Steven Gerrard's return from injury continued as he came off the bench to help inspire Liverpool to victory over Newcastle United.
The talismanic skipper produced a wonderful half-hour cameo as his goal combined with a brace from ex-Magpie Craig Bellamy moved Liverpool into fifth place.
With star striker Luis Suarez missing through suspension, following his one-game ban for gestures made to Fulham supporters, Kenny Dalglish opted to play ex-Newcastle striker Andy Carroll up front, with Bellamy and Stewart Downing supporting on the wing, whilst Jay Spearing was brought in to add steel to the midfield.
The early exchanges saw the Reds struggle to acclimatise to life without the movement of their Uruguayan striker. As they tried to exert pressure on the visitor's defence, a number of occasions saw Carroll do well to drop deep and link-up play, but this meant he was too far off the pace when crosses were coming in to the box.
On 25 minutes, the home side's frustrating start was compounded when Newcastle took a shock lead with their first real attack. Ryan Taylor's in-swinging cross was flicked on by Yohan Cabaye, then diverted into the net by a mixture of Geordie's top scorer Demba Ba and Liverpool defender Daniel Agger.
Immediately, Liverpool upped their tempo and were rewarded with an equaliser inside four minutes. Charlie Adam's fired a shot across goal which was partially cleared by Cheikh Tiote, but only as far as Bellamy who, despite the presence of six defenders on the line, expertly fired low into the bottom corner for his 150th goal in English football.
The Reds' confidence was now high and minutes later they nearly went ahead when Martin Skrtel stooped to flick Bellamy's corner just past the far post. Stewart Downing then showed a good piece of skill on the right hand side to cut inside full-back Taylor, but his through ball was cut out as he attempted to play in Carroll.
The half-time break came at the right time for the visitor's as they regrouped and looked more organised in the first 15 minutes after the break.
But, on 59 minutes, Dalglish introduced Gerrard and the game swung back in Liverpool's favour. The skipper fired in a right-wing cross which Carroll was inches away from connecting with. Minutes later, an inch perfect Gerrard lob found the Reds' record signing free inside the box, but with the big striker clearly lacking in confidence, his first touch was too heavy allowing goalkeeper Tim Krul to intercept.
The Reds did go in front though on 67 minutes. Agger's venture forward was stopped 30 yards out by Tiote, with referee Lee Probert awarding a free-kick, much to the Magpies' dismay. Gerrard loitered around the set-piece, but left it to Bellamy, who curled a brilliant free-kick past Krul, although the keeper was left unsighted by Carroll and Newcastle defender Danny Simpson.
Looking for an instant response, Newcastle pressed forward. Cabaye's excellent through-ball allowed the dangerous Ba to break free and dink the ball over the advancing Pepe Reina. With the ball edging towards the net, Liverpool defender Skrtel brilliantly cleared the ball off the line, reaffirming the centre-back's impressive recent form.
With that scare out of the way, Liverpool pressed for a third. Another wonderful Gerrard cross saw Carroll climb above the defence to head against the bar. As the ball rebounded away, Bellamy attempted to keep the move alive, but unbeknown to the officials Fabricio Collocini's right elbow resulted in the Welshman having to be substituted for stitches to nasty cut above his eye.
With 12 minutes remaining though, the win was confirmed with a piece of brilliance from Gerrard. As the impressive Jordan Henderson held the ball on the edge of the box, Gerrard made a typical lung-bursting run past the defence. He collected Henderson's pass, steadied himself, then coolly slid the ball under Krul into the far corner.
It was an impressive cameo from the skipper. With the Reds struggling to find the net this season and the impending 8-game ban for Suarez, the form and fitness of the captain is key to Liverpool's hopes of a top four finish.
The talismanic skipper produced a wonderful half-hour cameo as his goal combined with a brace from ex-Magpie Craig Bellamy moved Liverpool into fifth place.
With star striker Luis Suarez missing through suspension, following his one-game ban for gestures made to Fulham supporters, Kenny Dalglish opted to play ex-Newcastle striker Andy Carroll up front, with Bellamy and Stewart Downing supporting on the wing, whilst Jay Spearing was brought in to add steel to the midfield.
The early exchanges saw the Reds struggle to acclimatise to life without the movement of their Uruguayan striker. As they tried to exert pressure on the visitor's defence, a number of occasions saw Carroll do well to drop deep and link-up play, but this meant he was too far off the pace when crosses were coming in to the box.
On 25 minutes, the home side's frustrating start was compounded when Newcastle took a shock lead with their first real attack. Ryan Taylor's in-swinging cross was flicked on by Yohan Cabaye, then diverted into the net by a mixture of Geordie's top scorer Demba Ba and Liverpool defender Daniel Agger.
Immediately, Liverpool upped their tempo and were rewarded with an equaliser inside four minutes. Charlie Adam's fired a shot across goal which was partially cleared by Cheikh Tiote, but only as far as Bellamy who, despite the presence of six defenders on the line, expertly fired low into the bottom corner for his 150th goal in English football.
The Reds' confidence was now high and minutes later they nearly went ahead when Martin Skrtel stooped to flick Bellamy's corner just past the far post. Stewart Downing then showed a good piece of skill on the right hand side to cut inside full-back Taylor, but his through ball was cut out as he attempted to play in Carroll.
The half-time break came at the right time for the visitor's as they regrouped and looked more organised in the first 15 minutes after the break.
But, on 59 minutes, Dalglish introduced Gerrard and the game swung back in Liverpool's favour. The skipper fired in a right-wing cross which Carroll was inches away from connecting with. Minutes later, an inch perfect Gerrard lob found the Reds' record signing free inside the box, but with the big striker clearly lacking in confidence, his first touch was too heavy allowing goalkeeper Tim Krul to intercept.
The Reds did go in front though on 67 minutes. Agger's venture forward was stopped 30 yards out by Tiote, with referee Lee Probert awarding a free-kick, much to the Magpies' dismay. Gerrard loitered around the set-piece, but left it to Bellamy, who curled a brilliant free-kick past Krul, although the keeper was left unsighted by Carroll and Newcastle defender Danny Simpson.
Looking for an instant response, Newcastle pressed forward. Cabaye's excellent through-ball allowed the dangerous Ba to break free and dink the ball over the advancing Pepe Reina. With the ball edging towards the net, Liverpool defender Skrtel brilliantly cleared the ball off the line, reaffirming the centre-back's impressive recent form.
With that scare out of the way, Liverpool pressed for a third. Another wonderful Gerrard cross saw Carroll climb above the defence to head against the bar. As the ball rebounded away, Bellamy attempted to keep the move alive, but unbeknown to the officials Fabricio Collocini's right elbow resulted in the Welshman having to be substituted for stitches to nasty cut above his eye.
With 12 minutes remaining though, the win was confirmed with a piece of brilliance from Gerrard. As the impressive Jordan Henderson held the ball on the edge of the box, Gerrard made a typical lung-bursting run past the defence. He collected Henderson's pass, steadied himself, then coolly slid the ball under Krul into the far corner.
It was an impressive cameo from the skipper. With the Reds struggling to find the net this season and the impending 8-game ban for Suarez, the form and fitness of the captain is key to Liverpool's hopes of a top four finish.
Liverpool News 24/7
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