellamy could have added to the scoreline but missed the chance by mis-kicking. Instead, Dzeko did just that for City after a superb pcross from Kolarov and firing at close range in the 67th minute.

The Reds wanted it more. Bellamy finally got it past Hart after a great pass from Dirk Kuyt from the left and a quick pass with Glen Johnson. Immediately Liverpool tried for another but Kuyt just headed it wide.

Any effort by Manchester City after that was dealt with finely by the Liverpool defense. Bellamy was replaced by defender Martin Kelly with a couple minutes to go in an effort to keep the score the way it is.

And with that...Liverpool are Wembley bound to face Cardiff City in the final.