Post by earl on Aug 5, 2008 9:51:42 GMT
THIS match might have witnessed the first pairing of Liverpool’s new £40m strike force of Robbie Keane and Fernando Torres.
But it was the impressive second-half display of youngster David Ngog that caught the eye as the visitors pulled last season’s Uefa Cup finalists apart on their own turf.
At just £1.5m, 19-year-old Ngog cost less than a tenth of what Benitez has splashed out on Keane but having also made his debut in the 0-0 draw at Villarreal last Wednesday, he has beaten his more illustrious team-mate to a first goal in a Liverpool jersey.
Despite netting only once in 18 senior outings for previous club Paris St Germain, Ngog has been a regular scorer for the French junior national sides and if Saturday’s second-half cameo and spectacular individual goal is anything to go by, the teenager could remain very much part of his manager’s first team plans this forthcoming season rather than being merely ‘one for the future’.
Benitez said: "Ngog showed his quality. Our scouting department is working really hard bringing in young players at a very good price so hopefully it will be the first goal of many. He’s playing in the first team already – he will stay in the first team."
A dead ringer for new Anfield team-mate Ryan Babel in looks and build, Ngog seems to possess a silkier touch than the Dutchman if not the same power but the way in which he opened his Liverpool account suggests he is capable of explosive play.
Ultimately the success of the Keane-Torres axis up front will be decisive on whether Liverpool can mount a serious title challenge come next May but having been paired together for the first time, the embryonic partnership showed the potential of blossoming.
The Spaniard may have produced his most effective displays at Anfield last season when up front on his own but he showed during this summer’s European Championship success with his country that he can operate well with a strike partner.
Indeed, although it will necessitate a shift in tactics for Liverpool in the coming months Rangers’ former Everton manager Walter Smith acknowledged that the Keane-Torres partnership could transform Liverpool from being a top-four side to title contenders.
He said: "They’re two good players, Liverpool are going to benefit from them.
"It maybe means a change of emphasis for them in regards to the way they’ve played over the last couple of seasons but they’re good players overall.
"When you look at them (Liverpool), I think they have an opportunity this season to challenge for the title rather than finishing in the top four as they have done.
"I think they could push forward in that respect and Torres and Keane could give them that edge."
The comprehensive nature of Liverpool’s emphatic victory in this fixture could be viewed as a double-edged sword for Benitez.
On the plus side and ultimately most importantly, his own team produced what was by far their most impressive display of the summer following three successive draws including a couple of forgettable 0-0 stalemates against Hertha Berlin and Villarreal in their last two outings.
Liverpool were clinical, taking their chances efficiently when presented to them, playing a classic counter-attack game away from home which tore their hosts to shreds.
Having been recruited for £3m – an undoubtedly large fee for a goalkeeping understudy – Brazilian Diego Cavalieri looks like he should keep Pepe Reina on his toes for his place in between the sticks.
Andrea Dossena whose undisclosed fee has seemingly made him the most expensive defender in Liverpool’s history pushed forward well as well as not neglecting his basic duties by producing a dramatic goal-line clearance.
Midfield youngsters Damien Plessis and later Jay Spearing both slotted in well in the centre of the park while out wide Yossi Benayoun’s tricks seemed to be far more craftier than anything Rangers’ defenders come up against in the Scottish Premier League on a regular basis.
And there lies what will surely be the biggest disappointment from Benitez – the failure of Smith’s side to give Liverpool the stern test they needed and were undoubtedly expecting when they arranged this fixture a mere fortnight before the start of the Premier League.
A solid defensive platform rather than flair or goalscoring prowess enabled Rangers to reach last season’s Uefa Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester but that was severely lacking from them on this occasion.
Having already begun their competitive campaign – drawing 0-0 with FBK Kaunus in a Champions League qualifier last Wednesday – Rangers should have provided Benitez’s side with much stiffer opposition than transpired and unless they produce a major improvement in the second leg in Lithuania tomorrow night, their dreams of competing alongside Liverpool in European football’s elite club competition will be dashed for another year.
Individual mistakes from their goalkeeper Allan McGregor led to both the first and third goals.
The visitors took the lead on 23 minutes when McGregor made a hash of a speculative long range effort from Plessis who was cutting inside from the left flank and after the keeper had dropped the ball Torres was on hand to tap in at the back post. for the easiest goal as he will ever score for Liverpool.
The second period could have been so very different had Rangers not been denied an equalising goal on the stroke of half time.
One-on-one with the goalkeeper from a tight angle, Nacho Novo slipped the ball past Cavalieri and darted towards the empty net but his shot from point blank range was cleared off the goal-line in spectacular fashion by Dossena who appeared seemingly from nowhere to slide in and make a crucial block.
Both sides made five changes apiece at the interval and it was one of those replacements, Ngog, that doubled Liverpool’s advantage on 56 minutes.
Rangers centre-back Kirk Broadfoot, who endured a miserable afternoon, gave away possession to the Frenchman who charged through the home defence before arrowing in a forceful left-foot effort.
Another McGregor blunder enabled Liverpool to add a third just four minutes later as another couple of their substitutes combined well.
Emiliano Insua, operating in a more advanced role than usual found Krisztian Nemeth with a left wing cross and the 19-year-old striker flicked the ball across goal with his first touch of the game only for McGregor to palm straight into the path of Benayoun profited from good work by Krisztian Nemeth to tuck away a simple finish.
The rout was completed on 70 minutes as Broadfoot brought down Nemeth in the area after the Hungarian had been picked out by Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard stepped up to take the penalty and although substitute keeper Neil Alexander guessed the correct way to his left he was unable to keep out the shot. which was dispatched well into the corner of the goal.
Liverpool’s fourth prompted a mass exodus from the home support with a full 20 minutes still to play.
Although less than half of the 50,000 crowd were still in the stadium for the closing stages, the game was summed up by the sounds from the stands of the respective sets of supporters at the end.
The Rangers fans, who had nothing to cheer all afternoon and had barracked Keane throughout, reserved their biggest boo for last as the words of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ – also the anthem of their greatest rivals Celtic – reverberated around Ibrox from the jubilant away enclosure.
But it was the impressive second-half display of youngster David Ngog that caught the eye as the visitors pulled last season’s Uefa Cup finalists apart on their own turf.
At just £1.5m, 19-year-old Ngog cost less than a tenth of what Benitez has splashed out on Keane but having also made his debut in the 0-0 draw at Villarreal last Wednesday, he has beaten his more illustrious team-mate to a first goal in a Liverpool jersey.
Despite netting only once in 18 senior outings for previous club Paris St Germain, Ngog has been a regular scorer for the French junior national sides and if Saturday’s second-half cameo and spectacular individual goal is anything to go by, the teenager could remain very much part of his manager’s first team plans this forthcoming season rather than being merely ‘one for the future’.
Benitez said: "Ngog showed his quality. Our scouting department is working really hard bringing in young players at a very good price so hopefully it will be the first goal of many. He’s playing in the first team already – he will stay in the first team."
A dead ringer for new Anfield team-mate Ryan Babel in looks and build, Ngog seems to possess a silkier touch than the Dutchman if not the same power but the way in which he opened his Liverpool account suggests he is capable of explosive play.
Ultimately the success of the Keane-Torres axis up front will be decisive on whether Liverpool can mount a serious title challenge come next May but having been paired together for the first time, the embryonic partnership showed the potential of blossoming.
The Spaniard may have produced his most effective displays at Anfield last season when up front on his own but he showed during this summer’s European Championship success with his country that he can operate well with a strike partner.
Indeed, although it will necessitate a shift in tactics for Liverpool in the coming months Rangers’ former Everton manager Walter Smith acknowledged that the Keane-Torres partnership could transform Liverpool from being a top-four side to title contenders.
He said: "They’re two good players, Liverpool are going to benefit from them.
"It maybe means a change of emphasis for them in regards to the way they’ve played over the last couple of seasons but they’re good players overall.
"When you look at them (Liverpool), I think they have an opportunity this season to challenge for the title rather than finishing in the top four as they have done.
"I think they could push forward in that respect and Torres and Keane could give them that edge."
The comprehensive nature of Liverpool’s emphatic victory in this fixture could be viewed as a double-edged sword for Benitez.
On the plus side and ultimately most importantly, his own team produced what was by far their most impressive display of the summer following three successive draws including a couple of forgettable 0-0 stalemates against Hertha Berlin and Villarreal in their last two outings.
Liverpool were clinical, taking their chances efficiently when presented to them, playing a classic counter-attack game away from home which tore their hosts to shreds.
Having been recruited for £3m – an undoubtedly large fee for a goalkeeping understudy – Brazilian Diego Cavalieri looks like he should keep Pepe Reina on his toes for his place in between the sticks.
Andrea Dossena whose undisclosed fee has seemingly made him the most expensive defender in Liverpool’s history pushed forward well as well as not neglecting his basic duties by producing a dramatic goal-line clearance.
Midfield youngsters Damien Plessis and later Jay Spearing both slotted in well in the centre of the park while out wide Yossi Benayoun’s tricks seemed to be far more craftier than anything Rangers’ defenders come up against in the Scottish Premier League on a regular basis.
And there lies what will surely be the biggest disappointment from Benitez – the failure of Smith’s side to give Liverpool the stern test they needed and were undoubtedly expecting when they arranged this fixture a mere fortnight before the start of the Premier League.
A solid defensive platform rather than flair or goalscoring prowess enabled Rangers to reach last season’s Uefa Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester but that was severely lacking from them on this occasion.
Having already begun their competitive campaign – drawing 0-0 with FBK Kaunus in a Champions League qualifier last Wednesday – Rangers should have provided Benitez’s side with much stiffer opposition than transpired and unless they produce a major improvement in the second leg in Lithuania tomorrow night, their dreams of competing alongside Liverpool in European football’s elite club competition will be dashed for another year.
Individual mistakes from their goalkeeper Allan McGregor led to both the first and third goals.
The visitors took the lead on 23 minutes when McGregor made a hash of a speculative long range effort from Plessis who was cutting inside from the left flank and after the keeper had dropped the ball Torres was on hand to tap in at the back post. for the easiest goal as he will ever score for Liverpool.
The second period could have been so very different had Rangers not been denied an equalising goal on the stroke of half time.
One-on-one with the goalkeeper from a tight angle, Nacho Novo slipped the ball past Cavalieri and darted towards the empty net but his shot from point blank range was cleared off the goal-line in spectacular fashion by Dossena who appeared seemingly from nowhere to slide in and make a crucial block.
Both sides made five changes apiece at the interval and it was one of those replacements, Ngog, that doubled Liverpool’s advantage on 56 minutes.
Rangers centre-back Kirk Broadfoot, who endured a miserable afternoon, gave away possession to the Frenchman who charged through the home defence before arrowing in a forceful left-foot effort.
Another McGregor blunder enabled Liverpool to add a third just four minutes later as another couple of their substitutes combined well.
Emiliano Insua, operating in a more advanced role than usual found Krisztian Nemeth with a left wing cross and the 19-year-old striker flicked the ball across goal with his first touch of the game only for McGregor to palm straight into the path of Benayoun profited from good work by Krisztian Nemeth to tuck away a simple finish.
The rout was completed on 70 minutes as Broadfoot brought down Nemeth in the area after the Hungarian had been picked out by Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard stepped up to take the penalty and although substitute keeper Neil Alexander guessed the correct way to his left he was unable to keep out the shot. which was dispatched well into the corner of the goal.
Liverpool’s fourth prompted a mass exodus from the home support with a full 20 minutes still to play.
Although less than half of the 50,000 crowd were still in the stadium for the closing stages, the game was summed up by the sounds from the stands of the respective sets of supporters at the end.
The Rangers fans, who had nothing to cheer all afternoon and had barracked Keane throughout, reserved their biggest boo for last as the words of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ – also the anthem of their greatest rivals Celtic – reverberated around Ibrox from the jubilant away enclosure.
