Showing posts with label Fernando Torres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fernando Torres. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Meireles spoils Torres Chelsea debut with 1-0 win

Portuguese footballer Trindade Meireles refused to revel in revenge over Fernando Torres as Liverpool spoiled the Chelsea striker's debut with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge Sunday.

Torres ignored Dalglish's pleas to remain at Anfield as he handed in a transfer request in a successful attempt to force through a British record 50 million pound transfer last week.

The Spaniard believes Liverpool are a club in transition and he jumped at the chance to join Chelsea because he sees the Blues as serious contenders for silverware.

As a Anfield legend who has won every major trophy during his time as a player and manager on Merseyside, Dalglish was inevitably frustrated to see Torres lose faith with Liverpool.

The Reds boss could easily have gloried in the way his tactical gameplan frustrated Torres, leading to the striker's 66th-minute substition following a lacklustre display on Sunday.

But instead Dalglish insisted his team were just focused on continuing their recent resurgence rather than stopping Torres.

"The players approached it professionally. I don't think it was any incentive, whatever someone else wants to do with their life is entirely their choice," Dalglish said.

"I came here to get three points, whether Carlo Ancelotti was playing up front or anyone else doesn't matter.

"He (Torres) had one shot on target when Jamie Carragher did a fantastic block tackle but I'm not here to talk any somebody else's players.

"I've always said the most important people to me are the people at Liverpool Football Club. We've got four clean-sheets in a row and 12 points, so I think anyone who is a Liverpool fan is very happy at the moment."

Just 10 days ago, Liverpool's future looked gloomy as Torres agitated for a move before the transfer deadline. But suddenly things are looking up for Dalglish and company.

Wins over Stoke and Chelsea have lifted Liverpool to within six points of the top four and new signings Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, drafted in to replace Torres, have yet to start for the Reds.

Dalglish is confident Liverpool fans, who taunted Torres mercilessly throughout the match, have every reason to be optimistic after 18 months of turmoil at Anfield.

"We had a busy Monday and it has been a great week. The players were fantastic in their determination to win this match," Dalglish said.

"We have signed two fantastic players in Suarez and Carroll and we are looking forward to seeing them play if they can get in the team!

"Sixth is a lot healthier than 12th when I started. That is a great credit to the players."

Liverpool's recent upsurge in fortunes has done Dalglish's chances of turning his short-term job into a more permanent one but the Scot was quick to play down such talk.

"I'm only doing what I said I would come in and do, which is help," he said.

"I'll never stand in the way of progress at this football club. I have never had a conversation with the owners beyond the conversation I had when I came in.

"That's where we stand at the moment and until there is more to discuss - that is where we are."

Related Articles

Monday, October 18, 2010

Liverpool slump in front of new owners

Liverpool's new owners watched their team slump to a comprehensive 2-0 defeat at Merseyside rivals Everton which sent them second bottom of the Premier League on Sunday.

Manchester City won 3-2 at Blackpool to move second in the table after Liverpool owners John W Henry and Tom Werner watched goals by Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta condemn the five-times European champions to their fourth defeat of the season.

Fernando Torres went closest for the visitors at Goodison Park when his first-half header was turned over the bar by Everton keeper Tim Howard, but Liverpool offered little else.

They slipped one place in the standings on goal difference, level on six points with Wolverhampton Wanderers and bottom-placed West Ham United.

Chelsea stayed top after a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday. City are second, two points behind, Arsenal third after a 2-1 win at home to Birmingham City and Manchester United fourth after a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.

Hodgson under pressure

Henry's New England Sports Ventures, owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, completed a takeover of Liverpool on Friday after contentious legal battles with the previous US owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

The jubilant scenes in London on Friday concluded one of the most dramatic weeks in Liverpool's 118-year history, yet the euphoria of the takeover battle did not carry over to the pitch.

Everton fans taunted their counterparts with chants of "Going down" after the defeat that left Liverpool 19th in the table, their lowest ever position in the Premier League.

Manager Roy Hodgson was given a vote of confidence by Henry before Sunday's match, but the defeat is certain to focus attention on the future of the Englishman who has presided over Liverpool's worst start to a season for over 50 years.

"I don't feel it to be a crisis,” Hodgson told Sky Sports. “The way we played today -- I don't think anyone would believe that's the level of football a team in the bottom three or four would play.”

"On the other hand, there's six points from eight games and that's a very, very poor return.

“We do need to start winning and climbing up that table soon, and until we do so I daresay the word 'crisis' will be bandied around."

Determined run

The breakthrough came from Seamus Coleman's determined run into the area. The Irish defender's cross took a deflection and the ball sat up for Cahill to drill his finish past Jose Reina.

Everton doubled their lead five minutes after halftime, when Sotiros Kyrgiakos's headed clearance from a corner fell to an unmarked Arteta, whose right-foot shot from the edge of the area swerved viciously and left Reina clutching at air.

At Bloomfield Road, Carlos Tevez put City ahead after 67 minutes with a neat touch at the near post from James Milner's cross.

Marlon Harewood got the faintest of touches to a free kick to bring Blackpool level with a header in the 78th minute, but City were back in front within a minute. Argentine Tevez robbed defender Ian Evatt -- who claimed he was fouled -- and his shot took a deflection before finding the bottom corner.

Spain forward David Silva made it three with a splendid solo goal, selling two dummies in the area and curling home a left-foot shot. Gary Taylor-Fletcher's stoppage-time strike was a consolation for the home side.

Related Articles