Liverpool Premiership Soccer

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez brushed aside his team's stuttering form to insist that they will finish in the top four. The defiant Spaniard watched from the sidelines as Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Manchester City left last season's Premier League runners-up with just one win in 10 games in all competitions. It would have been far worse had substitute Yossi Benayoun not salvaged a point with a late equaliser after goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland threatened another dismal day for the Merseysiders. But a bad day from Liverpool got even worse as Benitez, already missing key striker Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson ... Read Full Story

Nov 23 2009 by Dominic King , Liverpool Echo Martin Skrtel MARTIN SKRTEL today admitted the joy of scoring his first Liverpool goal was taken away by the frustration of another costly defensive display. The Reds flew out to Hungary this morning for the crucial Champions League fixture against Debreceni counting the costs of their inability to deal with set pieces. Manchester City were the latest side to take advantage of Liverpool’s current defensive ills as they were gifted two openings that enabled them to snatch a 2-2 draw. Skrtel was particularly disappointed with the header Emmanuel Adebayor scored to cancel out his opener, ... Read Full Story

Liverpool’s stuttering season continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester City that did little for either club’s hopes of finishing the season in the top four. Martin Skrtel’s first goal for the club gave Rafa Benitez’s side a 50th-minute lead before two goals in the space of seven minutes put City in the driving seat. Emmanuel Adebayor levelled for City before Stephen Ireland put the visitors within sight of their first win at the venue for six years. But 13 minutes from time, substitute Yossi Benayoun rescued Benitez’s team from a home defeat. Liverpool have now won just once in ... Read Full Story

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has insisted he will leave Anfield if striker Fernando Torres is sold without his consent. The Merseysiders' debts have led to speculation about what American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett would do if a big-money offer came in for the Premier League club's star forward. But Benitez told Tuesday's edition of The Times that his fellow Spaniard wasn't going anywhere. "I'm confident it will never happen," he said. "If it did, I'd resign." Liverpool's financial position means they cannot currently match the spending of fellow 'Big Four' sides such as Manchester United and Chelsea. "When we have spent big, ... Read Full Story

Rafael Benitez praised Liverpool's character and refused to criticise his side's performance, despite the Anfield club throwing away a 1-0 lead to record a fourth successive draw. Benitez's side have won only one of their last ten games, a 2-0 victory over champions Manchester United, but the Spanish boss insisted his side had performed admirably after suffering with injury problems. "We're a little bit disappointed, we had chances at the end.," Benitez told Sky Sports:But with the problems we had, making two substitutions in the first 18 minutes, to still come back we showed very good character. Until the last minute we were still ... Read Full Story

Liverpool 2 - 2 Manchester City It was billed as the clash for fourth place, an acid test to ascertain which of the two teams is best equipped to claim the final Champions League spot. Goals were inevitable considering the recent form of both defences. Liverpool needed a victory if they were to harbour any ambitions of challenging for the title after one win in nine games. Meanwhile City were looking to end a run of five consecutive draws. The best chance of the first half fell to Martin Skrtel. A trademark Gerrard free kick caused confusion within the City defence. The ball finally ... Read Full Story

By Rory Smith at Anfield Published: 2:30PM GMT 21 Nov 2009 Photo: GETTY IMAGES Out of form, out of luck, skirting the edges of a crisis. Manchester City arrived at Anfield in exactly the same state as their hosts, spent almost 100 minutes trading blows with Liverpool and still left with more questions than answers. The most urgent, for both Mark Hughes and Rafael Benítez, of course, is whether their respective sides are good enough to claim that crucial fourth Champions League spot. On this evidence, it is a no to both. Four second half goals – Yossi Benayoun bundling an equaliser home after ... Read Full Story