Liverpool 3 PSV Eindhoven 1:PISTOLS WERE drawn at Anfield but only in the salute that accompanied Robbie Keane's first goal for Liverpool. It was the only time Rafael Benitez's men could consider themselves involved in a duel last night, for this was a procession against a PSV Eindhoven side who represent the cream of Dutch football but have become the whipped boys of their Champions League group.
Second only to Steve McClaren's Dutch accent as the weakest act to emerge from the Netherlands this season, PSV were obliging opponents on Benitez's 250th game in charge of Liverpool, with Keane in urgent need of a breakthrough following his €26 million arrival from Tottenham Hotspur this summer and with Steven Gerrard one shy of a century of goals for his boyhood club. That all three reached their personal milestones on a night when Marseille's defeat in Madrid made life in Group D appear even more comfortable for Liverpool added to the sense of celebration.
The confidence created by a 10-match unbeaten start to the season was not only reflected in Benitez's pre-match comparison of Liverpool to his title-winning Valencia team. In starting with Javier Mascherano on the bench, the Liverpool manager rewarded Xabi Alonso and Keane for their excellent displays at Goodison Park, the players most likely to be affected by the return from injury of the usually indispensable Argentinian, and showed he has no cause to tinker with the spine of this coherent team at present.
PSV's defensive line-up, with five strung across the back, was also a nod to Liverpool's growing prowess and a sign of their vulnerability after a 3-0 home defeat against Atletico Madrid in the opening game of the group. Their insecurities were well-founded. With the honourable exception of their excellent 21-year-old forward, Nordin Amrabat, the Dutch champions made a mockery of Benitez's theory that this tournament is growing stronger by the year and were behind to a familiar foe after just four minutes.
The former Feyenoord striker Kuyt boasts an outstanding goals record in the Champions League while Torres shook off his early season cobwebs with two strikes against Everton on Saturday. Yet both were inexplicably granted the freedom of the visitors' area at Liverpool's first corner and PSV's task complicated as a result.
The Spaniard easily escaped Jeremie Brechet at Gerrard's corner and though the goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson saved the volley with his legs the rebound fell invitingly for Kuyt, who drove Liverpool ahead through a crowded area. The former Manchester City keeper Isaksson must have feared a repeat of his last appearance on English soil, the 8-1 humiliation that Middlesbrough served up to Sven-Goran Eriksson on the final day of last season.
It was Kuyt who scored the late extra-time goal that took Benitez's team into the group stage at the expense of Standard Liege, and whose seven goals in last season's Champions League were instrumental in Liverpool's run to the semi-finals. Remarkable then, that the €12.7 million Dutchman has not scored a Premier League goal since November last year.
Torres, Gerrard and Benitez had showered Keane with praise for his display at Everton but the love-in could never satisfy the striker's lust for goals, no matter the calibre of the company kept, and there was extra depth to Anfield's roar when the Republic of Ireland captain scored his first goal for the club in the 34th minute.
Kuyt was instrumental in the build-up, displaying the workrate required to hold off three white shirts and which so endears him to Benitez. "His running statistics were 30 per cent higher than the other players against Manchester United," the manager revealed on Tuesday. "And at a high intensity too. Unbelievable."
The donkey-work done, the stellar talents took over. Torres breezed past Brechet again to send over a delightful cross from the right wing and there was Keane, displaying no hesitation but absolute composure to glance the ball into the far corner with his in-step. The remaining blemish on Liverpool's season had been removed.
With the game effectively over long before the interval Liverpool cruised towards the conclusion, though it was painful for Torres in many ways. The Spain striker was on the receiving end of several late connections with his ankle and missed a glorious chance to extend the lead when he seized on a poor back-pass from Jan Kromkamp but chipped narrowly wide. It was, however, a rare moment of torment for the men in red and after another foul on Torres, Gerrard drove an immaculate free-kick home from 25 yards for his 100th Liverpool goal. A swift reply from the substitute Danny Koevermans barely qualified as a consolation.
Guardian Service
LIVERPOOL:Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio, Kuyt, Gerrard (Babel 81), Alonso, Riera (Benayoun 68), Torres, Keane (Leiva Lucas 75). Subs not used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Agger, Mascherano.
PSV EINDHOVEN:Isaksson, Kromkamp, Simons, Marcellis, Salcido, Brechet (Pieters 46), Mendez (Dzsudzsak 76), Culina, Bakkal, Amrabat, Wuytens (Koevermans 60). Subs not used: Cassio, Rodriguez, Zonneveld, Nijland. Booked: Marcellis.
Referee:Felix Brych (Germany).
