Petikan Akhbar Utusan Malaysia 11/05/2011: Reds teruskan rentak kemenangan

Reds teruskan rentak kemenangan

Pemain Fulham, Chris Baird (kiri) mengasak pemain Liverpool, Maxi Rodriguez pada perlawanan Liga Perdana di Craven Cottage, London, semalam. – REUTERS

LONDON - Liverpool meneruskan rentak kemenangan untuk mengisi slot Liga Europa dengan Maxi Rodriguez meledak jaringan hatrik bagi membantu pasukannya membenam Fulham 5-2 di Craven Cottage semalam.
Rodriguez, yang menjaringkan tujuh gol dalam tiga perlawanan liga, meledak dua jaringan pada enam minit pertama, selepas gol sulung pemain itu dihasilkan ketika perlawanan baru bermula 32 saat.
Pemain tengah Argentina itu menyumbat gol keempat Liverpool menerusi rembatan cantik dari jarak jauh pada minit ke-70.
Penyerang Belanda, Dirk Kuyt menjaringkan gol ketiga bagi meletakkan Reds mendahului 3-0 pada minit ke-16. Jaringan tersebut merupakan gol kelima dalam lima perlawanan berturut-turut.
Penyerang Uruguay, Luis Suarez melengkapkan kemenangan pada minit ke-75 menerusi larian solo yang berjaya merobek pertahanan Fulham bagi membantu Reds naik ke tangga kelima dengan kelebihan dua mata di depan Tottenham.
Spurs, bagaimanapun kurang satu perlawanan.
Moussa Dembele dan Steve Sidwell menjaringkan dua gol sagu hati untuk Fulham.
“Ia merupakan keputusan yang luar biasa buat kami. Menjaringkan lima gol adalah sesuatu yang tidak kami duga,” kata pengurus Liverpool, Kenny Dalglish.
Pasukan bimbingan Dalglish semakin menghampiri jurang kepada empat mata dengan Manchester City, tetapi dengan hanya baki dua perlawanan, menyebabkan harapan Reds untuk ke layak ke Liga Juara-Juara sudah tertutup.
Ini merupakan kemenangan keenam dalam sembilan perlawanan terakhir Liverpool, yang meneruskan kebangkitan luar biasa di bawah Dalglish sejak dia mengambil alih jawatan pengurus daripada Roy Hodgson pada Januari lalu.
“Kami hanya akan dapat keputusan yang baik jika kami melaksanakan tanggungjawab yang diberi.
“Tiada siapa yang menduga kami mampu melangkah sehingga ke tahap ini sejak Januari lalu,” kata Dalglish. – AP

Arkib Artikel: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0511&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Sukan_Luar_Negara&pg=sl_01.htm

Petikan Akhbar Kosmo 11/05/2011 - Liverpool melonjak tangga kelima

Liverpool melonjak tangga kelima

RODRIGUEZ meledak hatrik ketika Liverpool membelasah Fulham 5-2 di Craven Cottage awal pagi semalam.

LONDON - Liverpool mencerahkan peluang untuk menamatkan saingan Liga Perdana England musim ini di tangga kelima, sekali gus layak ke Liga Eu- ropa musim depan.

Skuad The Reds itu berjaya memintas kedudukan Tottenham Hotspur di tangga kelima liga selepas membelasah Fulham 5-2 di Craven Cottage awal pagi semalam.

Maxi Rodriguez meledak hatrik pada perlawanan tersebut menerusi gol pertama seawal 32 saat permainan dan disusuli dua lagi gol pada minit keenam serta ke-70.

Ia menjadikan keseluruhan tujuh gol berjaya dihasilkan Rodriguez pada tiga aksi terakhir liga.

Dua lagi gol Liverpool pada aksi awal pagi semalam dijaringkan Dirk Kuyt pada minit ke-16 dan Luis Suarez minit ke-75.

Kemenangan tersebut meletakkan Liverpool kini dua mata mengatasi Spurs di tangga kelima.

"Ia satu keputusan yang cukup menakjubkan. Untuk menjaringkan lima gol di tempat lawan umpama suatu mimpi indah," kata pengurus Liverpool, Kenny Dalglish.

Ini merupakan kemenangan keenam Liverpool sepanjang sembilan perlawanan terakhir mereka dan ternyata kehadiran Dalglish yang menggantikan Roy Hodgson pada Januari lalu mendatangkan impak positif.

"Kami hanya mendapat faedah daripada keputusan perlawanan pasukan lain jika kami sendiri dapat melaksanakan tugas sendiri dengan baik.

"Tetapi sudah pasti tiada siapa pun menjangkakan kami mampu meneruskan rentak cemerlang seperti ini sejak Januari lalu," jelas Dalglish.

Moussa Dembele dan Steve Sidwell berjaya menjaringkan gol Fulham pada babak kedua tetapi ia belum cukup untuk menyekat kegarangan Liverpool yang seolah-olah tersentak setelah rekod 18 kali kejua- raan liga milik mereka bakal dipintas Manchester United.

"Persembahan pada separuh masa pertama memang tidak boleh diterima," kata pengurus Fulham, Mark Hughes. - Agensi

Arkib Artikel: http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0511&pub=Kosmo&sec=Sukan&pg=su_08.htm

NST Online 30/04/2011: Dalglish hails Reds' pride

Dalglish hails Reds' pride

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish awaits today's encounter with Newcastle United buoyed by the strength in depth he feels he has at Anfield.
Liverpool have taken 27 points from their last 14 league games, and are behind only Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League form table.

That has been achieved without the likes of regular first teamers Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Martin Kelly, Glen Johnson and record signing Andy Carroll -- signed from Newcastle for STG35 million (RM173 million) in January.

The highlight of Liverpool's form was the 5-0 thrashing of Birmingham City last weekend, helped by a Maxi Rodriguez hat-trick, and Dalglish believes Liverpool's squad is improving by the week.
"I think (winning 5-0) is an indication of how far the players have come," he said. "It is they who get the results on the pitch, and they did fantastically well against Birmingham.

"It is very pleasant to see the boys come in, and it was great that Maxi got three and Joe (Cole) got one.

"It is good to see they have kept themselves as close to match condition as they can with the way they have trained, and when they get their opportunity to play, they can play very well.

"They are playing for Liverpool, that is the biggest thing. The fact that they take pride in their own performance shows they take huge pride in the club. I think that was reflected in the performance on Saturday."

Carroll is nursing a knee problem and may not be fit to face his former club but if he does feature, Dalglish has backed him to be able to handle any abuse thrown at him because of his contentious move on the last day of the transfer window.

"I think the boy is expecting something," Dalglish said. "The fans will do whatever they want. It will not take away from what he has done for their club and it won't take away what the club meant to Andy.

"It is a compliment, really, in a strange way, if you do get the abuse because it means you must have been important to them."

Newcastle have not won in the league at Anfield for 17 years, but Peter Lovenkrands is confident Alan Pardew's side can celebrate having all but secured Premier League safety by springing a surprise at a ground where they have failed to score in over seven hours' football spanning six-and-a-half years.

The Danish forward found the net in last week's hard-fought 1-1 draw at Blackpool that took Pardew's side to 41 points, seven above the relegation zone ahead of this weekend's games.

"Hopefully, we can go there and surprise a few people by getting a point or three," Lovenkrands said.

"Liverpool have a lot to play for, so they're going to be up for it, we know that, but as a team we don't want to slacken off. We're up for any game."

Newcastle have confounded many critics who tipped them to go straight back down after last season's Championship title success, although Lovenkrands won't be in full celebratory mode until the North-East club are mathematically safe.

With four games remaining to seal a top-half finish, the 31-year-old added: "Something will have to go fantastically wrong for us not to stay up, and if we could get in to the top 10 having come up from the Championship we could be proud of that.

"We've done really well to keep away from the relegation scrap."

Newcastle's Liverpool-born skipper and 12-goal top scorer Kevin Nolan, who is set to sign a new three-year contract extension, faces a fitness test on a calf muscle problem.

Manager Alan Pardew revealed: "We've had to protect him this week because he's desperate to play." -- AFP


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