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SUNDERLAND V REDS: THE BIG-MATCH VERDICT
Liverpool continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light. Here’s the pick of the post-match reaction.
The pundit
This was always going to be a tough game for Liverpool, but I thought they looked the real deal. We’ve seen three very good performances from them now. They look very solid at the back, and going forward they could have scored a lot more on Saturday. I was impressed with Voronin, and I was impressed with Torres’ general play. He could be sitting on top of the scoring charts.
Alan Shearer
The commentator
Saturday underlined the strength in depth at Liverpool these days. To be able to bring in a midfielder like Momo Sissoko to replace Steven Gerrard is very encouraging. Okay, he struggled a bit after those horrific eye and shoulder injuries – who wouldn’t? But he’s back to his best now and his performance illustrated why Rafa rates him so highly. He does the things any manager would want: he never gives up, doesn’t hide and has so much energy. He doesn’t give the opposition a minute. I’m glad I can say I was there when he scored his first Liverpool goal. Another display of note was that of Andriy Voronin. He would have had a hat-trick if it wasn’t for Craig Gordon. We’re creating so many chances this year but seem to be coming up against some inspired goalkeepers.
LFC.TV commentator Steve Hunter
The journalist
This victory underlines how much better Liverpool are this season. They lost points at places like Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and Bolton last year – they seem much better equipped for this campaign. Once Torres really gets going he can be absolutely outstanding for Liverpool. I also like the look of Voronin, who is much better than a free transfer. He could be a real bargain signing by Rafa.
Tim Rich, The Daily Telegraph
The fan
This game and result are a clear statement of intent. Winning when we were disrupted by the unavailable Gerrard and injuries to Hyypia and Carragher shows how far we have come. A slightly sharper Torres or a less inspired Gordon in goal for Sunderland would have resulted in a much more comfortable win. Arbeloa is proving to be very dependable in whatever position he is asked to play. He plays with a smile on his face and the enthusiasm of a schoolkid having a kickabout with his mates – it is good to see. Momo’s first of many? I hope so.
Whonose, LFC.TV message boards
The tabloid
Momo Sissoko did a passable impression of missing skipper Steven Gerrard as Liverpool brutally exposed the Premiership limitations of Roy Keane’s Sunderland. The Mali midfield star ghosted into space in true Gerrard style in the 37th minute to blast an unstoppable 25-yard opener past keeper Craig Gordon for his first-ever goal in club football – and the 7,000th of Liverpool’s league history. But classy Liverpool passed over a raft of chances before impressive Ukrainian international striker Andriy Voronin wrapped up a comfortable second away win of the season with a well-taken goal four minutes from time. And had it not been for the brilliance of Black Cats record buy Gordon, it would have been embarrassing. The acrobatic keeper used every part of his body to restrict Liverpool to just two. He made two outstanding saves to deny Voronin and also pulled off some great stops to thwart Fernando Torres. The Sunday Mirror
The broadsheet
If ever there was a 2-0 hammering, this was it. That it took 88 minutes for the visitors to seal victory bordered on the unbelievable, Andriy Voronin cutting in to beat Craig Gordon, the outstanding Sunderland goalkeeper who denied the Ukrainian a hat-trick, from 10 yards after a flowing move involving Ryan Babel, Jermaine Pennant and Fernando Torres. The result had been in little doubt from the moment Momo Sissoko opened the scoring on 37 minutes, with his club’s 7,000th league goal. As with most of Liverpool’s good work, Voronin was involved, knocking-back for Sissoko after Xabi Alonso’s searching ball. The Independent
The opposition manager
They’ve got a great chance to win the league this year, and we saw that with the strength in depth they showed today. I can’t have too many complaints really. It just wasn’t our day – though it’s always going to be tough against a team like Liverpool. Sometimes you’ve got to take your medicine, accept defeat – our players will learn from this. Roy Keane
The boss
It was special for Momo to score our 7,000th goal – he’s now in the record books. I thought Torres, Voronin, Pennant and Babel caused their defence a lot of problems. We created a lot of chances and we could have finished off the game a lot earlier. It’s not good for my heart seeing us miss chances. But you need to analyse Torres’ running behind the defenders, his running between the lines. Sometimes you don’t score, but if you create problems for defenders, it’s good for the team. Rafa Benitez
The Liverpool player
It’s been a long time coming – I’m in my third year here! I was very surprised to score but I want to go on and score many goals for Liverpool. We played well today but there’s no need to talk about the title at this stage of the season – we just need to keep winning games. Momo Sissoko |
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