More Points Dropped At Anfield

Liverpool went one point clear at the top of the league on Monday evening after a 0-0 draw at home to West Ham.

While we managed to avoid defeat, we failed to take full advantage of Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at home to Arsenal the day before.We had several chances to win and were constantly putting pressure on the West Ham defence, just like we did in the 0-0 draw to Fulham last week, but couldn't find a breakthrough.

West Ham could have even stole all three points in the final few minutes as former red Craig Bellamy had a long range effort hit the post.

Liverpool have now drawn three home games 0-0 against Stoke City, Fulham and West Ham. If we are to continue in our quest for the Premier League this season, then these are the games that we should be winning, especially as the busy Christmas period approaches.We can't afford to let Chelsea back in to the race at any other time they may fail to win, as it is unlikely they would do so if we were to lose.

We now face Blackburn at the weekend who are on a tough run themselves under new manager Paul Ince and have not won in 8 games. After losing to Manchester United in the cup midweek, they will be looking for the chance to get back on track, but we must show that the last two games have just been a blip and that we ourselves are also back on track.

Torres Vs Agbonlahor...

This is me and my friend Jack, who is unfortunately an Aston Villa Fan.

I say unfortunately because at the start of the season, we made a bet with each other over who would score more goals this season, Fernando Torres or Gabriel Agbonlahor. The loser of the bet will have to wear the winning players shirt on the final night out of the term and at the moment I am losing.

As it stands Agbonlahor is leading the bet on 9 goals with a hatrick on the opening day of the season and the second in the win against Arsenal among the highlights so far. Torres however is close behind on 6 goals.

For a while Torres was 5-4 up after scoring twice against Everton and Man City but a series of injuries has affected him from having a sustained run in the team leaving it open for Agbonlahor to take the lead. The last goal scored from either of them came from Torres when he scored for Spain against Chile on Wednesday.

The good news for me is that there is still a long way to go till the end of the season. Although to be honest, even if there was only one week left of the season, I'm sure i'd still win.

Torres Named Northwest Player Of The Year

Fernando Torres has been named the Premier League player of the year at the Northwest Football Awards after beating off competition from Christiano Ronaldo, Joleon Lescott and Richard Dunne.

The award comes after an impressive debut season in English football where he scored 33 times (24 in the league) to confirm his status as a new Kop hero, although he lost out on Goal of the Year to Burnley's Wade Elliott.

Liverpool also won the Best Club Marketing Campaign for the Premier league along with Manchester United. For a full list of winners go to http://northwestfootballawards.co.uk/index.php/news/

Congratulations Spurs from the North Londoner in me..

I'd just like to say well done to Tottenham for their 4-2 Carling Cup victory over us last week at White Hart Lane. I won't deny its a shame to be knocked out of a cup no matter how unimportant it might seem but in all honesty I am really glad that we lost.

Being from North London, I could have supported Arsenal like the majority of my family and some friends, or Tottenham (where I live only ten minutes from the ground) like the remaining half of my family and most of my friends, but instead I chose Liverpool. I'm never really sure why, most people believe it was because of Steven Gerrard, but I assure you it's not, although it was a part of my decision. The fact is that even though I don't support my local teams through wearing their shirts or in any other way, I would still want them to succeed for the sake of my family and friends so that they could enjoy being football fans as much as I do, apart from when they play Liverpool of course!

Some of my family are season ticket holders at Arsenal, and I have been lucky enough to go to some matches every now and then, mainly when they were playing Liverpool but at other times aswell. When Arsenal were still at Highbury I would go to matches just for the chance to see some live football but as I got older I began to understand the rivalry between two big clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal and found it hard to enjoy the game as I was so desperately wanting Arsenal to lose, especially when it was against Liverpool and I was surrounded by hundreds of Arsenal fans. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/4862840.stm)

I will never forget sitting in the clock end of Highbury, only ten yards from the travelling Liverpool fans and having to mask my devastation with pretend joy as I watched Steven Gerrard pass the ball to Thierry Henry to score the winner right in front of my eyes. This was so hard purely because all the Arsenal fans were ecstatic that the player they had been abusing the whole game - one of my sporting idols- had just gifted them the most easy three points they have ever received.

For this reason, I find it a lot harder to want Arsenal to do well and can honestly say that I would probably now only want to support them when watching them play against Man. Utd or Chelsea. While I cant deny there are times when they play some outstanding football, the obvious reputation they have in terms of law abiding is also a reason why I find it hard to back them.

With Tottenham however, the situation is the complete opposite. My dad and sister are season ticket holders at White Hart Lane and I have also been to many games over the years. The difference with going to a Tottenham game is that there is normally not that much riding on an outcome of the game when watching as a Liverpool fan and I can instead just watch and enjoy the game. This is because while Tottenham have made themselves a regular top 6 team now, they don't pose a threat to Liverpool in terms of the title race or Champions League qualifacation.

The real reason why it is easy to enjoy a game at Spurs however is that the whole experience in comparison to Arsenal is just so much better. The atmosphere of the crowd, in particular Park Lane where my dad and sister sit, is brilliant and they sing from the first to last whistle. They get behind their team and the game is always exciting as you can tell that the team is trying their best. I'm sure this is the same for many other clubs aswell, but I can only talk from my personal experience.

So while you may come away from an Arsenal game having watched a better performance or seen more goals, you will always come away from a Tottenham game having enjoyed a much better experience, even if it was 0-0 and it is for this reason that I would gladly go to a Tottenham match whether they were playing Liverpool or not. It is for this reason that since my first game at White Hart Lane, I have always harboured a soft spot for the club and secretly wanted them to do well and it is because of this that I am glad they beat us in the cup.

After having such a bad start to the season, I felt terrible that Spurs were rock bottom of the table. I would hate to see them relegated purely because I know what a fantastic club they are. Since Harry Redknapp has taken over, they have really turned a corner, and having just drawn against Arsenal I knew they would be a much tougher challenge than expected when we faced them in the league. I said to my dad just before the match that I wouldn't mind if they knocked us out of the cup as long as we could take three points off of them in the league. What I didn't think they would do was beat us both times though!

You might think I'm stupid for wanting my team to lose in any game that they play and perhaps you're right, but they way I see it, Liverpool are now free to be focused on the League and Champions League untill the new year when the F.A Cup kicks in. We won't have to be distracted by this competition all the way through untill February when the knockout rounds of the Champions League start. Tottenham however, can use this win as a building block for the rest off their season and use it as something to work towards. After all, they are the holders and it would be nice for them to get the chance to go back to Wembley to defend it, as even though they are on the up, it is likely to be their only chance of getting european football at White Hart Lane next season. And if they can do it by humiliating United in the final just like they did to Chelsea last season, then it's even better.

It's been a while...

It's been a while since I last wrote and a lot has happened including our first defeat of the season at the hands of Tottenham. So here is just a quick catch up of all things Livepool from the past few weeks.

Wedsnesday 29th October: Liverpool 1-0 Portsmouth (Premier League)
Following the win at Chelsea, we overcame the tough challenge of Portsmouth to maintain our undefeated record. Portsmouth were still getting over the shock of Harry Redknapp's departure to the struggling Tottenham but put up a good fight and were only beaten by a Steven Gerrard penalty late on after Papa Bouba Diop handled in the area.

Saturday 1st November: Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League)
The next game saw us travel to the capital for the second weekend running for what would have been an easy three points had it been two weeks earlier. Under Juande Ramos, Tottenham had been lacklustre and unorganised with the pressure mounting from fans as they propped up the rest of the table with only six points. However, the reality for us was that Juande Ramos was gone and the reign of Harry Redknapp was well and truly underway. A win against Bolton in his first game was followed up by an impressive 4-4 draw at Arsenal in the North London derby on the Wedsnesday, and there could be doubt that both sides were motivated for the game. Liverpool dominated the game from the very first second which Dirk Kuyt made count when he opened the scoring on three minutes. For the next hour, we had numerous chances and should have been three or four up before Jamie Carragher was unlucky enough to see his header go past Reina for the equaliser. Despite the set back, we still could have won it but Tottenham's confidence grew after their bit of fortune. The winner then came in the 91st minute when Pavlyuchenko beat Agger to a cross which he clipped round Reina to take our undefeated record and give Tottenham fans their first glimpse of escape from the relagation zone.

Tuesday 4th November: Liverpool 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Champions League)
The next task was to forget about the dissapointment in the league and concentrate on qualification out of our group in the Champions League by beating Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Fernando Torres was still unable to play and had to watch the game against his former club from the stands. Although it wasn't a great performance from us, we managed to avoid defeat by coming from behind to draw 1-1 thanks to another Steven Gerrard penalty which like the Portsmouth match, also came late in the game. I must admit that the penalty should never have been given but the officials hadn't had a good game and had wrongly waved away claims for a penalty for Liverpool earlier after replays showed that the Madrid defender had clearly used his arm to control the ball. So it only made it fair in the end.

Saturday 8th November: Liverpool 3-0 West Brom (Premier League)
Liverpool got their title challenge back on track as Robbie Keane finally opened his domestic account with two goals before half time before Alvaro Arbeloa finished the game off with a well executed shot in the 90th minute. We remain level on points with Chelsea at the top of the League but sit in second due to Chelsea's superior goal difference.

Wednesday 12th November: Tottenham 4-2 Liverpool (Carling Cup)
Tottenham inflicted our second defeat at White Hart Lane in the space of 11 days after a 4-2 win saw them through to the quarter-finals. In the opposite to our league match, Spurs were by far the better side and took a 3-0 lead at half time with a goal from Pavlyuchenko quickly followed by two from on loan Man Utd striker Fraizer Campbell. Damien Plessis pulled one back soon after the restart before Pavlyuchenko restored the three goal lead. By this time the game was beyond reach and Sami Hyypia's header was nothing more than a consolation. There was one positive to come from the game however, as Fernando Torres made it through 56 minutes in his first game back from injury.

Well Done Rafa
Rafa Benitez was named Manager of the Month for October thanks to Liverpool's four consecutive league victories, two at Anfield and two on the road.
The month started with the thrilling comeback at Manchester City which saw us come from 2-0 down at half time to win 3-2 and was followed by another 3-2 comeback at home to Wigan after being 2-1 down at half time. The notable victory from the month came at Stamford Bridge as we ended Chelsea's unbeaten home record with a 1-0 win before rounding off the month with the 1-0 result at home to Portsmouth.

Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool

* Chelsea lose at home for the first time in 87 games

* Liverpool score their first league goal at Stamford Bridge under Rafa Benitez

*Liverpool win away for the first time against a fellow top 4 club under Rafa Benitez

Believe it or not, but all of these happened on Sunday as Liverpool pulled off a stunning 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to open up a three point gap at the top of the Premier League table.

Both teams went in to the match with their undefeated records at stake and in their finest form, but for Chelsea there was the added pressure of maintaining their undefeated home record spanning more than four years. The West London side hadn't lost a game at home since their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in February 2004 and hadn't lost in the league in 29 games.

Liverpool on the other hand, who were still without the injured Fernando Torres, were playing with the extra incentive of revenge as their last defeat in all competitions came six months ago at the hands of Chelsea in the second leg of their champions league semi-final clash at Stamford Bridge.

The decisive goal came inside the first ten minutes as Xabi Alonso scored his first goal in a year with a left footed shot which deflected past Petr Cech. From then on the reds dominated the game and Chelsea were restricted to long distance efforts which rarely troubled Pepe Reina.

Although Chelsea were missing key players such as Ballack, Drogba and Joe Cole, they still had a relatively strong team, and were simply off the pace that was needed to overcome what is now a much tougher opposition in Liverpool. For Scolari, he will have to deal with the fact that both Jose Mouhrinho and Avram Grant managed to maintain the record, while he has lost it within 3 months of being at Chelsea.

The good news for Rafa Benitez is that Liverpool are now clear leaders of the Premiership with a 3 point lead over Chelsea and Hull City, a four point lead over Arsenal and an incredible eight point lead over Manchester United (although United do have a game in hand).

The bad news however is that there is now little margin for error and he must find a way to keep the team strong in the league as well as in Europe and cup competitions. So I for one won't be surprised when the famous rotation system comes back in to action and probably sooner rather than later.

Welcome to my blog...

As a Liverpool fan I look forward to each season with anticipation as finally being 'the' season in which we mount a serious title challenge. As previous seasons have shown, the wealth of rival clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United have proved too much for Liverpool to compete with leaving nothing more than cup success to aim for.

Then when the takeover from George Gillett and Tom Hicks arose and provided Rafa Benitez with the money for big summer buys such as Fernando Torres, many people - myself included - thought that this would finally supply Liverpool with the opportunity to regain their place among those at the top and become real title contenders once again. Unfortunately, the reality was that by November the title was already beyond our reach.

It is for this reason that I can understand, albeit slightly annoyed about, many people's scepticism regarding Liverpool's prospects for the current season. Yes, we may be joint top of the league and level on points with Chelsea and yes, we may be undefeated this season - having beaten Man. Utd and Everton - but as previous campaigns have shown, Liverpool start reasonably well only to fade as the season progresses, drawing far too many games for a side with championship hopes.

However, the fact that we have drawn just two games so far this season suggests improvement as after this many games last season we had already drawn four. There can also be no denying that there is now a sense of belief and determination amongst the squad that until recently had been severely lacking. This is highlighted by the fact that four of the six league victories so far have been achieved from losing positions.

So while this new never-say-die attitude is exciting and dramatic for now, it is for this reason that I won't allow myself to start believing that this is finally the year in which we will end our title drought, as to be honest I find myself waiting for the bubble to burst. At the moment it is all too easy to assume that we will win a game 3-2 when 2-0 at half time, but soon there will come a game when we won't be able to and will end up losing - and it is then that the real test will come.

If Liverpool are to win the league they need to play well for every minute of every game, not just the last 20 minutes. There is no denying that the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United are looking more like potential champions by winning four or five nil every week but the season is a long hard battle and the title is far from already being won or lost, and with another 28 games still to play it would be foolish of anyone to suggest otherwise.