Soccer:Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was delighted Luis Suarez was able to put some negative headlines behind him with the winner in today's 1-0 victory at home to QPR.
The Uruguay international scored his first Barclays Premier League goal since October 1st with an unmarked header five yards out to end a run of four successive draws at Anfield.
Suarez has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, receiving a second Football Association misconduct charge this week for an alleged offensive gesture after Monday’s defeat at Fulham. He is also awaiting a date for a hearing into a racism-related charge which dates back to October, but Dalglish is looking forward to reading some positive news about the 24-year-old.
“The headlines don’t matter — but they will be nice headlines tomorrow,” he said. “He scored with a header which doesn’t happen very often and he played really well. It was well deserved and well taken.”
Goals may have been in short supply but Liverpool once again dominated the game and Dalglish was pleased with the display overall.
“It was an excellent performance. We had a lot of chances and we got one (goal), they never got any,” he added. “One is enough when the others don’t get an opportunity and the players showed great courage and belief in what they are doing to continue doing what they were doing well which was pass and move and creating chances.
“Some of the football we played in the first half was brilliant and I think we played better before we scored than after it — but even then we still created a few.”
Even in defeat QPR boss Neil Warnock paid tribute to the quality of Suarez.
“I’m disappointed with the goal. Luke (Young) has put his hand up in the dressing room because he was marking him at the corner and just lost him. But that is the quality of people like Suarez, they find half a yard and I thought he looked amazing today — oh, to manage him.”
Warnock was pleased with the effort his side put in against a team he admitted was superior in quality.
“They pass it around for fun and with the players they’ve got they’re going to cause any team a problem,” he said. “They were the better side. Most people in the ground might have thought we’d go four or five down but we showed great resolve.
“I was disappointed in our last third but I can’t be disappointed with the effort. I was proud of them. I thought the goal revitalised us and we had probably
our best spell afterwards.”
Warnock also singled out back-up goalkeeper Radek Cerny for praise after the Czech made a number of good saves to deny Suarez and Maxi Rodriguez in particular.
“I thought Cerny was fantastic and I am really pleased for him,” he said. “He is a top professional, 37, never thought he would play another game in the Premier League and here he is playing three times and being faultless in all three.”
