Liverpool are through to the group stages of the Champions League after goals from Peter Crouch, Sami Hyypia and Dirk Kuyt (2) gave them a 4-0 victory over Toulouse at Anfield on Tuesday and a 5-0 win on aggregate.
The Reds will now wait until Thursday's draw in Monaco to see which three teams they will be grouped with after Crouch struck in the first half and Hyypia and Kuyt struck in the second to add to Andriy Voronin's strike in France a fortnight ago.
This game was preceded by a moving tribute to Everton fanatic Rhys Jones, whose tragic death has touched the hearts of the whole city. Rhys's beloved Z-Cars anthem was played ahead of the traditional You'll Never Walk Alone, before the players, fans and Rhys's parents and brother stood through an emotional period of applause.
A sell out crowd gave Anfield a familiar feel for a European night, but there was an unfamiliar look to the team sheet because injuries to Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher meant this would be the first time in 103 Euro ties that the Reds have been without at least one of them. Rafa Benitez made six changes from the side that won at Sunderland, with one of them a debut for young Argentine Sebastian Leto.
It was Toulouse who started the game quickest when Emana warmed the hands of Reina with a hooked shot, but Liverpool were soon on the attack with Riise forcing Douchez into a save before Leto quickly endeared himself to the Kop by dancing in from the left and effortlessly beating two men.
Liverpool's 1-0 first leg lead meant Toulouse had to try force the issue here and they started with a good deal more ambition than they had shown in the game in France. But it was Liverpool who looked the more dangerous and they took a deserved lead through Peter Crouch in the 19th minute.
Crouch was making his first appearance of the season, but he was sharp from the start and was first to Dirk Kuyt's deep cross to hook the ball past the despairing dive of the goalkeeper and make Toulouse's task doubly difficult.
It was a goal that meant, because of Voronin's strike in France, Liverpool had one foot in the group stages. And they could have had the tie settled by half time had they taken at least one of the many chances they created before the break.
Crouch was in the action again in the 22nd minute when his drilled shot from a tight angle flashed just wide; and the England man was the scourge of the Toulouse defence again in the 29th minute when he rose highest to head Benayoun's corner just over the crossbar. Benayoun was having a good game on his Anfield debut and some more good work by him in the 33rd minute gave Kuyt a chance that he put just the wrong side of the post.
Any thoughts Toulouse had of a comeback were extinguished in the 49th minute when Sami Hyypia, who was captain for night, found himself free in the area and planted a firm header past Douchez and into the Kop net. Benayoun was again the provider with a pinpoint corner.
It was job done for Liverpool and Rafa had the luxury of making a couple of changes in the second half, with one of them meaning a debut for Lucas.
The Reds created a number of chances to increase their margin of victory, most notably when Dirk Kuyt smashed a shot against the crossbar and Crouch hit over. But Kuyt wasn't to be denied and he scored a superb third in the 87th minute before finishing the scoring with his second and Liverpool's fourth in stoppage time.
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Riise, Agger, Hyypia (c), Arbeloa, Leto, Mascherano, Sissoko, Benayoun, Crouch, Kuyt. Subs - Alonso, Babel, Itandje, Leiva, Pennant, Torres,
Toulouse: Douchez, Cetto, Cesar, Ilunga, Mathieu, Dieuze (c), Fofana, Sirieix, Emana, Elmander, Gignac. Subs - Batlles, Bergougnoux, Jonsson, Mansare, Riou, Sissoko,
Referee: W Stark
Conditions: Unavailable
Attendance: Unavailable
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Yossi Benayoun
Breakdown
19:08 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Toulouse get the game underway after one of those special Anfield moments. A city as one as only this city can be. RIP Rhys.
3 mins : Yossi wins a free-kick on the edge of the box
3 mins : Riise sizing it up
3 mins : Makes the keeper work with a low drive but it lacked his normal potency
4 mins : A right spooner by their number 28 gives Reds throw in in dangerous position but it comes to nothing
5 mins : Lovely bit of skill from Leto cutting inside - I like the look of this fella
7 mins : Sammy Lee and Didi Hamann are among a whole host of former players at Anfield tonight - funny how they all come down on a CL night, when the club puts a spread on!
9 mins : Crouch dispossessed on the edge of their box. .tv match reporter Lee Brown has had a fiver on him getting the first in a 3-0 win. 25/1...not bad.
11 mins : Leto handballs. .tv did his first interview in English football a week or two ago - thoroughly nice guy
12 mins : Kuyt feeds the young Argentine who shoots wide from 25 yards
13 mins : Reds been a bit sloppy in possession so far
15 mins : Momo gets the ball on the edge of the box - Anfield shouts SHOOT. A mistake...
17 mins : Lovely play by Yossi...feeds Leto down the left. Corner
17 mins : Kuyt heads wide from the corner
17 mins : Another corner...it reaches Crouch - no power on the shot
17 mins : Momo, Leto and Yossi starting to force play
19 mins : GOAL! Peter Crouch: Crouch tucks home after brilliant cross from Kuyt. The move was started by Benayoun's battling.
23 mins : Crouch shoots wide from tight angle
23 mins : Lee Brown is getting excited now. He's set to win £130 if we get two more without reply
24 mins : Javier gets round of applause after unbelievable back-tracking.
25 mins : Of course it's Liverpool's birthday today. It's 800 years since King John issued a letters patent to create the borough of Liverpool.
25 mins : 800 years - nearly as old as David Fairclough
26 mins : Only joking Dave
27 mins : Gignac gets away from Agger but can't do anything with the shot
27 mins : Good tackle by Leto
28 mins : Riise makes his man look silly but his cross doesn't get through. Still, corner
29 mins : Yossi's corner is headed over by Crouch
31 mins : Minute by minute quiz: When was the last time neither Gerrard nor Carra played in a European game?
31 mins : Come on, it's easy that...
32 mins : No? Okay, it was November 1997 - 102 games ago...
33 mins : The impressive Yossi threads Dirk through...crafts a shooting position....just wide
35 mins : Good play from Kuyt on the edge of the box but his shot is just shy of the upper Annie Road
36 mins : Fine ball in ball Mr Reliable Alvaro Arbeloa - Crouch heads over
41 mins : Crouch falls over doing his best Ronaldo impression down the left - nice to see him having a go. Playing well
42 mins : Sublime skill by Yossi inside his own half
43 mins : Riise gets his head to a Toulouse cross...he needed too as well cos there was a Frenchman lurking
44 mins : Kuyt and Crouch link up but they're too laboured inside the Toulouse box
20:01 GMT : Half Time Reached
20:09 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Dirk and Peter kick off. The Kop boos Douchez for not acknowledging their applause
46 mins : Reds win a corner...Crouch is being man-handled. The ref gives them a free-kick - never
48 mins : Javier has so much energy...this time he wins us a corner
49 mins : GOAL! Sami Hyypia: An unmarked Sami Hyypia nods home a Yossi Benayoun corner from six yards to make it 2-0 on the night, 3-0 on aggregate
51 mins : Liverpool haven't won both legs of a CL third round qualifier since FC Haka in 2001-02
53 mins : Dieuze concedes a corner
54 mins : Substitution: Bryan Bergougnoux for Andre-Pierre Gignac:
54 mins : Nothing from it
55 mins : Another corner...Reds totally dominate right now
55 mins : Leto swings one in...Agger nods it back but Crouch can't get enough on it
58 mins : The Kop is singing 'Luis Garcia, he drinks sangria...'
60 mins : Don't know about you, but I want to see a bit of Lucas action
61 mins : Leto miscontrols down the left
62 mins : Tonight's attendance: 43,118
63 mins : Lovely ball from Momo to Alvaro on the right...his cross is cleared
65 mins : Looks like our ball's gonna be in Monaco on Thursday
66 mins : Rafa is taling to Lucas - nice one boss
67 mins : Alvaro lays it back to JM - his shot is well over
68 mins : Substitution: Lucas Leiva for Momo Sissoko: Lucas makes his competitive Reds debut
68 mins : Momo gets warm round of applause from Anfield
71 mins : Hamann's off...
72 mins : Sloppy pass by Riise but it gets to Lucas anyway. Nice throughball by the Brazilian to Crocuh...crosses for Dirk...he can't get enough power on the header
73 mins : Babel about to come on
74 mins : Dirk hits the bar...Lee Browns nearly wets himself
73 mins : Riise blasts one from distance...hits the hoardings
75 mins : Substitution: Ryan Babel for Sebastian Leto: Leto has done well on his Reds debut - showed some nice touches first half
74 mins : George Sefton makes a blooper...says Yossi has come off. Oh well, he's not been doing it long!
77 mins : Substitution: Fabinho for Achille Emana:
78 mins : Alvaro beaten down our right but the cross comes to nothing
78 mins : Yossi has the ball on a piece of string...The Kop was willing him to shoot but he lays it to Dirk - who's crowded out of it
80 mins : Crouchinho chests...he keeps it up...he volleys over. Unlucky son
82 mins : Substitution: Moussa Sissoko for Jeremy Mathieu:
82 mins : SUBSTITUTION: Finnan on, Agger off
84 mins : Babel turns...his shot goes sailing over
85 mins : Dirk down the right....no one's making the run into the box
86 mins : They're going to have to change that 'best midfield in the world' song if Lucas becomes a regular
87 mins : GOAL! Dirk Kuyt: Kuyt fires home from eight yards after neat one-two with Babel.
90 mins : A stirring rendition of YNWA is echoing round Anfield
90 mins : GOAL! Dirk Kuyt:
20:56 GMT : Match Over |
發表於 2007-8-29 08:19 AM
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