A bit of Ecstasy as the Reds get the better of *%$# and on to Marseille

Finally... some relief. This win was a long time in coming, and what a satisfying one it was.  The boys played very well and showed great determination, as well as some remarkable concentration. We also got the rub of the green for once.  The Alonso-Mascheano partnership completely dominated the Carrick-Scholes combo.  Javier did have an uncharateristic switching off early on, letting Tevez run blind-side for an easy goal. He pulled himself together, though(you could see how upset he was following the goal), and returned to his tenacious self... without being reckless.  In fact, the most meaningful statistic for me was in the referees book: Liverpool picked up not a single card, but still managed to compete for every ball. United saw Vidic sent off for two vicious challenges, and was whistled for 8 more fouls than the 'Pool (18 to 10).  In the post match press conference, Sir Red-Nose could do nothing but shake his head and admire Liverpool's performance, remarking that his team had been thouroughly out-played and were not able to handle the our constant harrying:

"Overall, they were the better team. Liverpool produced a performance of tackling, hassling and getting about us.

"The source of our defeat was not coping with the hassling and the tackling. You have to give them credit for that..."

For once, Ferguson was spot-on -- no moaning about the referee, just a sad admission that his team was not good enough on the day.

The game also proved a tactical victory for Rafa. While Benitez has outwitted pretty much every top manager in the game, this fixture has been a bit of a white whale for him.  A red-nosed white whale at that.  This time he got the better of Ferguson.  It was two substitutions that played a major part in the winning goal: The United substitute Giggs getting bamboozled by a bit of Argentine flair on the part of Mascherano, before the ball fell to Kuyt, who then teed it up for the Liverpool substitute Babel.

As great as our midfield played -- with a special shout-out to newboy Riera, who turned Brown inside out on more than one occasion -- it was our center of defense that once again provided the foundation to our success.  Skrtel turned in a man of the match performance.  He had Berbatov in his pocket for most of the game, and ate up every single ball in the air that came with that nice slavic head of his.  Bless his heart.  It takes something special to keep a talent like Agger out of the side, but Skrtel has truly made that spot his own.

That said, it's on to Marseille, and  I'd give Agger a start in that one.  He's more suited to the european game than Skrtel -- he's quicker and better on the ball, and won't have to deal with as many crosses as he would in the Prem.  Mascherano is traveling, so the knock he picked up against the Scum is apparently minor.  Still, no sense in risking it... we have depth in that position and Lucas should be sufficiently recovered from internationals.  Gerrard and Torres also should be one step closer to full fitness; it will be interesting to see if the gaffer gives them a start or has them as options off the bench like he did against United.  My guess is that he'll be looking to kill the game off early, like we did last year at the Velodrome where the fantastic due scored two in the first 11 minutes. 

Normally I'd plump for one up-front in an away match such as this, with Gerrard tucked in just behind. However, if fit, I'd continue with the Torres and Keane partnership, to give them more time to establish an understanding

My lineup against Marseille:

                     Reina

Arbeloa -- Agger --  Carra -- Dossena

Benayoun -- Alonso (Lucas) -- Gerrard -- Riera

             Keane -- Torres

Liverpool-Scum Player ratings:

Reina  7: Not much to do after the first 10 min. Great save on Giggs dipping shot.

Arbeloa 6:  Eager to get forward, a bit of a liability at the back. His crossing is improving

Carra 7: Mr Steady. Always makes up with his lack of pace somehow

Skrtel 9: Dominant in the air.  Kept Berbatov, Rooney, and Tevez under wraps.

Aurelio 5: Inconsistant. We need to see more from him

Riera 6:  Good debut. Made a chump out of Brown on several occasions, but slowly drifted out of the game

Alonso 7: Much better from him.  Very valuable late on in keeping possession

Mascherano 8: One mistake, and it led to a goal. Dominant in midfield thruought. Great persistance for the winner

Benayoun 6:  Some nice tricky runs. 

Keane 7: Great endeavour, but some comical moments in front of goal. Needs to work out the nerves.

Kuyt 7: Good ol Kuyt.  No one tries harder than him. Can't finish

Subs:

Gerrard 6: gave the ball away in Gigg's dipping volley.

Babel 8: Used his pace well to run at defenders. Good finish

Hyppia:  not enough time on the pitch