ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Liverpool 1 Fulham 0:FIVE GAMES into his second coming and Kenny Dalglish has Liverpool where Rafael Benitez left them; seventh in the Premier League and longing for signings to take them higher.
There was nothing pretty in the win over Fulham, who will regard themselves unfortunate to depart pointless, but they will receive no sympathy from Dalglish having led Liverpool to their highest placing of a trying season so far.
An own goal from John Pantsil and some desperate late defending from Liverpool were the key factors to this latest triumph.
Liverpool are moving forwards under Dalglish but they require strengthening in this transfer window. Deals for Luis Suarez and Charlie Adam have stalled as the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, deem the pair worth only half of what Ajax and Blackpool respectively are demanding.
The Dutch club set Liverpool a deadline of Saturday to improve an offer of €14.5 million to the €29 million they are looking for.
Liverpool had not won successive league games since defeating Blackburn, Bolton and West Ham over two months ago, but were encouraged in the belief they could build on Saturday’s convincing win at Molineux by the return from suspension of Steven Gerrard. With Raul Meireles increasingly influential in the hole behind Fernando Torres, Dalglish elected to leave the Portugal international in situ and partner his captain alongside Christian Poulsen in central midfield. Lucas Leiva missed out with a calf strain.
The visitors barely allowed the hosts a touch in the opening minutes, yet should have fallen behind to Liverpool’s first attack.
Meireles dissected Fulham’s central defence with a perfectly weighted pass to Torres and the Spain international held off Aaron Hughes to beat the goalkeeper David Stockdale with ease.
However, assistant referee Mick McDonough ruled Torres had strayed offside. Stockdale then produced an outstanding save to turn Meireles’s header around his post.
Moussa Dembele should have given Fulham the lead on the half-hour when Andy Johnson beat Martin Skrtel and rolled the ball back from the byline. The Fulham striker was unmarked, 10 yards from goal, yet scuffed a weak shot straight at Jose Reina.
Liverpool were in danger of losing their way when they were gifted the lead. First, Clint Dempsey’s slack pass was deflected to Torres, whose low shot was diverted beyond Stockdale’s dive by the foot of Brede Hangeland and on to a post. Meireles and Stockdale flapped at the ball and, having failed to clear at the first attempt on his goalline, Pantsil sliced the second into his own net.
GuardianService
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Meireles, Poulsen (Aurelio 80), Kuyt (Shelvey 66), Gerrard, Maxi, Torres. Subs not used: Gulacsi, Cole, Pacheco, Wilson, Ngog.
FULHAM: Stockdale, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Baird, Duff (Gera 63), Sidwell, Murphy, Dempsey, Dembele, Andrew Johnson. Subs not used: Etheridge, Kelly, Salcido, Kamara, Greening, Davies. Booked: Pantsil.
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).
