2009–10 Liverpool F.C. Season
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The 2009–10 Premier League was
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
's 118th season since their foundation, and their 48th consecutive year in the top flight. They were sponsored for an eighteenth season by
Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...
, but this association would end at the end of the year.
Rafael Benítez Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton. Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under-1 ...
was the club's manager, this being his sixth season in charge. His association with the club would also end at the end of the year, however. Having finished second in the previous league campaign, Liverpool qualified automatically for the
2009–10 UEFA Champions League The 2009–10 UEFA Champions League was the 55th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 18th under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played on 22 May 2010, at the Santiago Bernabéu St ...
group stage for the first time since the 2002–03 season. This season Liverpool made major moves in the transfer market, selling important players such as
Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his hom ...
and
Sami Hyypiä Sami Tuomas Hyypiä (; born 7 October 1973) is a Finnish football manager and former defender. Hyypiä began his playing career with Ykkönen side Kumu and soon moved to Veikkausliiga outfit MyPa. He spent four years at the club, helping the ...
, while signing
Alberto Aquilani Alberto Aquilani (; born 7 July 1984) is an Italian football manager and former player. Mainly a central midfielder, he usually operated as a deep-lying playmaker, but was also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder. He is the head coach o ...
from
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
and
Glen Johnson Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back. Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was s ...
from
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. After a season of poor results and inconsistent play, as well as injuries to main striker
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
, Liverpool finished 7th in the Premier League, their lowest finish in 11 years, and failed to progress beyond round 4 of either domestic cup. They were eliminated from the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
at the hands of
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the
Fourth round Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
in a 2–1 defeat at the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...
on 26 October. They were then knocked out of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
on 13 January. After a 1–1 draw with
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
team
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
at the
Madejski Stadium The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Reading. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in the EFL Championship. It also provides the finish for the Rea ...
in the
Third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
, Liverpool lost the replay at Anfield 2–1 after extra time. In addition to a poor domestic campaign, Liverpool failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League, finishing third in their group and entering the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
Round of 32; Liverpool were knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual winners
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
. They lost the first leg at the
Vicente Calderón Stadium The Vicente Calderón Stadium ( es, Estadio Vicente Calderón ) was the home stadium of Atlético Madrid from its completion in 1966 to 2017, with a seating capacity of 54,907 and located on the banks of the Manzanares, in the Arganzuela distric ...
1–0, and despite forcing extra time in the second leg, and then going on to win 2–1, they were eliminated on the away goals rule. A week after the end of the Premier League season, Liverpool announced they had terminated
Rafael Benítez Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton. Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under-1 ...
's contract by mutual consent.


Pre-season

Liverpool confirmed that long-serving centre-back
Sami Hyypiä Sami Tuomas Hyypiä (; born 7 October 1973) is a Finnish football manager and former defender. Hyypiä began his playing career with Ykkönen side Kumu and soon moved to Veikkausliiga outfit MyPa. He spent four years at the club, helping the ...
would be leaving the club after 10 years to join German club
Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, th ...
. Liverpool also confirmed that
José Segura José Segura Rius (born January 23, 1961, in Olesa de Montserrat) is a Spanish professional football coach. Segura won both the Greek championship and Cup with Olympiacos FC after the sacking of Takis Lemonis in March 2008. He decided to leave ...
, the ex-
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
manager, would be joining the club as Academy technical manager, starting on 1 June. Liverpool announced their pre-season programme on 6 May 2009, including a tour of Asia and a friendly against
Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
, as part of a clause of the deal that brought
Albert Riera Albert Riera Ortega (born 15 April 1982) is a Spanish former footballer who played as left winger but also as a left-back, currently manager of Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana. He made a name for himself at Espanyol (with whom he won a Copa ...
to the club. Liverpool started their pre-season campaign against
St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website ...
in Switzerland on 15 July, which ended 0–0, a game in which
Rafael Benítez Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton. Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under-1 ...
gave playing time to most of his players.
Glen Johnson Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back. Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was s ...
made his debut for Liverpool and earned himself the Fans Man of the Match award from ''Liverpool F.C. TV''. They played their second encounter with
Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...
at the
Ernst Happel Stadium Ernst-Happel-Stadion (), known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It wa ...
on 19 July, which Liverpool lost 1–0 from a goal from midfielder
Steffen Hofmann Steffen Hofmann (born 9 September 1980) is a German football coach and a former player, who played most of his career for SK Rapid Wien of the Austrian Bundesliga. He played as an attacking midfielder. He works as a sports coordinator for Rapid W ...
. The Asian tour began with a match against
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
on 22 July, which ended 1–1, with Liverpool's early goal coming from
Ryan Babel Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...
and the Thai's from substitute
Sutee Suksomkit Sutee Suksomkit ( th, สุธี สุขสมกิจ, born June 5, 1978) is a Thai professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Thai League 3 club Bankhai United. He is known for his skillful style of play, ...
. This was followed by a trip to
Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...
to play
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, a game which Liverpool won 5–0 with goals from
Andriy Voronin Andriy Viktorovych Voronin ( uk, Андрій Вікторович Воронін, born 21 July 1979) is a Ukrainian professional football manager and a former player. Voronin spent five full seasons in the Bundesliga of Germany, and last play ...
, Albert Riera, two by
Krisztián Németh Krisztián Németh (; born 5 January 1989) is a Hungarian professional footballer who currently plays for Hungarian club MTK Budapest. Club career Born in Győr, Németh started his career at hometown club ETO Győr where he played from 2003 ...
and
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
. They then played Espanyol on 2 August, where they suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat thanks to two goals from
Ben Sahar Ben Sahar ( he, בן שׂהר, changed the Hebrew spelling of his surname from ; born 10 August 1989) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a striker for Maccabi Haifa and the Israel national team. At 16, Sahar was the equivalent ...
and one from Luis García. They then enjoyed their first win of the campaign, against
Lyn Oslo Ski- og Fotballklubben Lyn (lit. "Ski and Football Club Lightning") is a Norwegian alliance sports club from Nordre Aker, Oslo. It has two sections; for association football and Nordic skiing. Until 2010 they had a third section, for top-level as ...
on 5 August, winning won 2–0 with goals from Voronin and
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
. They ended the pre-season with a 1–2 loss against
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
on 8 August at Anfield. Goals from
Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest playe ...
and
Diego Forlán Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi T ...
put the Spaniards 0–2 up until
Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk" * ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities * ''L ...
pulled one back late on for the Reds.


Team kit

The team kit for the 2009–10 season was produced by
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
. The home kit remained the same as the previous season. The away kit was black with gold trim. The third kit changed in August 2009 to a new white kit. It was announced that longtime sponsor
Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...
would be leaving the club after 18 years to be replaced by British bank
Standard Chartered Standard Chartered plc is a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in the UK, and around 9 ...
, who commenced a four-year £80 million deal with the club in May 2010.


Technical staff


First-team squad

As of 1 July 2009.


Squad statistics


Reserve squad

''Updated 23 March 2010'' ''Squad Numbers refer to players' first team squad number (for season 2009–10), where applicable. Reserve and youth games are 1–11. See
Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy Liverpool F.C. Reserves is the reserve team of Liverpool F.C. It is the most senior level of the Liverpool academy beneath the first team. In the summer of 2012, the whole English reserve football system was overhauled and replaced with an Under ...
''


Transfers


In

First Team First team may refer to: Sports * First team (association football), the colloquial name given to the most senior team fielded by a football club * The First Team, the first players known to have played the sport of basketball * First Team All-A ...
Reserves and Academy


Out

First Team First team may refer to: Sports * First team (association football), the colloquial name given to the most senior team fielded by a football club * The First Team, the first players known to have played the sport of basketball * First Team All-A ...
Reserves and Academy


Loaned in


Loaned out


Match results


Pre-season


Premier League


August

The fixtures for the
2009–10 Premier League The 2009–10 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 18th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. A total of 20 teams competed in the league, with Chelsea unseating the three ...
season were announced on 17 June, with Liverpool being handed an away fixture to
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
. Spurs took the lead a minute before half time when left back
Benoît Assou-Ekotto Benoît Pierre David Assou-Ekotto (born 24 March 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as a left back. Born in France, he represented the Cameroon national team. Assou-Ekotto began his career at Lens and in 2006 was signed by T ...
scored from 30 yards, after
Tom Huddlestone Thomas Andrew Huddlestone (born 28 December 1986) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and coach for Premier League club Manchester United F.C., Manchester United. Having progressed th ...
's free kick had been blocked. Liverpool showed more urgency after half time, and were awarded a penalty on 55 minutes when
Glen Johnson Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back. Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was s ...
's run was ended by keeper
Heurelho Gomes Heurelho da Silva Gomes (born 15 February 1981) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Watford, having previously made a name for himself at Dutch club ...
' challenge. Steven Gerrard converted the penalty to equalise for Liverpool. However, Tottenham regained the lead on 64 minutes when
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
ian centre-half
Sébastien Bassong Sébastien Aymar Bassong Nguena (born 9 July 1986) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in France, he opted to play for the Cameroon national team. Club career Metz Born in Paris, France, Metz signed Bassong out o ...
headed home a
Luka Modrić Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an attack ...
free kick. Liverpool seemed unable to respond, and fashioned few chances. They had a penalty appeal turned down on 84 minutes when
Andriy Voronin Andriy Viktorovych Voronin ( uk, Андрій Вікторович Воронін, born 21 July 1979) is a Ukrainian professional football manager and a former player. Voronin spent five full seasons in the Bundesliga of Germany, and last play ...
seemed to be tripped by Assou-Ekotto in the box, but Spurs hung on for a 2–1 win. Liverpool manager
Rafael Benítez Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton. Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under-1 ...
later criticised referee
Phil Dowd Philip Dowd (born 26 January 1963)
: The FA. Liverpool's first home match was against
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
four days later. Liverpool took the lead after five minutes when
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
swept home
Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
's cross. The lead was doubled moments before half time when Glen Johnson acrobatically finished after
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
's header had been blocked off the line. Good work from Gerrard on the right saw Kuyt make it 3–0 five minutes from time, before Frenchman
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
headed a fourth in stoppage time. Liverpool suffered their first home league defeat since a 0–1 loss to
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
on 16 December 2007 against
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
the following Monday. The away side took the lead when
Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk" * ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities * ''L ...
inadvertently headed into his own net from an
Ashley Young Ashley Simon Young (born 9 July 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or full-back for Premier League club Aston Villa, where he is club captain. Young started his career at Watford and made his first senior appea ...
cross on 33 minutes. Villa doubled their lead in first half injury time when
Curtis Davies Curtis Eugene Davies (born 15 March 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Derby County. Davies began his career at Luton Town, for whom he made his professional debut in 2003. Davies moved to Premier ...
headed home from a corner. Liverpool did manage to pull one back through Fernando Torres, but Gerrard's poorly timed tackle on
Nigel Reo-Coker Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker (born 14 May 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, as well as a football commentator and pundit for CBS Sports. Reo-Coker came through the youth team ranks at Wimbledon, and h ...
led to a penalty, which Ashley Young converted to consign Liverpool to a 3–1 defeat. Manager Rafael Benítez criticised his senior players for the defeat and demanded a better performance for the next match, away at
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
. At the
Reebok Stadium The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...
, Liverpool had to twice come back from behind against Bolton. They took the lead on 33 minutes when poor marking from a corner saw
Kevin Davies Kevin Cyril Davies (born 26 March 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. He managed Southport in the 2017 ...
bundle the ball home from close range. Glen Johnson equalised four minutes before the break when a Liverpool corner was not properly cleared, and he stroked home left-footed from twenty yards. Bolton regained the lead two minutes after the break when Davies headed down
Jussi Jääskeläinen Jussi Albert Jääskeläinen (; born 19 April 1975) is a Finnish football coach and retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. During his career, Jääskeläinen most notably represented Bolton Wanderers from 1997 until 2012, making 530 app ...
's long punt for
Tamir Cohen Tamir Cohen ( he, תמיר כהן; born 4 March 1984) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the son of the late Maccabi Tel Aviv and Liverpool player Avi Cohen. Club career Early career Cohen was born in ...
to smash home. The turning point of the game was Sean Davis' sending off on 53 minutes for a second bookable offence. Liverpool equalised just a few minutes later when Fernando Torres finished tidily following good work from Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool continued to press and finally got the winner on 83 minutes, when Torres' knockdown from a Glen Johnson was met by a shot from Gerrard, who had earlier hit the bar. Gerrard later felt he "owed" the performance after poor performances in the defeats to 'Spurs and Villa.


September

Liverpool's next match came after the international break, where they faced newly promoted
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
at home. Despite comments made prior to the match by goalkeeper
Pepe Reina José Manuel "Pepe" Reina Páez (; born 31 August 1982) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Villarreal. The son of famed Barcelona and Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Reina, Pepe Reina began his ca ...
that the league title was 'not a realistic ambition this season', Liverpool comfortably dispatched the East Lancashire club 4–0 to go up to fourth in the table, thanks to an inspired performance from
Yossi Benayoun Yossi Shai Benayoun ( he, יוסי שי בניון; born 5 May 1980) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in England and captained the Israel national team. Born in Dimona, he is s ...
, who scored a hat-trick. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez later praised Benayoun's work ethic, and stated that he was an 'example to the rest of the squad' Michael Shields, attended this match as a special guest, his first since
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, just three days after being released from prison. Liverpool travelled to the
Boleyn Ground The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, east London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years ...
the following week, a ground that they won 3–0 at the previous season. They looked to be heading for a similar result when
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
' goal put the visitors 1–0 up after thirteen minutes. However,
Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vic ...
brought young striker
Zavon Hines Zavon Albert Hines (born 27 December 1988) is a football coach and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. He is the coach for the West Ham United F.C., West Ham United under-14 team. Born ...
down on the half-hour, and
Alessandro Diamanti Alessandro Diamanti (; born 2 May 1983) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for A-League club Western United. At club level, he has previously played for Prato, Empoli, Fucecchio, Fiorentina, AlbinoLeffe, West Ham Uni ...
converted the spot kick, which he appeared to touch twice. However, Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool back in front four minutes before the break, when he got a slight touch on a Steven Gerrard header. West Ham then equalised on half time through
Carlton Cole Carlton Michael George Cole (born 12 October 1983) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. He scored 52 goals in 288 Premier League appearances for four clubs. Cole began his career at Chelsea ...
after poor defending from a corner kick. The second half was approached slightly more cautiously by the home side, and substitute
Ryan Babel Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...
made the desired impact when his ball was headed home by Torres. Liverpool held on for the remaining 15 minutes for their second consecutive 3–2 away win. Benítez praised Torres for his role in the win; Torres had stated earlier that week that he felt he was not playing to standard. The club's last Premier League match of the month came at home on 26 September, against
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
. Liverpool took the lead after Fernando Torres slotted past
Boaz Myhill Glyn Oliver "Boaz" Myhill (born 9 November 1982; ) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the Wales national team from 2008 to 2013. Born in the United States to an American father and Welsh mother, Myh ...
. Hull then equalised four minutes later, when defensive frailties were pounced upon by
Geovanni Geovanni Deiberson Maurício Gómez (born 11 January 1980), known simply as Geovanni, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He was mostly used as an attacking midfielder but was also able to play on both wings and up front. Club care ...
. Liverpool retook the lead when Torres rounded Myhill, and the Spaniard completed his hat-trick with a solo effort on 47 minutes. Steven Gerrard made the game safe when his cross accidentally sailed in on the hour. Substitute Ryan Babel then came off the bench to tap in a fifth and he inadvertently deflected
Albert Riera Albert Riera Ortega (born 15 April 1982) is a Spanish former footballer who played as left winger but also as a left-back, currently manager of Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana. He made a name for himself at Espanyol (with whom he won a Copa ...
's shot in injury time to make it 6–1.


October

Liverpool lost their first big four game 2–0 to
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
. The match was level until
Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and retired Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly fe ...
guided the ball over Pepe Reina on the hour mark. With Liverpool pouring forward in search of an equaliser, Liverpool were left stretched at the back. With Chelsea attempting to kill time in the corner,
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
outmuscled
Emiliano Insúa Emiliano Adrián Insúa Zapata (born 7 January 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Racing Club. Insúa is a citizen of the European Union through one of his grandparents, who is Spanish. Career Early c ...
and squared back for
Florent Malouda Florent Johan Malouda (born 13 June 1980) is a French football coach and former professional player. A left winger, he spent most of his career at Lyon and Chelsea, winning four consecutive Ligue 1 titles with the former and the UEFA Champions ...
to double Chelsea's lead in added time. Then, Liverpool lost their next match to Sunderland, falling out 1–0. The solitary, controversial goal was scored by Darren Bent. Andy Reid picked out Bent in the box and he directed it straight to Reina. However, a
beach ball ''Beach Ball'' is a 1965 American beach party movie starring Edd Byrnes and partly financed by Roger Corman.Ed. J. Philip di Franco, ''The Movie World of Roger Corman'', Chelsea House Publishers, 1979, p. 145 It features appearances by The Supre ...
, thrown onto the field by a spectator deflected the ball into the net. Liverpool were not able to react to the shock goal, and Sunderland held on for the win. On 25 October, Liverpool prepared to face off with
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. Manager Rafa Benítez was under pressure following four straight defeats, but he was calm as he spoke to the press.
Fábio Aurélio Fábio Aurélio Rodrigues (born 24 September 1979) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played for Grêmio, São Paulo, Valencia and Liverpool. He played as either a left back or left winger and represented Brazil at under-17 and ...
had a chance when his header was saved by
Edwin van der Sar Edwin van der Sar (; born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch football executive and former professional player who is currently the chief executive of AFC Ajax, with whom he began his senior playing career in the early 1990s; he is considered to be a m ...
. Liverpool sustained their pressure throughout the second half. They finally took the lead on 65 minutes when Fernando Torres outmuscled
Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was ...
and fired his shot into the top corner of the net. United finally reacted after the goal, but were not able to fashion any clear cut chances.
Antonio Valencia Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia (; born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developing ...
hit the crossbar, but that was the closest the visitors came to an equaliser. Their plight was not helped by
Nemanja Vidić Nemanja Vidić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Видић, ; born 21 October 1981) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is best known for his time at Manchester United, was part of the Serbia national team, and is ...
's sending off for a second bookable offence on 90 minutes.
Javier Mascherano Javier Alejandro Mascherano (born 8 June 1984) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Argentina national under-20 team. As a player, he played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, most not ...
was also sent off for two bookings on 95 minutes, when he tackled van der Sar.
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
finally secured the three points for Liverpool when he broke away and slotted past van der Sar to secure victory, Liverpool's third consecutive victory over their rivals. Liverpool's final match of the month came away to
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
. Liverpool fell behind after 24 minutes when
Bobby Zamora Robert Lester Zamora (born 16 January 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. Zamora began his career at Football League club Bristol Rovers, but was soon signed by Brighton & Hove Albion, where he found first ...
tapped home. Liverpool equalised three minutes before half time, when
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
finished from 20 yards. After the break, Fulham started to put Liverpool under pressure, and when Torres was taken off on the hour, they lost their main attacking threat. Fulham retook the lead on 73 minutes, when another breakaway resulted in
Erik Nevland Erik Nevland (born 10 November 1977) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently the sporting director of Viking FK. He played for clubs in Norway, England, Sweden and the Netherlands, and earned eight c ...
finishing off a
Paul Konchesky Paul Martyn Konchesky (born 15 May 1981) is an English football coach and former professional player who currently manages West Ham United Women of the FA WSL. During a 21-year playing career, Konchesky played as a left back for Charlton Athle ...
cross. Liverpool were left chasing the game at this point, and they lost two men in three minutes;
Philipp Degen Philipp Degen (born 15 February 1983) is a retired Swiss professional footballer. Degen was usually a right back who could also play at left back or on the right wing. Degen reached the last 16 in the 2006 World Cup with Switzerland and was sele ...
was sent off for a tackle on Zamora, and
Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vic ...
was later sent off for a professional foul. This was Liverpool's fifth defeat in 11 matches, and it left them 9 points behind
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
at the top.


November

Liverpool's first match of the month was home to
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. Liverpool took the lead on 13 minutes, when
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
finished off after several saves from
Joe Hart Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) known professionally simply as Joe Hart is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury T ...
. Birmingham fought back, however, and equalised on 26 minutes, when a harmless free kick resulted in
Christian Benítez Christian Rogelio Benítez Betancourt (1 May 1986 – 29 July 2013), also known as Chucho, was an Ecuadorian professional footballer who played as a striker. He began his career with El Nacional in Ecuador and then joined Santos Laguna, with ...
heading home. Birmingham took the lead in the third minute of first half stoppage time, when
Cameron Jerome Cameron Zishan Rana-Jerome (born 14 August 1986), known as Cameron Jerome, is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Luton Town. Jerome began his career as a trainee with Huddersfield Town, Grimsby Town, Sheffield ...
netted from 35 yards. Liverpool brought on
Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
at the break, and he converted Liverpool's equaliser on 71 minutes, from the penalty spot, after N'Gog had adjudged to be fouled by
Lee Carsley Lee Kevin Carsley (born 28 February 1974) is a former professional footballer who is head coach of England U21. In a playing career lasting 17 years, he is best remembered for his spells as a midfielder in the Premier League and Football Leagu ...
. TV replays showed that N'Gog had dived. Liverpool could not find the winner, but this would have been harsh on Birmingham, who had defended well throughout. Liverpool's next match after the international break was another home game, this time to
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. Liverpool took the lead five minutes into the second half when
Martin Škrtel Martin Škrtel (born 15 December 1984) is a Slovak former professional footballer, a former player and captain of the Slovakia national team and Liverpool Football Club. Škrtel previously played for FK AS Trenčín and Zenit Saint Petersburg, ...
got the vital touch from a Gerrard free kick. City got back into the game on 69 minutes; poor marking from
Craig Bellamy Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward and is current assistant manager at EFL Championship side Burnley. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy began his senior playing career with Norw ...
's corner left
Emmanuel Adebayor Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor (; born 26 February 1984) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Togolese Championnat National club Semassi. He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur ...
with a free header from six yards. City then silenced Anfield when they took the lead on 76 minutes;
Shaun Wright-Phillips Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips (born 25 October 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, in Major L ...
turned
Sotirios Kyrgiakos Sotirios Kyrgiakos ( el, Σωτήριος Κυργιάκος, born 23 July 1979) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Club career Kyrgiakos made his first football steps with a local team, Thyella Megaloc ...
and crossed for Stephen Ireland to finish from close range. However, City could not hold on to their lead, and
Yossi Benayoun Yossi Shai Benayoun ( he, יוסי שי בניון; born 5 May 1980) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in England and captained the Israel national team. Born in Dimona, he is s ...
was left to tap home just 72 seconds after Ireland's goal. Liverpool headed into the
Merseyside derby The Merseyside derby is the football matches between Everton and Liverpool, the two primary clubs in Liverpool, England. Named after the county of Merseyside, in which Liverpool is located, it is the longest running top-flight derby in England ...
having exited the Champions League, and with just one win in 10. Everton were also in poor form, though they started the brighter of the two teams. Liverpool were content to soak up the pressure, and took the lead on 12 minutes, when
Javier Mascherano Javier Alejandro Mascherano (born 8 June 1984) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Argentina national under-20 team. As a player, he played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, most not ...
's 30-yard shot was deflected in by
Joseph Yobo Joseph Michael Yobo (born 6 September 1980) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He was the captain of the Nigerian national team until his international football retirement in June 2014, and was Nigeria's r ...
. Everton's Jo had two goals ruled out for offside, and though Everton had the possession, they could not convert this into goals. Everton were left chasing the game late into the second half, and Yobo's defensive error allowed Gerrard to tee up
Albert Riera Albert Riera Ortega (born 15 April 1982) is a Spanish former footballer who played as left winger but also as a left-back, currently manager of Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana. He made a name for himself at Espanyol (with whom he won a Copa ...
, whose powerful shot Tim Howard could not hold, allowing
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
to tap in with ten minutes remaining. Liverpool had further chances to add to their goal tally, but 2–0 flattered Liverpool, who had taken their chances, and defended well.


December

On a high after the derby win, The Reds travelled to
Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facili ...
as they faced
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
in what was Steven Gerrard's 500th game for Liverpool. Rovers manager
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English association football, football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent most ...
has a good record against Liverpool, and he managed to contain the Reds in a goalless draw. Chances were few and far between, with the best chance falling to the young
Frenchman The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially the nati ...
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
late on; his scuffed shot hit the bar. Liverpool's next game was at home to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. The home side started well, dominating Arsenal in the early stages. Their pressure paid off four minutes before the break when
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
tapped home from close range.
Cesc Fàbregas Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como. Fàbregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when h ...
later revealed that manager
Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
had given his players the hairdryer treatment at half time, making it clear in no uncertain terms that they had played awfully in the first period. Arsenal returned invigoured after the second half, and put Liverpool under a period of intense pressure in the opening exchanges of the second half. Arsenal equalised when
Samir Nasri Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987) is a French former professional footballer. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he had also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri was known for his dribbling, ball control ...
's cross was inadvertently deflected into his own net by
Glen Johnson Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back. Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was s ...
. Buoyed by the goal, Arsenal pushed on and took the lead five minutes later through a goal from
Andrey Arshavin Andrey Sergeyevich Arshavin (russian: Андрей Сергеевич Аршавин ; born 29 May 1981) is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a winger or midfielder. Arshavin began his career at Zenit Saint Petersburg in ...
which gave Reina no chance at his near post. Arsenal held on for their first win at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
since October 2003. Liverpool managed to regain the winning touch with a 2–1 win over
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
at Anfield three days later. The away side gave a good account of themselves, and aside from
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
's early goal, matched Liverpool for spells. Liverpool wrapped up the win 11 minutes from time with
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
' 11th goal of the season. Wigan got a late consolation through
Charles N'Zogbia Charles Humphrey N'Zogbia (born 28 May 1986) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right or left winger, but also as an attacking midfielder. He was capped for the France under-21 team on thirteen occasions, and made his de ...
, which was more than deserved. Liverpool travelled to
Fratton Park Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history. The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect A ...
to face bottom of the table
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in what was seen as an easy game. Liverpool manager
Rafa Benítez Rafa is a masculine given name, mostly as a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Rafael. It may refer to: People * Rafael Nadal (born 1986), Spanish tennis player * Rafa (footballer, born 1985), Spanish footballer Rafael López Gómez * Rafael Ben ...
had made an eyebrow-raising team selection upon his team's visit the previous season, and he also raised questions about his selection as he picked out-of-favour
Andrea Dossena Andrea Dossena (; born 11 September 1981) is an Italian football coach and former player who played as a left winger or left back. He is the head coach of Renate. Dossena started his professional career at Verona in 2001, having progressed thro ...
on the left.
Daniel Agger Daniel Munthe Agger (; born 12 December 1984) is a Danish professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of Danish 1st Division club HB Køge. As an active player, he played as a central defender for Brøndby and Liverpool a ...
's close-range header was the visitors' best chance of the half, but it was Portsmouth who took the lead six minutes from the end,
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
n
Nadir Belhadj Nadir Belhadj ( ar, نذير بلحاج ; born 18 June 1982) is a professional footballer who plays for Muaither as a left-back. An Algerian international, Belhadj was a former French youth international having played for the French Under-18's ...
rifling in a shot from what seemed an impossible angle.
Javier Mascherano Javier Alejandro Mascherano (born 8 June 1984) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Argentina national under-20 team. As a player, he played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, most not ...
was sent off in first-half injury time after a two-footed lunge on
Tal Ben Haim Tal Ben Haim (or Tal Ben Haim I, he, טל בן-חיים; born 31 March 1982) is an Israeli footballer who last played for Beitar Jerusalem. He can play at either centre back or right back. He has played for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bolton Wanderers, ...
. The away side pressured for an equaliser in the second half, with
Asmir Begović Asmir Begović (; born 20 June 1987) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Everton. Begović started his professional career with English club Portsmouth, signing for them in the summer of 2003. After a sequen ...
pulling off a stupendous save from
Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
's heavily deflected shot. The home side sealed the win with seven minutes to go when
Frédéric Piquionne Frédéric Michel Piquionne (born 8 December 1978) is a Martiniquais former professional footballer who played as a forward. Piquionne's former clubs are Golden Star of Martinique, Nîmes, Rennes, Saint-Étienne, Monaco, Lyon, Portsmouth, ...
volleyed home from 10 yards by sealing Portsmouth's first victory over Liverpool since April 2007. Many fans called for Benítez's exit after the game, despite his 'guarantee' of a fourth-place finish. The boxing day fixture saw Liverpool host
Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
. An even first half saw
Kevin Doyle Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Engl ...
miss the away side's best chance as he headed over from six yards, but
Stephen Ward Stephen Thomas Ward (19 October 1912 – 3 August 1963) was an English osteopath and artist who was one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British political scandal which brought about the resignation of John Profumo, the Sec ...
's controversial red card early in the second half proved a turning point. Steven Gerrard powered in a header just after the hour, and
Yossi Benayoun Yossi Shai Benayoun ( he, יוסי שי בניון; born 5 May 1980) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in England and captained the Israel national team. Born in Dimona, he is s ...
added a second deflected shot eight minutes later. Liverpool's last match of the decade was a crunch match for 4th place with
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
at
Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...
. The game turned out to be rather poor, with both teams cancelling each other out. Villa missed good chances through
Gabriel Agbonlahor Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward; he mostly played as a central striker, but he was also capable of playing on the wing. He spent his entire professional ...
and
John Carew John Alieu Carew (born 5 September 1979) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was capped 91 times, scoring 24 goals for the Norway national team. As of 2023, he has been hired until the end of 2024 at Norw ...
, but with the game heading for a draw,
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
slotted past
Brad Friedel Bradley Howard Friedel (born May 18, 1971) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper. Friedel played 84 games for the United States national team between 1992 and 2005, and represented his country at ...
in the third minute of stoppage time to give Liverpool a vital three points.


January

Liverpool's first Premier League match of the calendar year pitted them against
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
at the
Britannia Stadium The Bet365 Stadium (stylised as ''bet365 Stadium'') is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England and the home of EFL Championship club Stoke City. The stadium was previously called the Britannia Stadium but ...
, just days after they had been knocked out of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
by
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
side
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
at Anfield. The away side were weakened by injuries, but still put in a creditable performance.
Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk" * ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities * ''L ...
appeared to be tripped by
Danny Higginbotham Daniel John Higginbotham (born 29 December 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Manchester, England, he represented Gibraltar in international football. Higginbotham started his career in the academy of ...
in the penalty area on 26 minutes, but referee
Lee Mason Lee Mason (born 29 October 1971)
and biography:
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
defender
Sotirios Kyrgiakos Sotirios Kyrgiakos ( el, Σωτήριος Κυργιάκος, born 23 July 1979) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Club career Kyrgiakos made his first football steps with a local team, Thyella Megaloc ...
knocking in after
Thomas Sørensen Thomas Løvendahl Sørensen (born 12 June 1976) is a retired Danish Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Sørensen started his career with his local side Odense Boldklub, Odense BK. Af ...
had dropped
Fábio Aurélio Fábio Aurélio Rodrigues (born 24 September 1979) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played for Grêmio, São Paulo, Valencia and Liverpool. He played as either a left back or left winger and represented Brazil at under-17 and ...
's free kick. Stoke put Liverpool under heavy pressure in the last quarter of an hour, and made the breakthrough when
Robert Huth Robert Huth (, ; born 18 August 1984) is a German former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is a three-time Premier League winner and has made the most Premier League appearances (322) by a German player. Huth was signed f ...
scrambled home.
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
missed a golden opportunity to win the game in the sixth minute of injury time, but his header hit the post. Liverpool faced another important showdown with
Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
at Anfield. Spurs manager
Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In his ...
felt that his side could get a result at Anfield, with Liverpool missing key players and in poor form. Liverpool, however, started strongly, taking the lead in the sixth minute through
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
's 6th-minute strike. Tottenham were off-par, and despite the ruling out of
Jermain Defoe Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He also played for the England national team. Defoe began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team aged 14, be ...
's goal, failed to test Reina. The home side earned a penalty in injury-time when substitutes
Maxi Rodríguez Maximiliano "Maxi" Rubén Rodríguez (; born 2 January 1981) is an Argentine former footballer. Nicknamed ''La Fiera'' (''The Beast'' in English), he was commonly used as a winger on both flanks but could also operate as an attacking midfielde ...
and
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
combined, with the latter being tripped in the box. Kuyt was made to re-take his penalty, but still sent
Heurelho Gomes Heurelho da Silva Gomes (born 15 February 1981) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Watford, having previously made a name for himself at Dutch club ...
the wrong way to secure Liverpool's third win in four. Despite their impressive form, Liverpool were disappointing once more, as they failed to break down Wolves at Molineux.
Albert Riera Albert Riera Ortega (born 15 April 1982) is a Spanish former footballer who played as left winger but also as a left-back, currently manager of Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana. He made a name for himself at Espanyol (with whom he won a Copa ...
's early effort was comfortably saved by
Marcus Hahnemann Marcus Stephen Hahnemann (born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Graduating out of Seattle Pacific University, he played for the Seattle Sounders between 1994 and 1996. Between 1997 and ...
, but the away side failed to create any clear-cut chances, and the best opportunities in a drab game fell to Wolves'
Kevin Doyle Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Engl ...
, whose goalbound shot was cleared by
Emiliano Insúa Emiliano Adrián Insúa Zapata (born 7 January 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Racing Club. Insúa is a citizen of the European Union through one of his grandparents, who is Spanish. Career Early c ...
. Liverpool's next game was at home to
Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
. They failed to impress, but still managed to grind out a 2–0 win, with
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
grabbing his third goal in as many games as he toe-poked in from close range. Emiliano Insúa's long-range strike was deflected into his own net by
Kevin Davies Kevin Cyril Davies (born 26 March 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. He managed Southport in the 2017 ...
for the second.
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
should have added a late third, but missed a sitter, hitting the crossbar from five yards out with the goal gaping. Rafael Benítez praised The Reds' defence, as they kept a third consecutive clean sheet, and a fifth in the last six games.


February

Liverpool prepared to renew rivalries with Everton on 6 February at Anfield. The Toffees were in scintillating form, earning impressive draws at The Emirates and at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
in their nine-game unbeaten run. The game turned out to be more of a physical battle than a football match, with
Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vic ...
's tackle on
Steven Pienaar Steven Jerome Pienaar (; born 17 March 1982) is a South African former professional footballer and current assistant coach of the U18 team of the Ajax Youth Academy. He was a captain of the South African national team. He primarily played as ...
within the first 10 seconds setting the precedent.
Sotirios Kyrgiakos Sotirios Kyrgiakos ( el, Σωτήριος Κυργιάκος, born 23 July 1979) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Club career Kyrgiakos made his first football steps with a local team, Thyella Megaloc ...
was sent off on 34 minutes for a lunge on
Marouane Fellaini Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese club Shandong Taishan. Born in Etterbeek to Moroccan parents, Fellaini played youth football for Anderlecht, R.A.E.C. ...
, but the away side failed to capitalise on his absence, particularly in the air. The best chance of the half fell to Everton's
Tim Cahill Timothy Filiga Cahill (; born 6 December 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder but also played as a striker on many occasions. A box-to-box midfielder, Cahill became recognised for "his ag ...
, but his close range header went just over. Liverpool took the lead 10 minutes into the second half,
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
heading in from close range from
Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
's corner. The home side then had to defend as Everton pinned them back for periods. Liverpool threatened on the break, but could not find a second. Everton disappointed, and despite the introduction of
Yakubu Yakubu is an English transliteration of a West African name and is a cognate of Jacob and James. Notable people with the name include: ;Given name * Yakubu (born 1982 as Yakubu Ayegbeni), Nigerian footballer * Yakubu (Gobir ruler), historical ruler ...
and
Victor Anichebe Victor Chinedu Anichebe (born 23 April 1988) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Early life Anichebe was born in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria but moved to Liverpool, Merseyside, England aged one. His family ori ...
, could not create a clear opening. Liverpool held on to complete a second double over Everton in three seasons. Liverpool's second game of February was away to title contenders
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...
. Liverpool lost the game 1–0 thanks to
Abou Diaby Vassiriki Abou Diaby (born 11 May 1986), known as Abou Diaby, is a French former professional footballer. He played primarily in a box to box role, adept at both attacking and defending. Described as a player who was "languid, elusive, and a ...
's header. Liverpool's penultimate game of February was away to also top 4 challengers Manchester City at Eastlands. The game finished 0–0. Liverpool players Fernando Torres & Yossi Benayoun both made cameo appearances on their return from injuries, but neither could swing the game in Liverpool's fortunes. Liverpool's third and final game of February was against to Blackburn Rovers at Anfield. Liverpool had captain Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres on the same scoresheet for only the third time in the Barclays Premier League this season. Steven Gerrard scored after 20 minutes and Fernando Torres netted 2 minutes before half time after Rovers had equalised from the penalty spot after Jamie Carragher's foul in the box.


March

Liverpool opened March with a 1–0 loss to
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
at the
DW Stadium The DW Stadium is a stadium in Robin Park, in Wigan, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The ground is owned and managed by Wigan Football Company Limited, which is 85% owned by Wigan Athletic and 15% owned ...
. Dirk Kuyt gifted the goal to Wigan, attempting to pass it back to Pepe Reina, but
Hugo Rodallega Hugo Rodallega Martínez (born 25 July 1985) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bahia. Rodallega started his professional career with Deportes Quindío in 2004. An impressive first season with the club earned him ...
skipped past
Javier Mascherano Javier Alejandro Mascherano (born 8 June 1984) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Argentina national under-20 team. As a player, he played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, most not ...
and chipped the ball over the oncoming Reina to ultimately win the game for the Latics ten minutes before half-time. Glen Johnson came on as a substitute for Liverpool on his return from injury. Liverpool's second game of March was at home to near relegated Portsmouth. Portsmouth were in the hunt to do the 'double' over Liverpool after their morale-boosting 2–0 victory back in December. Fernando Torres opened the scoring for Liverpool with his 14th goal of the season after 28 minutes. Ryan Babel doubled Liverpool's advantage on the half-hour mark. Italian Alberto Aquilani scored his first goal in English football to make it 3–0 on 32 minutes. Fernando Torres scored his second of the night and Liverpool's fourth on 77 minutes. Portsmouth grabbed a sole consolation in the last minute thanks to
Nadir Belhadj Nadir Belhadj ( ar, نذير بلحاج ; born 18 June 1982) is a professional footballer who plays for Muaither as a left-back. An Algerian international, Belhadj was a former French youth international having played for the French Under-18's ...
, but Liverpool ran out comfortable winners. Liverpool's third game of March saw them renew rivalries with old foes
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
. Liverpool took the lead after just five minutes after Dirk Kuyt released captain Steven Gerrard, who fed in Fernando Torres. Torres shot with excellent power which left United goalkeeper
Edwin van der Sar Edwin van der Sar (; born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch football executive and former professional player who is currently the chief executive of AFC Ajax, with whom he began his senior playing career in the early 1990s; he is considered to be a m ...
with no chance. Controversy flared when Liverpool's Argentinian midfielder Javier Mascherano appeared to have fouled
Antonio Valencia Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia (; born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developing ...
in the penalty box. TV replays clearly showed that the foul was outside of the box.
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
took the penalty and scored the rebound after Pepe Reina's save. United continued to pour forward in numbers, and finally got the goal their play deserved, when veteran winger
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his List of one-club men in association football, entir ...
crossed. The ball missed everyone apart from Ji Sung Park, who scored despite the close attention from the Liverpool
right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
Glen Johnson Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back. Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was s ...
. The 2–1 win for United was Sir
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
's 100th home Barclays Premier League win. Liverpool wrapped up March with an impressive 3–0 win over Sunderland at Anfield. Liverpool took the lead with only 6 minutes on the clock. Great work from in-form Spaniard Fernando Torres on the left resulted in him cutting inside two defenders before a high, curling shot flew into the top right-hand corner. Liverpool cruised into a 2–0 lead when a corner broke loose to right back Glen Johnson, who skipped past a Sunderland defender before unleashing a left-foot strike that took a deflection. Sunderland rarely exerted any pressure to force Liverpool into defensive play in the second half, which meant Liverpool could counter-attack without worrying about numbers at the back. During one of these counterattacks, Liverpool scored their third and final goal, with Johnson fooling everyone by releasing the ball through to Fernando Torres. Torres scored into an empty net to give Liverpool three goals and three points.


April

Liverpool started off their top 4 battle run in with a 1–1 draw against
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
at St Andrew's. Liverpool took the lead just two minutes into the second half, when a corner on the left side on the edge of the 18-yard box fell short to Steven Gerrard, who curled an effort past City goalkeeper
Joe Hart Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) known professionally simply as Joe Hart is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury T ...
. Birmingham equalised near the end of the game to deal Liverpool's top four ambitions another blow. Liverpool's second game of April was a drab home game against
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
-contending
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
at Anfield. Liverpool were without striker Fernando Torres for this game because he was in Spain seeing a specialist about his recent knee injury.
Mark Schwarzer Mark Schwarzer (; born 6 October 1972) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He represented Australia at international level from 1993 to 2013, and was selected for both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups ...
was Fulham's hero, shutting out Liverpool all day long with a string of superb saves to keep Fulham's Europa League dream alive. Liverpool were now three points off the top four, having played a game more than Tottenham and Manchester City. Liverpool's third game of April was a Monday night fixture to relegation threatened West Ham United at Anfield. Liverpool took three points from this game, but needed to beat
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
to keep their hope of a Champions League place alive. Steven Gerrard's back-pass allowed Chelsea to score, and after that, Chelsea pressed home their advantage. The loss for Liverpool meant they failed to qualify for the Champions League. Liverpool ended their campaign with a 0–0 draw at the
KC Stadium The MKM Stadium (also known as the Hull City Stadium due to UEFA sponsorship regulations) is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull, England. The stadium was previously called the KC Stadium, but was renamed the KCOM Stadi ...
against
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
, in which youngster Jack Robinson made his debut for the reds.


League table


Results summary


Games against Top Six


Results by round


Matches


UEFA Champions League

The draw for the group stage of the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
was made on 27 August 2009 in
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
. As Liverpool were seeded in Pot 1, this meant that they could not be drawn with teams from the same pot, such as
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
or
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
. However, they faced the possibility of being drawn in the same group as
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
,
Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
or
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
. Liverpool were drawn into
Group E Group E may refer to: * E-Group: E-Groups are unique architectural complexes found among a number of ancient Maya settlements * Group E (vase painting) Group E (or E Group) was a group of Attic vase painters of the black-figure style. They were a ...
with 7-times
Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
champions
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
, Hungarian champions and Champions League debutants
Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...
and
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
side
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
. Their first match was at home to Debrecen, on 16 September. Liverpool's
managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
Christian Purslow Christian Purslow (born 14 December 1963) is a British businessman who is the chief executive officer of the Premier League club Aston Villa Football Club. He was the co-founder of private equity firm MidOcean Partners and was the former managing ...
said that the club was "pretty happy" with the draw. Liverpool's first game was at Anfield, where they faced Debreceni. The Hungarian champions had chances to score in the first half. However, in the last minute of the first half, Fernando Torres' shot was parried by
Vukašin Poleksić Vukašin Poleksić (Serbian Cyrillic: Bукaшин Пoлeкcић, born 30 August 1982) is a Montenegrin retired football goalkeeper. Club career Poleksić started his career at FK Sutjeska Nikšić, breaking into the first team in 2000. During t ...
; however, Dirk Kuyt was on hand to score the opener. In the second half, Liverpool only briefly threatened to score, while the visitors never really had a sustained period of pressure. Rafa Benítez was frustrated by his team's failure to take the many chances they created throughout the match, and was relieved just to get the three points. Liverpool's next group game was away to
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
. Liverpool were two goals down in the first half after Montenegrin player
Stevan Jovetić Stevan Jovetić ( cnr, Стеван Јоветић, ; born 2 November 1989) is a Montenegrin footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Hertha BSC and captains the Montenegro national team. Jovetić's primary position is a second s ...
scored a brace. The Reds raised their game after half time, but ultimately were not able to finish off the chances that they created. Rafa Benítez was irate after the match, vowing that Liverpool will "'never again' be as bad as they were during the first half."
Fábio Aurélio Fábio Aurélio Rodrigues (born 24 September 1979) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played for Grêmio, São Paulo, Valencia and Liverpool. He played as either a left back or left winger and represented Brazil at under-17 and ...
, who had played under Benítez for the last nine years, at
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
and Liverpool, said that he had never seen Benítez so angry as he was at half-time at
Stadio Artemio Franchi The Stadio Artemio Franchi is a football stadium in Florence, Italy. It is currently the home of ACF Fiorentina. The old nickname of the stadium was "Comunale." When it was first constructed, it was known as the ''Stadio Giovanni Berta'', after ...
. Liverpool suffered a second consecutive defeat, at home to
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
. Although the home side took the lead after 41 minutes through Yossi Benayoun, they struggled to maintain the lead, and the visitors scored an equaliser on 72 minutes through
Maxime Gonalons Maxime Gonalons (born 10 March 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Clermont. Club career Youth career Gonalons had been with Olympique Lyonnais since the age of 10 climbing through th ...
.
César Delgado César Fabián Delgado Godoy (born 18 August 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a winger. He also played as a central midfielder, making piercing forward runs through the center of the opposition's defence. His ...
scored the winner for Lyon from close range in the first minute of injury time. Liverpool's next group game was away at group leaders Lyon. Although Liverpool were missing several first team players through injury, they managed to create several chances, the best of which was spurned by
Andriy Voronin Andriy Viktorovych Voronin ( uk, Андрій Вікторович Воронін, born 21 July 1979) is a Ukrainian professional football manager and a former player. Voronin spent five full seasons in the Bundesliga of Germany, and last play ...
. Liverpool dominated the game without ever really posing a potent threat to the host's goal. Substitute
Ryan Babel Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...
finally opened the scoring for Liverpool with seven minutes to go, with a "stunning" strike from long range. It looked as if Liverpool were going to hang on to the three points, and keep their hopes alive, but in the 90th minute, Liverpool failed to clear a high ball, and Lisandro López guided the ball past Pepe Reina to inflict Liverpool's worst run in 22 years. This left Liverpool relying on Lyon to defeat Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in their next group game to stay in the competition. With Rafa Benitez's men needing nothing less than three points to keep their Champions League hopes alive, they got off to the perfect start inside three minutes.
Fábio Aurélio Fábio Aurélio Rodrigues (born 24 September 1979) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played for Grêmio, São Paulo, Valencia and Liverpool. He played as either a left back or left winger and represented Brazil at under-17 and ...
swung over a ball from the right,
Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vic ...
headed it back across goal and
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
reacted quickest to poke it in from a few yards out. Liverpool did all they could to keep their Champions League hopes alive, but in the end it just wasn't enough. A solitary goal gave the Reds all three points on the night against Debrecen but thanks to Fiorentina's win in Lyon, the 2005 champions were eliminated from the competition at the group stages for the very first time under boss Rafael Benítez.
Alberto Aquilani Alberto Aquilani (; born 7 July 1984) is an Italian football manager and former player. Mainly a central midfielder, he usually operated as a deep-lying playmaker, but was also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder. He is the head coach o ...
made a cameo appearance with seconds to spare but the game finished 1–0. After the win in Hungary, Liverpool manager
Rafael Benítez Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton. Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under-1 ...
said, "We did our part and we did our part well. Obviously we cannot control the other game, but this win will give us confidence." Liverpool ended their failed Champions League campaign in defeat as they were beaten 2–1 by Fiorentina which inflicted Liverpool's second successive home defeat in this European competition and also they had the worst points tally in their European history.


Group stage


UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

Being unable to finish higher than third in the 2009–10 Champions League group stage, Liverpool appeared in the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
for the first time since the 2003–04 season. Liverpool were drawn to play Romanian side
Unirea Urziceni Asociația Sportivă Fotbal Club Urziceni, commonly known as FC Urziceni (), is a Romanian professional Association football, football Club (organization), club based in Urziceni, Ialomița County which currently plays in fourth division, Ialomi ...
, playing the first leg at Anfield. The dates for the two legs were 18 February 2010 for the first leg and 25 February 2010 for the second leg. Liverpool made 3 changes for the first leg, with Fábio Aurélio coming in for Emiliano Insúa, Jamie Carragher being drafted back into the squad to replace Sotirios Kyrgiakos, and Dirk Kuyt being placed on the right-wing, with David N'Gog the lone striker. Liverpool started brightly, with Steven Gerrard having a shot kept out by the Unirea keeper after 60 seconds and Fábio Aurélio placing a free-kick wide after three minutes. Liverpool continued to press throughout the rest of the first half and for all but ten minutes of the second-half. Unirea were proving to be strong in defence, but in the 81st minute, Liverpool finally scored, substitute Ryan Babel crossing into the path of fellow substitute
Daniel Pacheco Daniel Pacheco Lobato (born 5 January 1991) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a left winger or an attacking midfielder for Polish side Górnik Zabrze. He joined Liverpool in 2007 having previously been in the youth ranks at Barcelona. Club c ...
, who produced a downward header into David N'Gog, and he headed into an empty net. This meant Liverpool would take a slender 1–0 lead to Romania. In the second leg, Liverpool cruised through to the last 16, winning the tie 3–1 and winning on aggregate 4–1. The game did not start brightly for Liverpool, conceding on 18 minutes after failing to clear their lines. Liverpool equalised on the half-hour mark, Javier Mascherano with a powerful low shot into the bottom left hand corner. From there on in, Liverpool scored two more goals courtesy of Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard goals to send Liverpool into the last 16. Liverpool faced tough opposition for the last 16, being handed two legged ties with
Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
. Liverpool did not play well on the night, and it was no surprise that they conceded in the 85th minute after an
Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...
free kick was swung deep into the penalty area and went over Jamie Carragher's and Pepe Reina's heads and into the back of the net. In the second leg, Liverpool cruised past Lille, with the home side completely dominating the first-half. Liverpool opened the scoring in only the eighth minute of the game, with Brazilian Lucas being hauled down in the penalty area after an impressive run from just inside the visitors' half. Captain Steven Gerrard calmy slotted home the penalty in the bottom left hand corner. Back in form striker Fernando Torres doubled Liverpool's lead on the night in the 49th minute with a delicate chip over Lille 'keeper Landreau. Liverpool secured their place in the last eight when Fernando Torres scored his second of the night and his fourth in two games. The draw for the quarter-finals pitted Liverpool against 31-time Portuguese champions Benfica. The first leg was played on 1 April at the
Estádio da Luz The Estádio da Luz (), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, its ...
. The return leg was held on 8 April at Anfield. Liverpool started off the first leg well enough to score after eight minutes. Steven Gerrard earned a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area and rolled it into the path of Danish international Daniel Agger. Agger produced a cheeky back heel from 9 yards out that slightly deflected of a Benfica defender and into the bottom left hand corner to leave the 'keeper Júlio César stranded. Benfica were now pressing for periods which forced Liverpool into defensive play. On 31 minutes, Fernando Torres was fouled by
Luisão Ânderson Luís da Silva (born 13 February 1981), known as Luisão, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Luisão started his career at Juventus-SP in 1999 before moving to Cruzeiro the year later, where h ...
on the far byline. Ryan Babel appeared to have put his hand over Luisão's mouth after calling Torres a "diving f****** disgrace." Luisão was originally sent off for his part in the matter, but then it was Babel who was sent off for putting his hand over Luisão's mouth. Both players missed the return leg at Anfield on 8 April. From there on in, Benfica started to really play, with the visitors rarely threatening on the break. Benfica were awarded a penalty when
Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vic ...
accidentally handballed on the far byline and the striker
Óscar Cardozo Óscar René Cardozo Marín (; born 20 May 1983) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Club Libertad and the Paraguay national team. Known for his powerful left-foot shot and free-kick skills, he first gained att ...
tucked the penalty away in the bottom right hand corner. Benfica were then awarded a second penalty when a Liverpool defender hauled down Cardozo just inside the penalty area. Cardozo was again the penalty taker and scored straight down the middle. Liverpool have a vital away goal going into the second leg back at Anfield next week. Any doubts that Liverpool were heading out of Europe's top two European competitions in the same season were soon washed away with an outstanding performance at Anfield. Liverpool took the lead after 27 minutes after a corner by Steven Gerrard was headed into the bottom right hand corner by
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
for his 11th goal of the season. Celebrations soon turned to anguish when the linesman ruled out Kuyt's header as he appeared to be in an offside position. The referee rightly gave the goal as you cannot be offside from a corner. Liverpool doubled their lead just 7 minutes later when Steven Gerrard fed in Brazilian
Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk" * ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities * ''L ...
, who smartly rounded Júlio César and finished from seven yards out for his fifth goal in a Liverpool shirt. Liverpool continued to dominate matters in the second half too, with lethal Spaniard Fernando Torres netting 14 minutes into the second half. First leg hero Cardozo netted a comeback goal for Benfica to set up a nail bitting finale. However, Fernando Torres netted his second of the night and his 22nd in all competitions for the reds this season eight minutes from time. The goal came in similar fashion to the one he scored against Sunderland on 28 March. Liverpool were drawn with
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
over two legs in the semi-finals. The first leg was at the
Vicente Calderón Stadium The Vicente Calderón Stadium ( es, Estadio Vicente Calderón ) was the home stadium of Atlético Madrid from its completion in 1966 to 2017, with a seating capacity of 54,907 and located on the banks of the Manzanares, in the Arganzuela distric ...
in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
on 22 April and the second leg was at Anfield on 29 April. Coincidentally, Atlético Madrid is both Fernando Torres' and
Maxi Rodríguez Maximiliano "Maxi" Rubén Rodríguez (; born 2 January 1981) is an Argentine former footballer. Nicknamed ''La Fiera'' (''The Beast'' in English), he was commonly used as a winger on both flanks but could also operate as an attacking midfielde ...
's old club, thus both cannot play the rest of the competition, with Torres sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury and Rodríguez already played for Atlético earlier on in the season in the UEFA Champions League. In the first leg, Atlético finished with a narrow 1–0 lead, and at Anfield in the second leg, Liverpool beat Atletico 2–1 after extra-time. But due to Atlético's away goal at Anfield, they progressed to the final.


Round of 32


Round of 16


Quarter-final


Semi-final


League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

The draw for the 3rd round was made on 29 August 2009. Liverpool were drawn away to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
. The League One side raised their game for the occasion, and Elland Road saw a bumper 38,168 crowd. Leeds more than matched Liverpool throughout the first half, and had a
Luciano Becchio Luciano Héctor Becchio (born 28 December 1983) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the assistant manager of Segunda División B – Group 3 side CD Atlético Baleares.Javier Mascherano Javier Alejandro Mascherano (born 8 June 1984) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Argentina national under-20 team. As a player, he played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, most not ...
's cross-cum-shot was trapped excellently by
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
, who turned and finished expertly past goalkeeper
Shane Higgs Shane Peter Higgs (born 13 May 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made 306 appearances in the Football League and Football Conference between 1996 and 2012, most notably spending ten years at Chelte ...
. Liverpool received a tricky away fixture to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
for the fourth round. The Reds fielded a weakened side, but still managed to match Arsenal's youngsters.
Philipp Degen Philipp Degen (born 15 February 1983) is a retired Swiss professional footballer. Degen was usually a right back who could also play at left back or on the right wing. Degen reached the last 16 in the 2006 World Cup with Switzerland and was sele ...
had an early chance on 14 minutes, which he failed to put away. Arsenal punished this five minutes later.
Andriy Voronin Andriy Viktorovych Voronin ( uk, Андрій Вікторович Воронін, born 21 July 1979) is a Ukrainian professional football manager and a former player. Voronin spent five full seasons in the Bundesliga of Germany, and last play ...
failed to clear, and was dispossessed by Mérida, who turned and smacked the ball from 25 yards, which flew past
Diego Cavalieri Diego Cavalieri (born 1 December 1982) is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for Botafogo. Cavalieri is of Italian ancestry and holds both Italian and Brazilian passports. He has earned three caps for t ...
. Liverpool's
Emiliano Insúa Emiliano Adrián Insúa Zapata (born 7 January 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Racing Club. Insúa is a citizen of the European Union through one of his grandparents, who is Spanish. Career Early c ...
levelled the scores with an even better strike on 26 minutes. The ball ricocheted off
David N'Gog David Philippe Henri Ngog (born 1 April 1989), known as David N'Gog, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Gamma Ethniki club Panionios. N'Gog started his career with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He ...
, and the ball sat up for the young Argentinean to smash a dipping shot over
Łukasz Fabiański Łukasz Marek Fabiański (born 18 April 1985) is a Polish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for club West Ham United F.C., West Ham United. He also played for the Poland na ...
. Both teams were evenly matched for the rest of the first half. Five minutes into the second half,
Nicklas Bendtner Nicklas Bendtner (; born 16 January 1988) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. His preferred position was centre-forward, but he has also played on the right side of attack, and occasionally on the left. A large, ...
put Arsenal back into the lead, when he guided the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Liverpool failed to rouse themselves to react, and despite the introduction of
Alberto Aquilani Alberto Aquilani (; born 7 July 1984) is an Italian football manager and former player. Mainly a central midfielder, he usually operated as a deep-lying playmaker, but was also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder. He is the head coach o ...
with 15 minutes to go, the visitors could not find the equaliser, and thus were eliminated from the competition. This was the fifth consecutive year that Liverpool had been knocked out at this stage in the
capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
, and completed a North London double over the Merseyside clubs, following
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
's 2–0 victory over Everton the previous night.


FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

Liverpool were given a bye to the third round of the FA Cup, where they were drawn away to Championship strugglers
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
. Liverpool drew the tie at the Madejski Stadium 1–1, with Steven Gerrard saving Liverpool's blushes with an equalising goal. The subsequent replay at Anfield did not go to plan; Liverpool lost 2–1 in
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
.


References


External links


Official Site 2009–10 SeasonLFC History 2009–10 SeasonLiverpool F.C. season 2009–10 at ESPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liverpool F.C. Season 2009-10 2009-10 2009–10 Premier League by team