Man Utd 1 - 0 Liverpool


Missed..missed...missed !!!

That sums up our anguish during the match with Man Utd.

We controlled & marshalled the midfield, we played and defended well for 90 mins. A decision from Mike Ridley; to give a freekick against Finnan gave Man Utd the lifeline. Rio Ferdinard out-jumped everyone to head home the winner in injury time.

It was most frustrating to see Pool missing so many scoring opportunities, we had a couple of really good chances to take the lead & secure the 3 points; but we missed them all. To be fair to Man Utd, they were missing a number of key players. Scholes, Smith and Ronaldo missed the big game owing to injuries or suspension.

I do not like to point fingers, but Cisse's misses in front of goal were so evident that it's hard not to notice. He seems to be lacking the striker's instinct and effective on-field communication with his strike partner. There were instances where Crouch & the others tried holding on to the ball, sending a perfect cross to Cisse; but to only see the chance wasted. Cisse's mind and actions just weren't co-ordinated with the rest of the Pool team.

We may have lost the game, but I truly believe that we were the better team at Old Trafford on Sunday. Old Trafford has always been a difficult place for Liverpool to go, but Liverpool went to Old Trafford looking more like winners than the home team. Pool's back four were more than impressive, they literally shut out Ruud van Nistelrooy; he had only 1 notable shot at goal, which was saved by Reina. Our midfield was far more superior than that of Man Utd. Gerrard, Sissoko & Alonso should be proud of themselves.

A defeat against Man Utd is certainly hard to swallow. But, Liverpool must pull themselves together, there is still so much for the team to play for. We still have the Champions League to contend with, we are still in contention to be European Champions for the 6th time. There is always possibility that we would pop the champagne in May & showcase the trophy on the open-top bus once again.