Match Report: Liverpool 2 Rabotnicki 0 (agg 4-0)

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My fellow REDS,

Here’s my Match Report that appears on our LSCM website..
http://www.lscm.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=17&Itemid=60

You can see more pics of the game at the link below..
http://www.lscm.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1102&Itemid=48

Cheers & Happy Viewing !!
Boo,
boofang.boo@gmail.com

Match Report: Liverpool 2 Rabotnicki 0 (agg 4-0)
Ngog 21st min, Gerrard (pen) 40th min – LIV

For those here in Malaysia who stayed up late (2.45am to be precise) or had an early sleep in time for the live telecast… we would have returned back to our beds at 4.45am feeling quietly confident for the new season.
It has certainly been the BEST Pre-Season performance so far !! And we have Astro to thank for bringing us this encouraging spectacle !!

Those of us who grimaced at our earlier blunt displays would have taken heart at the lively performance of our players, especially of our new signings Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic.

Even Gerrard is rediscovering a fresh burst of form, reminding us of the Gerrard of old.. spraying passes from the middle of the park, and making those incisive runs into the box.

So long has Gerrard played a relatively subdued role in the hole behind the striker but with Cole being employed in that spot, it has freed our skipper into a more central & deep role where he had always revelled in the past.

Coupled with a mature Lucas who has improved his tackling skills, we can only look to better days ahead despite the impending departure of Mascherano.

Carra & Skrtel stood firm in the heart of defence giving Cavalieri a relatively comfortable night… save for an anxious injury-time Rabotnicki raid which had their player slamming his point-blank shot into the post !!

We could have scored more.. if not for the “wastefulness” of Ngog… yet he persevered and scored a good opening goal with a well-placed header to the top corner after brilliant work by Cole off a Gerrard short corner kick, supplying a pin-point cross for Ngog to do the rest.

Of course Ngog was actually redeeming himself after horrendously missing a one-on-one chance with the keeper. And he was to endure further bad misses in the course of the game.

At least he earned a penalty for Stevie G to convert to the joy of REDS at Anfield and worldwide !! Ngog also had a penalty denied in the second half when the German referee decided against being too “generous” to the home side.

In the end, we were treated to a slick display of pass & move… Johnson impressed at rightback while Kelly was solid as a stand-in leftback. Pacheco at rightwing was subdued in the first half but grew in confidence as the game wore on… being bolder on the ball.

And a special mention of Jovanovic, a solid Serb… physically able to shield the ball and also with some quick feet to extricate himself out of tight situations. It certainly augurs well for our attack, especially also with the sight of Maxi who came in for the last 25min and immediately provided delightful link up play with Cole and also Johnson on the right.

Aquilani came in on the hour mark and took a while to get a foothold into the game… Yet it was good to see him linking up with Cole on a number of occasions, both playing for each other.. rather than trying to outshine each other. It goes to show that Roy can accomodate the players who may seem to fit only into 1 position… but yet may complement each other with the skills they have.

Earlier at the start of the game, the 31.202 crowd gave a heart-warming rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in the bright extended evening that UK enjoys in their summer. Roy Hodgson can been seen craning his neck to take in the scenes all over Anfield in it’s sounding of its anthem.

Surely he must feel that there is something good in Liverpool FC.. in the fans.. in the players.. and hopefully in the very near future.. in our new owners…

YNWA to all my REDS !!!

Good times are rolling soon !!!

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