Liverpool v Besiktas: Europa League – as it happened
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http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/feb/19/liverpool-v-besiktas-europa-league-live Version 0 of 1. 9.58pm GMT21:58 And at the end of all that, Liverpool deservedly have a slender advantage to take to Turkey next week thanks to Mario Balotelli’s late penalty. It won’t be easy, but they were the more assertive side and Besiktas only truly threatened once, Simon Mignolet saving from Demba Ba. Mario Balotelli, eh? Although let’s not forget about the man who won the penalty. Jordon Ibe, eh? 9.56pm GMT21:56 Full-time: Liverpool 1-0 Besiktas That’s your lot! 9.56pm GMT21:56 90 min+4: Henderson plonks in straight into the wall, and... 9.55pm GMT21:55 90 min+3: Can Liverpool get a second goal? They have a free-kick, Franco booked for fouling Sturridge on the edge of the area. 9.54pm GMT21:54 90 min+1: There will be three minutes of stoppage time. 9.53pm GMT21:53 90 min: A half-hearted appeal from Besiktas for a penalty. They think Skrtel handed a shot from Gulum. It would have been harsh. 9.52pm GMT21:52 89 min: I’m not sure why Sturridge thought he should have taken that penalty. Balotelli is nerveless from the spot and Sturridge missed one badly against Everton last year. He’s also not played well tonight. 9.50pm GMT21:50 87 min: A brief moment of panic for Liverpool, as a free-kick from the left flank is floated into the area and drops a few yards wide of the far post. Liverpool didn’t look entirely sure of themselves there. By the way, that booking rules Motta out next week. 9.49pm GMT21:49 GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Besiktas (Balotelli pen, 85 min) Mario Balotelli keeps his cool, checks his run, waits for Gonen to commit himself and then strokes the ball into the bottom-right corner with his right foot! Daniel Sturridge is all smiles now and Balotelli just stands there, accepting the acclaim of The Kop. Updated at 10.05pm GMT 9.48pm GMT21:48 PENALTY TO LIVERPOOL! 84 min: This is magnificent from young Jordon Ibe! Just when it seemed that Liverpool were going nowhere, Ibe goes on a wonderful run on the right, bursting past one man and then charging into the area, from where he’s bundled over from behind by Motta, who’s booked! The referee points to the spot and Henderson picks up the ball. Then Balotelli has the ball. A debate ensues. Sturridge doesn’t look happy, Henderson has given it to the Italian, who has a terrific record from 12 yards. Sturridge will be fuming if this doesn’t go in! Updated at 10.15pm GMT 9.44pm GMT21:44 81 min: With everyone in danger of falling asleep, Frei suddenly puts his foot on the gas, dribbling through a clutch of Liverpool defenders and driving into the area on the left. He cuts the ball back and it’s just behind, yep, Ba. Liverpool scramble it away and counter, Sterling speeding through the middle. He works it to Sturridge on the right, but he wants to do too much again, and ends up chipping a cross-shot harmlessly over the bar. 9.42pm GMT21:42 80 min: Sakho concedes a free-kick on the right; it’s sent to the near post, where Balotelli concedes a corner. That’s a waste of time too. 9.40pm GMT21:40 77 min: The gasping Serdar is booked for pulling Balotelli back on the left. Henderson’s fizzing free-kick is nutted over by Lovren and that’s the cue for Liverpool to replace Adam Lallana with Raheem Sterling. Liverpool now have the front three from when they beat Tottenham 3-0 in August: Balotelli-Sturridge-Sterling. 9.38pm GMT21:38 76 min: What’s Neil Mellor doing? Is he around? “With no sarcasm or punch line or anything, it’s heartening to see Henderson improve as a player,” says Matt Dony. “There’s been much talk of him filling the Gerrard-shaped hole next season, and there’s no doubt he can do it. He plays so much like Gerrard these days. I forgive him the poor passes, like your entry on 69 mins, because his ambition and Hollywood-passing works more often than not. The volleyed pass out to Moreno earlier was ridiculous!” 9.35pm GMT21:35 73 min: Can Liverpool bring Gerrard on? Can he play in his suit? 9.34pm GMT21:34 72 min: It’s Sturridge’s turn to have a go with a free-kick. His unconvincing effort hits the wall and dribbles through to Gonen. 9.33pm GMT21:33 71 min: Balotelli wins another free-kick, this time in a more central position. That stoppage allows Besiktas to bring on Kerim Frei for the tiring Olcay Sahan. 9.31pm GMT21:31 69 min: The home fans chunter as Henderson wonks a pass out of play. The frustration grows. 9.31pm GMT21:31 68 min: Dejan Lovren’s first contribution is to pick up a booking for a late one on Sahan. 9.29pm GMT21:29 67 min: Liverpool probe on the edge of the area. Sturridge tries a flick to Henderson. Gonen collects. Besiktas are stubborn. 9.29pm GMT21:29 9.28pm GMT21:28 65 min: Balotelli drives through the ball with his instep. It’s a difficult one for Gonen, bouncing right in front of him, but the Besiktas goalkeeper does well to hold on. Which is just as well, because it would have smashed into his face otherwise. 9.27pm GMT21:27 64 min: Balotelli is involved immediately, almost sending Sturridge through, and then winning a free-kick 25 yards out and to the left after some fancy footwork. He’ll take it. Updated at 9.27pm GMT 9.25pm GMT21:25 63 min: Here come the Liverpool changes: Dejan Lovren replaces Joe Allen, which means Emre Can will move forward, and Mario Balotelli is on for the quiet Coutinho. 9.23pm GMT21:23 61 min: Liverpool are readying Dejan Lovren and Mario Balotelli. 9.23pm GMT21:23 60 min: Besiktas make a change, Jose Sosa replaced by Oguzahn Ozyakup. 9.22pm GMT21:22 59 min: Moreno dabs a pass down the inside-left channel to Sturridge, who shows good strength to get into the area. It seems that he’s rolled Kavlak, but the Besiktas defender stretches out a leg to hook it behind for a corner. Coutinho lofts the corner to the far post. It falls to Henderson, who drives it back across goal. It reaches Skrtel, who drills it into the six-yard box, where Lallana is stopped from turning and shooting. The ball eventually falls to Henderson on the edge of the area; his shot goes wide. 9.20pm GMT21:20 57 min: Can bundles Ba over on the left, just outside the Liverpool area. Liverpool are starting to make a few sloppy errors. Fortunately for them, Besiktas aren’t of a mind to take advantage, Sosa wastefully and selfishly wafting the free-kick over the bar. 9.18pm GMT21:18 54 min: Does Demba Ba have incriminating photos of everyone at Liverpool? Under little pressure, Can turns around and decides to knock a pass back to Mignolet. Who’s waiting gratefully to receive it? Ba. Luckily for Liverpool, he has to wait for the pass to reach him, allowing Skrtel to get back and block his shot. But it’s going to happen, isn’t it. Liverpool should probably stop doing this. 9.15pm GMT21:15 52 min: After that flurry from Liverpool, Besiktas appear to have weathered the storm. For now, anyway. You sense that Liverpool still have a few gears they can go through. Raheem Sterling is waiting patiently on the bench. 9.13pm GMT21:13 49 min: What an escape for Besiktas! Henderson marauds down the right flank and sends a cross into the six-yard box. It looks like meat and drink for Gonen, but then the plates, cutlery, food and glasses all go flying after a terrible mix-up with Pedro Franco. It’s quite the mess. The ball drops to Lallana, who looks certain to score, but it sits up slightly awkwardly for him, and with Gonen throwing himself at his feet, he wonks it over the empty goal from close range! It’s a miss, make no mistake about that, but maybe not quite as bad as it looked. Updated at 9.32pm GMT 9.10pm GMT21:10 47 min: Liverpool, attacking The Kop in the second half, are down to business straight away. Ibe, refusing to be cowed by the occasion, beats a couple of men and lays the ball off to Henderson, who clips it over the Besiktas defence and on to Moreno’s left foot. He bounces his volley off-target and although Sturridge keeps it alive, hooking the ball back into the box, Besiktas clear. That was a good chance for Moreno. 9.08pm GMT21:08 46 min: Let’s have some more football and a few oohs and aahs, I’m jealous of my colleagues. Scott Murray, who’s covering the Celtic game, is having a rare old time. 8.52pm GMT20:52 Half-time: Liverpool 0-0 Besiktas It’s tense. 8.52pm GMT20:52 45 min+1: What an effort from Jordan “Stevie” Henderson! The free-kick is made for a right-footer and he whips it over the wall and towards the bottom-right corner; Gonen stands, gawps and watches it drop an inch wide. I thought that was going in. 8.50pm GMT20:50 44 min: Liverpool continue to force the issue, winning one corner, then another. Coutinho curls the second to the near post and Henderson improvises a back-flick wide. Moments later, Moreno, his tail up after that shot, goes on a run and is scissor-tackled by Gulum 25 yards from goal, the Besiktas man earning himself a booking and the right to sit out next week’s second leg. 8.49pm GMT20:49 43 min: A corner for Liverpool on the right, won by the positive running of Ibe. Henderson takes it, it’s cleared, but only as far as Moreno, who decides he might as well have a shot from 35 yards out, what with his impeccable record of scoring goals from 35 yards out. But he’s almost rewarded for his ambition! He catches the ball sweetly with his laces and Gonen has to be alert to push his rising drive over the bar! 8.45pm GMT20:45 40 min: I was right, Sturridge was wrong, the free-kick sails over the bar. 8.44pm GMT20:44 39 min: Ibe runs at Kavlak and swerves away from the Besiktas man, who chops him down just outside the area. It’s probably too far wide for a shot, but Sturridge doesn’t seem to agree. 8.44pm GMT20:44 38 min: Oh dear. Under pressure, Unidentified Besiktas Player sprays a woeful cross-field pass from left to right and behind for a Liverpool corner. Henderson takes the corner and slides it across the ground, taking Besiktas by surprise. The ball squirts into the six-yard box and there’s the hint of a scramble, but Besiktas survive. 8.41pm GMT20:41 35 min: Demba Ba almost scores a carbon copy of his Anfield goal last season, minus the Steven Gerrard slip. A Liverpool move breaks down and Besiktas counter with extreme menace, Sahan knocking an excellent pass through to Ba, who has the pace to get away from the floundering Skrtel. Ba takes his shot early, looking to place it into the bottom-left corner with the inside of his right foot, but Mignolet gets down brilliantly to push it away! Updated at 9.05pm GMT 8.39pm GMT20:39 33 min: “Your oohs & ahhs will have to await the 2nd half and the introduction of Mari-ooh Baahlotelli ...” parps Mike Mackenzie. 8.38pm GMT20:38 32 min: And now a free-kick to Besiktas on the right. This one’s an inswinger. It deflects off a Liverpool leg and Mignolet can’t stop it from going behind. Gulum sends an outswinger to the near post and Kavlak directs a header inches past the angle of post and bar. A let-off for Liverpool. 8.35pm GMT20:35 30 min: A free-kick to Besiktas on the left. It’s drifted high to the far post, where Franco heads it back across goal. Liverpool just about hack it away. Not much is happening. 8.33pm GMT20:33 28 min: It’s Liverpool’s turn to test their opponents with a corner. Henderson whips it to the near post and it fizzes right through the six-yard box, no one able to meet ball with bonce. 8.32pm GMT20:32 26 min: The impressive, slithery Gokhan Tore skips down the right flank, engaging both Allen and Sakho, and wins a corner. The ball is whipped in low and bounces through to Gulum, who hooks an awkward effort over the bar from 12 yards out. “Besiktas’ strip has got a pleasing touch of ‘West Germany at Italia 90’ about it,” says Matt Dony. “I mean, as an observation, it won’t elicit an ‘Ooh’ or an ‘Aah’, but maybe a ‘Huh, oh yeah.’ It’s the best I can do.” 8.29pm GMT20:29 24 min: Hopes of oohs and aahs are briefly raised when Moreno is sent scampering through on goal by Henderson, but the flag is up for offside. It was a close one. 8.27pm GMT20:27 21 min: There’s still no sign of any oohs or aahs. Not even an oo. 8.25pm GMT20:25 19 min: There have been lots of oohs and aahs from the chaps who are watching the Celtic and Tottenham games. I want to ooh and aah! Why do I never get to ooh and aah? It’s not fair. 8.24pm GMT20:24 18 min: Besiktas are proving quite troublesome at the moment. They break sharply through the middle, Allen and Henderson nowhere to be seen, and Sosa turns a pass to Sahan. His shot is charged down from 18 yards and goes out for a throw, from which nothing occurs. 8.21pm GMT20:21 15 min: Besiktas have settled into a neat rhythm now. Their fans are really rolling out the tunes as well. Do they have rehearsals before the match? There’s barely a word out of place. Updated at 9.08pm GMT 8.19pm GMT20:19 13 min: Kavlak has a dig from 25 yards. It’s a poor effort but Ba decides to hang out a leg in an attempt to change its course and catch Mignolet by surprise. You wouldn’t put anything past him on this ground. But the ball dribbles well wide. 8.17pm GMT20:17 11 min: Play resumes. 8.16pm GMT20:16 10 min: Oh, for crying out loud. Play is stopped because an eedjit has made his way on to the pitch. The stewards give chase and eventually get their man. 8.14pm GMT20:14 8 min: Demba Ba almost has a touch of the ball, but Skrtel is in sharply to whip it off his toes. Liverpool counter and Lallana’s run is halted illegaly. Liverpool have started at a brisk pace. 8.12pm GMT20:12 6 min: Sturridge appears to be in I Will Not Pass mode. He pops up again on the right and should release it to Ibe. Instead he tries to go it alone and loses possession. “With Gulum lining up for Besiktas, will he be hoping for a precious away win?” says Graeme Neill. “I’ll get my coat.” 8.11pm GMT20:11 4 min: Allen takes the ball down and spreads it nicely to Can. Take that, Peter Oh! From there, Liverpool speed forward up the right, Ibe making good inroads. He slips a clever pass through to Sturridge, who’s onside. He’s forced a tad wide, but turns on sixpence, leaving his marker with twisted blood to set up a shooting chance from a tight angle. Gonen blocks it wide with his chest. That’s fine play from Sturridge, although he probably should have cut it back to Lallana. From the corner, there’s more panic in the Besiktas defence, but Lallana can’t make proper contact with an effort from the edge of the area. Updated at 9.13pm GMT 8.08pm GMT20:08 2 min: The Liverpool fans in The Kop hit back with a few stirring chants of their own. There’s a good atmosphere inside Anfield. “I had a number of things I wanted to say in the preamble to this match, about team selection, the chances of an all Merseyside final and what-not,” says Phil Sawyer. “But eff me, my attention’s been distracted by a new discovery. Why did no one tell me about salted Pomsticks before tonight? I may suffer a heart attack before half time, but I won’t die wondering whether my levels of heavenly fried potato product and salt are quite high enough.” 8.06pm GMT20:06 And we’re off! A huge roar from The Kop and we are all systems go, Liverpool getting us underway and kicking from right to left in the first half. They’re in red - take note, Steven, red - and Besiktas are in white shirts and black shorts. The Turkish fans are making plenty of noise. They always do. They love noise. 8.04pm GMT20:04 Just been discussing Gerrard’s blue tie with Scott Murray. He reckons he’s getting ready to play for LA Galaxy. But it is an election year. Is he coming out as a Tory supporter? Or perhaps he’s professing his love for Everton. Or Chelsea. Or Rochdale. “A blue tie?!” says Peter Oh. “What’s he doing? Engineering a fashion slip so as to distract from any references to The Slip?” Updated at 8.05pm GMT 8.02pm GMT20:02 Here come the players, walking out to warm applause. You’ll Never Walk Alone has been sung lustily. “That looks like a man’s team,” says Gordon Strachan of Besiktas. “They look like they know how to win games.” 8.00pm GMT20:00 “Surely the Europa League final will be Tottenham against Zenit St Petersburg and AVB, especially now Zenit have won against PSV,” says John Tumbridge. No. That is not Tottenham, they will lose to Sevilla on away goals in the last eight. Liverpool will reach the final against Napoli, having beaten Everton 1-0 on penalties along the way. Then it’s anybody’s guess. 7.50pm GMT19:50 Full-time: Young Boys 1-4 Everton. “Evening Jacob,” says Simon McMahon. “You can’t win the MBM in the preamble, but you can lose it. Then again, it’s not how you start it’s how you finish. Or something like that.” Updated at 7.52pm GMT 7.49pm GMT19:49 Steven Gerrard is in the ITV studio. But what’s this! He’s wearing a blue tie! Treachery! Updated at 8.37pm GMT 7.48pm GMT19:48 Saying that, Everton are cruising to a 4-1 victory in the first leg of their tie with Young Boys. They were a goal down and have 10 men, but they’ve stunned the Swiss side. “I heartily endorse Peter Oh’s fears: Allen is GBP 15 million wasted,” says Lou Roper. “As for ‘genius’ Rodgers, the team’s form didn’t turn until the aforementioned was injured and he had to play Lucas (who was on his way out to Napoli). At least now we are able to underwhelm the likes of Villa and Sunderland.” Updated at 7.49pm GMT 7.47pm GMT19:47 “How do you think Liverpool will handle the Thursday-Sunday Europa League schedule?” says David Wall. “Whereas Spurs and Everton have experience of it in recent seasons isn’t this the first time most of these players will have had to adjust their routine in that way. Related to that, why do people often express such bafflement, and scepticism about the effect that might have? It throws me off if I do the laundry on a different day from normal so I imagine that the psychological effects of such a re-jig of your entire professional week would be significant and could easily affect form. Is it really so difficult to understand or is it just another chance to moan about footballers (along the lines of, ‘I go in and sit at my desk every day so why can’t a footballer produce a high intensity athletic performance, in competition with others trying to stop them doing so, three times a week!’)?” We’ll see, but it does make a difference, more so during the group. I think it was Lewis Holtby who spoke about it when he was at Tottenham last season, saying it wasn’t easy for the players to trek across Europe, often to places that can take a while to reach. Also the teams in the Champions League might play Tuesday-Saturday or Wednesday-Sunday; it’s an extra day, plus they tend to have bigger squads. Chelsea, of course, will always be better equipped to deal with the demands of European football than Everton. Updated at 7.48pm GMT 7.39pm GMT19:39 “Am confident that like Liverpool you will recover from your preamble shambles and go on to give a strong showing in the second half,” says Ian Copestake. I don’t know about that, Ian. I need a good start. 7.32pm GMT19:32 “I don’t mean to sound like a tool, but am I the only Liverpool supporter concerned about Rodgers having wrenched the (so far) unconvincing Joe Allen into the starting XI for a key European match?” says Peter Oh. “I’d love to be proven wrong but I’m not sure his selection will do much to tighten the screws on the Besiktas midfield.” I don’t mind Allen and Rodgers doesn’t have much of a choice, with Lucas and Gerrard injured. He could have moved Emre Can forward, but that would mean playing Dejan Lovren and breaking up a defensive trio that has been playing well. 7.30pm GMT19:30 “Apparently, Arsene Wenger said canadian international Atiba Hutchinson was Betsikas’s best player after Arsenal beat Besiktas 1-0 in August,” says Roger, doing my job for me. 7.29pm GMT19:29 “How sad that you chose to open with that “Steven Gerrard fell down once” rubbish and not the real eye-catcher from the line-ups: Jordan Ibe!” chides Marie Meyer. And Marie has a point. What a few weeks it’s been for young Jordon Ibe, impressive against both Everton and Tottenham, and now in the line-up for a big European night under the lights at Anfield. You have to admire Rodgers for his faith in young players; and also for the way he has turned Liverpool around in the last few months. They are a different side from the confused shambles of the first half of the season - Rodgers is an innovative manager tactically and has sorted it out quickly. 7.22pm GMT19:22 On the subject of Demba Ba chants, this is obviously far superior to any of the new ones. Updated at 7.22pm GMT 7.12pm GMT19:12 Tonight's teams Liverpool: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Ibe, Gerrard, Henderson, Allen, Moreno; Lallana, Sturridge, Coutinho. Subs: Ward, Lovren, Lambert, Manquillo, Sterling, Borini, Balotelli. Besiktas: Gonen; Kurtulus, Franco, Gulum, Ramon, Hutchinson, Kavlak, Tore, Sosa; Sahan, Ba. Subs: Fidayeo, Pektemek, Ozyakup,Arslan, Uysal, Frei, Opare. Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) Updated at 7.17pm GMT 7.05pm GMT19:05 Preamble What is grey and big and in possession of a long memory and weirdly in love with peanuts? Demba Ba, that’s what! Wait. Not Demba Ba. He’s allergic to peanuts. He’s also not grey and there’s no proof that he is in possession of a long memory. He is quite big, yes, but not as big as an elephant. And that was the answer to the initial question. An elephant is grey and big and in possession of a long memory and harbours a weird love of peanuts. Although, thinking about it, the internet claims that it’s a myth that elephants love peanuts. This preamble is a disaster. The point I was trying to make is that tonight Demba Ba is the elephant in the room. No idea if you heard, but Steven Gerrard did a slip on his f@cking @rse against Chelsea, see, and Ba scored a fairly crucial goal and Liverpool didn’t win the league, just when they thought they were going to win the league, and now Ba is back with Besiktas, ready to inflict more pain, and it’s all very traumatic if you’re of the Liverpool persuasion. They’re having flashbacks. Although there has been a bit of narrative-knack. Gerrard is out, hamstrung, and will be in the ITV studio instead. Will anyone be brave enough to bring up The Slip? Will anyone instigate banter? Will anyone bantstigate? Who will be tonight’s Banstigator? Probably not. Poor Stevie, he’s taken enough jibes over the past 10 months, and so it’s up to his team-mates to step it up in his absence tonight. That won’t be easy. Sure, Besiktas were beaten 8-0 at Anfield in the Champions League in 2007, but Slaven Bilic has them top of the Turkish league, they gave Arsenal a scare in August and they took four points off Tottenham in their group (and, y’know, Demba Ba). But Liverpool are playing well! They’d rather not be in this competition, of course, having failed to make their mark on the Champions League, but they have been in excellent form since Brendan Rodgers made a few tactical tweaks and switched to a 3-4-3 formation in December. If only he’d twigged that one a few months earlier, they might still be mixing it with the big boys. Oh well. No point worrying about that now. Besiktas are strong, but so are Liverpool. This is an open competition and there’s a Champions League spot on offer for the winners. My bet is on Liverpool facing Rafa Benitez’s Napoli in the final. Kick-off: 8.05pm in Liverpool. |