Liverpool FC: Champions of Drama
Posted by Akzoony in FA Cup, Liverpool, Michael Owen, Premiership, Stephen Gerard | 16 May 2006
Blimey!!! What a way to end a truly incredible season!
It’s been an action packed couple of years, commencing with Gerrard Houllier’s departure, followed closely by Michael Owen’s and then the first round of the speculation surrounding Steven Gerrard.
Benitez then arrived with everything to prove to a highly expectant and increasingly frustrated following.
An unbalanced ill equipped squad was to then suffer an unheard of amount of injuries (at one point 16 first team players were ruled out) leading to too much pressure being placed upon young unprepared shoulders.
Those same young players then rose magnificently in the journey to the League Cup final.
Then there was:
-Olympiakos
-Juventus
-Chelsea more times than I can count.
-Istanbul.
-Yet more Speculation with Gerrard
-The amazing about-turn at zero hour when he said he would stay
-63 Games with more formations and tactics than I have seen in 16 years.
-Fowlers Return and following speculation to his future.
-Unsettled players we couldn’t give away being swapped for Top class internationals.
-More quality players being brought in or promised on a shoe string.
-Fowlers Contract extension
-Incessant speculation and mis-direction with countless players.
And who knows how many things I’ve missed out.
Surely no other club in history has had so much drama in such a small space of time.
And then there was Saturday afternoon......
Liverpool arrived in Cardiff for the FA Cup Final clear favourites to take a very good West Ham side to the cleaners.
The Londoners had had a phenomenal season, playing some brilliant open football. They more than deserved their top half of the table finish and their place in the final of the greatest cup competition in the world.
Everyone knew however that this was where their journey ended.
The script was written long before the game. Liverpool were to knock in a couple of early goals, play the game out and then both sets of fans were to go to the surrounding Cardiff pubs and sink a few merry pints together.
It’s just that no one told West Ham.
At half time a very relieved Liverpool side went back into the dressing room lucky to only be 2-1 down.
Yes the West Ham goals were fortunate-a Jamie Carragher wonder own-goal with his standing leg, and a spill by the normally outstanding Pepe Reina- but nobody could deny they deserved their lead.
The ever threatening Dean Ashton and Marlon Harewood both had great chances in the first 45 minutes and it could have been even worst were it not for a Cisse wonder goal in the 32nd minute.
The second half kicked off and the expected reaction by Liverpool was hampered, first with an injury to Kewell (damaging a muscle in his groin coming back onto the pitch) and then with a great attack by the Hammers forcing a vital double save from Reina.
Gerrard managed to level things up on 54 minutes with a great volley in the box and finally it seemed only a matter of time before the game got back on track and started to follow the expected script.
Again West Ham were having none of it. A speculative cross by Paul Konchesky came out of nowhere and somehow drifted into the back of Reina’s net.
Liverpool were agog. For the first time they looked a team that had played a marathon of a season.
Cramp seemed to be setting in. Shaking legs, struggled to support the weight of bodies and became slower and slower.
Finally people were starting to believe that hope could be lost. Even the heartbeat of the team –the ever infatigable Steven Gerrard- collapsed to the ground in agony after sending a 30 yard free kick over the bar with 5 minutes to go.
What happened next sums up the grit, determination and above all sense of Drama that seems to flow throughout this newly revitalised Liverpool team.
Gerrard arose like the phoenix- no like the Liverbird- from the flames. The same man that moments before had been lying on his back in pain was back on his feet and stuck what has to be the sweetest shot of his career. The ball flew fully 35 yards into the back of Shaka Hislop’s goal. Undoubtedly one of the best goals in FA Cup final history.
The final whistle blew, but from then on only one team was going to lift the cup.
For the next 30 minutes shattered reds were back in control. Harewood did get a final chance that -were he not suffering from cramp- he would have put away, but this time Liverpool were not to be denied and the inevitably penalties followed.
Reina -famed in Spain for being one of the best penalty stoppers in the business- did what was expected and saved 3.
The cup was ours!
What a way to sign off a hugely exciting two years. Raphael Benitez has unerringly led his Liverpool side from strength to strength and has turned it into a team that believes it can fight back in any situation and win.
Fortress Anfield is becoming a reality again, and this year the demons on the road have been dealt with as well.
All of this combined with the planned new faces in the summer mean that there is unlikely to be any let up in this relentless charge forwards, and I can safely predict that the coming years will be filled with even more excitement and above all
Drama!!!!
YNWA
Comments
While I agree with the above comments that in most fair minded peoples opinion would be seen as accurate. I feel the Gerard contribution has if anything been seriously understated; also I would like to know what the injury to Alonso was who must accept responsibility for the lazy square pass that led to the goal? Probably what impressed me most of all was that sometimes in sport the fates conspire against you and you just know that when luck is against you the struggle against the odds becomes pointless. There have been many examples of good teams being beaten by bad teams in the past. It was Liverpool that deserved to win this match because they took on a typically creative and dangerous West Ham team as well as 'lady luck' Under the circumstances Liverpool won this game against all the odds on the day and are a great side.
Bruce, you must not read the papers - Xabi strained his ankle ligaments against Portsmouth on the last day of the domestic season and was a major doubt for the final. I was surprised he lasted as long as he did.
Give it up Timbo57 *grin* i have argued with him more times than i can count but he's yet to be convinced by Alonso.
I think to be fair to him if you don't watch regularly its easy to miss Xabi's contributions. Thats part of his talant, he makes up for his lack of pace by getting to the right place at the right time and puts in some phenominal short and long passes that very few players would even spot! Wouldn't change him!
but hey i don't need to tell YOU that!
