SOCCER/Liverpool 1 Marseille 0:THIS WEEKEND marks the 10th anniversary since a skinny 18-year-old by the name of Steven George Gerrard made his debut for Liverpool. It was an "I-was-there" moment for Liverpool supporters and, for the umpteenth time, they were given an example last night of the greatness that has followed those first tentative steps.
This was not Gerrard's most barnstorming performance. There were even times when he could be seen shaking his head as his team-mates struggled to repel the advances of a bright and lively Marseille side. Yet it was Gerrard, almost inevitably, who contributed the game's decisive moment, heading in the goal that put Liverpool safely into the knockout stage.
Typical Gerrard, you could say. Liverpool's supporters must have lost count of the amount of times he has got them out of a difficult situation. Marseille, a lithe, athletic side, certainly made it a tough evening and Rafael Benitez will be just glad to have made it to the end without having to explain away a bad result. This was his 66th European tie as Liverpool manager, beating the previous best set by Bill Shankly from 1964 to 1973.
Benitez, of course, has had the advantage of being involved in a competition that has changed almost beyond recognition since those sepia-tinted days when only authentic champions had the right to contest the European Cup. He is still entitled to feel proud to take any record from a man as revered as Shankly, but his real sense of achievement should come from the fact that he has re-established Liverpool's reputation as specialists in this competition.
Marseille, in fairness, cannot be classed among the extensive list of opponents who pass under the This Is Anfield sign and, before they have even got on the pitch, find the blood has drained from their faces. The most successful French club in history have the motto Droit Au But, meaning Straight to Goal, and were compelled to live up to it in a game they had to win to stand a chance of leapfrogging their way into the knockout rounds. Undoubtedly buoyed by their 1-0 victory here last season, there were consequently spells when Marseille's incisive, triangular passing and quick, one-touch football left their opponents looking a shade flat. Even Gerrard's 23rd-minute goal failed to soothe all of the crowd's nerves and, more than once, there was the tell-tale sign of Benitez pacing the touchline, looking a little red in the face and making those strange, agitated hand movements that regulars in this ground recognise as being the first signs of alarm.
By the end of the first half, with Marseille growing in confidence and becoming increasingly adventurous, the home side were certainly grateful for the latest demonstration of Gerrard's well-honed sense of being in the right place at the right time.
His debut came as a second-half substitute for Vegard Heggem in a 2-1 home defeat of Blackburn Rovers on November 29th, 1998. His teenage frame has filled out a bit since then and the shy, nervous smile has been replaced by the confident aura of a man who knows very well his own importance - but some things never change. Gerrard has always been blessed with an unerring knack for sensing where to attack in the penalty area and so it was as he turned the tie in Liverpool's favour.
The goal originated from an attack on the left wing, with Albert Riera's cross being headed clear to the opposite side of the pitch. Alvaro Arbeloa collected the ball and moved it swiftly to Xabi Alonso, whose first instinct is always to take a quick look up to see where Gerrard and Fernando Torres are lurking. The marking was dubious, to say the least, and Gerrard's header combined equal measures of power and precision. It was his 30th European goal of the last decade.
Thereafter Liverpool ought really to have had a more comfortable evening. Instead there were only sporadic moments when they pinned back their opponents. Apart from one lovely piece of skill in the first half Torres was strangely subdued and most of the width and penetration was provided by the visitors, in particular their lively Senegalese striker Mamadou Niang.
By the middle stages of the second half, Niang seemed to have the measure of Liverpool's defence. A blistering free-kick from Hatem Ben Arfa could also have changed the complexion of the game if it were not for Pepe Reina's leaping dive.
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio (Dossena 46), Mascherano, Alonso, Kuyt (Leiva Lucas 85), Gerrard, Riera (Benayoun 63), Torres. Subs not used: Cavalieri, Keane, Babel, Kelly. Booked: Mascherano.
OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE: Mandanda, Bonnart (Samassa 89), Zubar, Hilton, Taiwo, Ziani, Cana, Cheyrou, Ben Arfa, Niang, Kone (Valbuena 78). Subs not used: Riou, Rodriguez, Zenden, Kabore, Grandin. Booked: Niang.
Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (Portugal).
