Liverpool Anfield Stadium.
In the 31st round of the Premier League, Liverpool face Arsenal at home.
Due to the Champions League midweek, Liverpool adjusted the lineup.
The goalkeeper is Reina, the back lines are Aurelio, Daniel Ag, Carragher and Aveloa, the midfielders are Xavi Alonso and Mascherano dragging, Gerrard forward The front court tridents are Yang Yang, Crouch and Pennant.
Including Kuyt, several players who played several consecutive games were put on the bench by Benitez.
Arsenal's lineup is still four or two.
The goalkeeper is German veteran Lehman, the back line is Krishna, Gallas, Colo Toure and Eboue, the midfielder is Hleb, Denilson, Fabregas and Diaby, double forward It is Baptista and Adebayor.
Both teams are very familiar with each other, know the roots, there is no secret.
Arsenal took the lead in the game, but Liverpool had a big push from the beginning.
Mascherano was extremely active from the beginning of the game. After stealing the pass from Arsenal, he passed it to Gerard in front, who took a long shot directly.
A heavy artillery shot from 30 feet away was a bit outrageous.
At this time, the game only took 28 seconds and Liverpool finished the first shot.
Yang Yang gave her hands to Gerrard, speechlessly, as if to say, what are you doing so anxiously?
Pass!
Gerrard scratched his head and ran back without a face.
This was not when Yang Yang played Barcelona. The heavy shot at the opening deterred his opponent and won unanimous praise after the game, so he wanted to learn something and had a rare opportunity. Of course, he hit it directly.
It didn't hit the right part, it was too biased!
Where in Liverpool can anyone guess Gerrard's thoughts?
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Although the first foot shot did not threaten, Liverpool's attack went very smoothly.
In just four minutes, Aveloja quickly plugged in and formed a continuous match with Pennant on the right. The Spanish right back passed into the penalty area. Crouch blocked Colo Touré with his body and pushed the goal from close range.
One to zero!
Such a goal is a bit too simple.
Crouch was so excited that he ran to the side of the court, dancing a mechanical dance and celebrating his goal.
The guy more than two meters tall, dealing with Arsenal's two central defenders about 1.8 meters tall ...
That scene called Yang Yang a little bit unbearable.
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After the lead, Liverpool continued to maintain pressure on Arsenal, but the Gunners were not the master of slaughter, and they quickly threatened, but there was still no way to break through Liverpool's midfield suppression.
In the thirty-fifth minute, Aurelio brought the ball in, Yang Yang cut in quickly, attracted Eboue, and knocked Aurelio's pass back to the bottom line, forming a beautiful two-on-one.
Aurelio pushed forward decisively and crossed in the left side of the penalty area. Crouch headed the ball from close range and scored again.
Two to zero!
Crouch staged a score twice, suddenly rushed to the side of the court, and once again danced the mechanical dance, his expression looked extremely excited. Obviously, the two short defenders who abused Arsenal were really very enjoyable.
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Yang Yang played very loosely in this game because Liverpool completely controlled the situation.
And scored early.
Under such circumstances, it is naturally impossible for him to do his utmost to die.
Reasonable distribution of their physical fitness is also a knowledge of professional players.
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Liverpool's strong advantage on the court comes from the outstanding performance of several rotation players.
Mascherano and Xavi Alonso joined forces in the first half to contribute twenty-two steals, which set the highest record in the Premier League this season, especially Mascherano, who performed extremely eye-catching, It left a deep impression.
More importantly, the Argentine midfielder is not the kind of ball-grabbing machine, he has a very stable ability to pass and take the ball.
Benitez also gave a very high evaluation of the performance of Liverpool players during the halftime break, thinking that the team should continue to inspire, try to defeat Arsenal at home as far as possible, and thwart the morale of the opponent.
And after changing sides in the second half, Liverpool's performance did not decline at all.
In the sixtieth minute, just before Yang Yang was replaced, Aurelio used a set ball opportunity from the frontcourt to assist Daniel Agger to score again.
Then in the 73rd minute of the game, Arsenal once used a corner kick to score, but Liverpool soon again in the 81st minute, Kuyt came off the bench with a color to assist Crouch.
In the end, Liverpool scored a four-to-one shot at home and scored a hearty victory.
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After the game, Liverpool's performance was unanimously affirmed by Fleet Street.
The Times believes that Liverpool did not do their best in this game, because Yang Yang, Gerrard and Harvey Alonso did not take their best form, even after the game determined the advantage early, these players All played a little relaxed.
"This is obviously due to the coach Benitez's advice, because the team will play against Roma next."
The best player this season was Crouch, who staged a hat-trick. This was the first hat-trick in the career of the England senior and was also unanimously affirmed and appreciated after the game.
But the biggest surprise on the major media on Fleet Street were several of Liverpool's bench players.
Aurelio sent two assists to Crouch and Daniel Agger respectively. His defense on the left was very stable. His offense was also impressive, and was once again unanimously recognized by the media.
Avelloa's performance on the right is not too much, especially the first goal of assisting Crouch. Previously, he had continuous cooperation with Pennant and it was very exciting.
But what really impressed people was Argentine midfielder Mascherano.
The Times described, "Mascellano is like a sharp hound in the midfield. Fabregas and Denilson can't escape its sharp sense of smell, and he also has outstanding running ability. He is almost everywhere, chasing the ball throughout the game. "
The Liverpool Echo also gave a high evaluation of Mascherano's performance. He believes that in addition to his excellent ball control, steals and counter-robbing, his passing is also very good. He can actively run to assist his teammates and find Better pass line. "
The Daily Telegraph believes that Mascherano is a rare talent in the midfield, "His combination with Harvey Alonso hit the top European double midfielder level tonight, which is particularly impressive. profound."
So far, Mascherano has played for Liverpool in the British Premier League twice, and the results have been perfect.
This also made many fans and media who had doubts about the Argentine midfielder completely relieved.
In an interview with Liverpool's official website after the game, Mascherano said that he was very grateful for the trust from coach Benitez, "He personally met me in the London Docklands and convinced me to join Liverpool , He gave me hope at the lowest point of my life. "
Mascherano also mentioned what happened after he joined Liverpool, especially his teammate Yang Yang.
"He is a very incredible player, he can always bring incredible performance on the court, but for me, the most important thing is that he is also a very admirable teammate in the locker room, he It gave me a lot of help and advice, especially when I couldn't play. "
"The game only played in the half, and he told me in the locker room that after this game tonight, I will become the favorite player of Liverpool fans, which gives me more confidence and fighting spirit in the second half, and I hope Can help Liverpool win more. "
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Although Yang Yang did not perform very well in this 4 to 1 match, the media not only did not blame Yang Yang, but many media, including the Times and the Daily Telegraph, took the initiative to help him excuse.
The Times thought, "Yang Yang obviously put all his attention on how to help his teammates score goals, which made him forget to help himself score a goal!"
The Daily Telegraph was funny: "Yang Yang should like to watch Crouch dancing!"
The Sun newspaper is somewhat conspiracy theory, "Yang Yang has scored 21 goals, but in the past few rounds, neither Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo have shown signs of catching up with Yang Yang. This made him lose his desire to score and began to help his teammates to score. "
Some other tabloids thought that Yang Yang didn't score because Crouch staged a hat trick, and the two players couldn't get along.
But soon, Crouch said in an interview with Liverpool's official website, "I have more and more understanding with Yang Yang. He is a very good teammate. Even if he doesn't score, he can contribute to the team. . "
"The number one scorer? No, no, I never thought of fighting him, but I couldn't compete with him. I think it's not difficult for him to score 25 goals this season, and everyone and I will do our best to help him finish. Own goals. "
Crouch's statement clearly demonstrated once again to everyone the atmosphere of solidarity in Liverpool and the benign interaction between him and Yang Yang.
If, at the beginning of Yang Yang ’s joining, he more or less competed with Yang Yang to compete for the team ’s number one scorer, then now, especially after the game against Barcelona, he has completely lost this kind of idea.
The reason is very simple. He realized that no matter how he fights, he can't compete with Yang Yang.
Even if a hat trick was staged in the face of Arsenal, in fact, the second ball came from an attack planned by Yang Yang, and then the third free kick was created by Yang Yang.
It can be said that Yang Yang fulfilled his hat trick.
For this, Crouch knew that he knew it, and he also understood that Yang Yang had been releasing goodwill.
More importantly, he is very certain that when he and Yang Yang are incompatible, Liverpool will only make one choice, that is, sell him and buy a center that can cooperate with Yang Yang.
Therefore, no matter what the consideration is, he can only choose to cooperate.