West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Liverpool | Capital One Cup match report | Football | The Guardian

West Bromwich Albion 1 Tamas 3
Liverpool 2 

Sahin 17, 

Sahin 82

These are challenging times for Brendan Rodgers, whose Liverpool side have endured the ignominy of making the club's worst start to a league campaign in 101 years, but a committed and impressive performance from what was effectively a reserve XI provided the Northern Irishman with a much needed first domestic victory since taking over at Anfield. On a night when Jerome Sinclair came off the bench to become Liverpool's youngest ever player at the age of 16 years and six days – he is so new to the scene that the club got his christian name wrong on the team-sheet and put him down as Jordan – Nuri Sahin endeared himself to the travelling supporters with two goals to help the holders vanquish West Brom and secure a place in the last 16, where Rodgers will come up against Swansea City, his former club.

Sahin, on loan from Real Madrid, could have a valuable role to play at Liverpool this season, although it was the sparkling form of Oussama Assaidi that did most to catch the eye. Assaidi, signed from Heerenveen in the summer, was a joy to watch on the left flank as his dextrous footwork and sinuous runs tormented Albion time and again. There was also an end product to his play, which was evident long before the Moroccan provided the centre that Sahin turned home in the 82nd minute.

It was a result that Rodgers was entitled to cherish, even if moving up the Premier League remains the priority. His side showed character and composure to play themselves back into the game after suffering the blow of conceding a dreadful goal inside the first three minutes, when Gabriel Tamas volleyed home after Brad Jones allowed Liam Ridgewell's floated free-kick to slip from his grasp. On a bad evening for goalkeepers Ben Foster was guilty of a blunder every bit as bad at the other end, and from the moment that Sahin's 30-yard shot slipped beyond the Albion No1 in the 17th minute, the complexion of the game changed and a youthful Liverpool side grew in confidence.

"It's always exciting when you see young players, guys that have got great technique, but what is important as well is that they understand how to fight," Rodgers said. "It was a wonderful performance against an experienced team. For us to dominate the game like we did and to get the goals, especially the second goal, which typified what we are about, was very pleasing.

"I think it was a symbolic night as well because it shows how far we're moving as a group from our first day of the season here, when we were a wee bit disjointed and players were not quite understanding my methods, to the last three or four weeks, where our tempo, our rhythm and our relentless possession has started to come through. It was good to see that."

This Liverpool side was unrecognisable from the one that struggled so badly at The Hawthorns on the opening day of the season in more ways than one. As well as the difference in the level of the performance, there was a huge change in personnel, with Stewart Downing the sole survivor from the team that suffered a 3-0 defeat then.

Rodgers said afterwards that he has only 12 senior players fit, although on this evidence it will be no bad thing if a few fresh faces feature against Norwich on Saturday.

Sinclair, who was part of Albion's academy until he moved to Liverpool last summer, is unlikely to be on show at Carrow Road but this night will live long in the memory of a teenager who was four months old when Jamie Carragher made his debut. He supplants Jack Robinson, who was 244 days older when he made his first Liverpool appearance, as the club's youngest player. "He got a nice round of applause afterwards in the changing room," Rodgers said. "But now his hard work begins."

For Albion this was a deeply frustrating evening. Although Steve Clarke made five changes from the side that beat Reading on Saturday, it was still a strong Albion team and the manager was at a loss to explain why Sahin's first goal "knocked the stuffing out of us". Foster struggled to recover from that error and looked vulnerable on a couple of occasions in the second half, when he made unconvincing saves to deny Samed Yesil and the enterprising Daniel Pacheco, who also hit the bar with a delightful curling shot. Extra-time was looming at that point but Suso's driving run at the heart of the Albion defence ended with the substitute releasing Assaidi to deliver the cross that implored Sahin to score the winner.

Rodgers can now look forward to a reunion next month. "Swansea is a wonderful club and I was in no rush to leave," the Liverpool manager said. "It promises to be a great night at Anfield."

West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Liverpool | Capital One Cup match report | Football | The Guardian

Young Boys 3 Liverpool 5: match report

This is being blogged after the ManU match at Anfield. At this point, Liverpool have lost to ManU with a big contribution being Jonjo Shelvey's first half sending off. You win some, you lose some.

Liverpool’s Jonjo Shelvey enjoyed the most entertaining cameo since the Queen took a phone call from Danny Boyle.

Shelvey came off the bench with the novices of Anfield trailing 3-2 to Young Boys of Switzerland. Within 30 seconds Liverpool had equalised, and Shelvey then struck twice to ensure Brendan Rodgers opened his Europa League group campaign with an encouraging, but chaotic, victory.

At the ripe old age of 20, Shelvey practically enjoyed veteran status in what amounted to a trainee Liverpool squad. Having enjoyed a rapid promotion into the first team this season, the Essex boy looked a class apart as he took control of the game, volleying Liverpool ahead on 76 minutes, before sealing the points with a midfield burst, drop of the shoulder and brutal left footer two minutes from time.

“He is still only 20 and is developing all the time,” purred Rodgers. “You can tell his confidence is growing and he is going to be a big player for us.”

Due to a flight curfew in Berne, Rodgers’s side had to depart within 20 minutes of the final whistle. Rumours that the time limit was a result of the tender average age of the squad remained unconfirmed.

The players’ heads must still have been spinning by the time they landed on Merseyside after such a haphazard encounter.
Liverpool twice squandered a lead, looked destined to endure a damaging defeat with 23 minutes remaining, but left buoyed by the performance of a line-up which included three debutants.
Prior to Shelvey’s contribution, a Sebastián Coates header, possibly assisted by Fabio Borini’s slightest deflection, made it 3-3.
Earlier, teenage newcomer Andre Wisdom’s header and an own goal by Juhani Ojala represented a misleading period of serenity prior to the second-half bedlam.
Rodgers spoke about his pride at leading such an inexperienced team to a victory which had quality, courage and the odd slice of good fortune.
There was also some disjointed defending in the three goals which Liverpool conceded, but Rodgers will see only the positives.
For all the pre-match attention on Anfield’s emerging talent such as Wisdom, and the excellent Spanish teenager Suso, it was those less accustomed to being on the fringes who had most to prove.
Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and José Enrique began last season as high-profile recruits and part of the latest Anfield master plan. They have started this one as emblems of the wasted funds of the former regime and need to start proving they have the quality to survive beyond the next transfer window.
Henderson played well, but Enrique did himself no favours, enduring a torrid evening on the left. He gifted an equaliser on 38 minutes, inexplicably dribbling away from his goalkeeper, Brad Jones, and then tamely clearing to Raphael Nuzzolo, who could not miss an empty net.
The Spanish full-back was also partially culpable in the Young Boys’ second goal, a header by Ojala (redeeming his earlier own goal) and their third — a tidy finish by Gonzalo Zárate. Liverpool will need a new left-back as well as a striker when the transfer window reopens, unless Enrique’s dip in form is reversed.
Martin Kelly may have the safest position in the side. There was no such difficulty on the right of Liverpool’s defence. There has been a shortage of wisdom at Anfield for too many years, so the club made a timely rediscovery of their qualities in the form of their 19-year-old right-back. The England youth international is certainly one to watch at Anfield.
The Europa League clearly remains low on the priority list, but as the hawks circle Rodgers in the early part of his reign, no win and no game can be underplayed.
Liverpool clearly have a long way to go before they rank among the majesty of the Champions League again, but they proved no matter what the competition they are still European royalty.

Young Boys 3 Liverpool 5: match report - Telegraph

Symbolism and Pragmatism

The symbolism of Justice for the 96 was all there at the beginning. At the end, it was the pragmatism of a team still building but lacking the building blocks. The movement and fluidity has improved, yet the shortage in front of goal was again glaringly apparent. Raheem Sterling and Suso provided a glimpse of the future of the club, and Joe Allen seems to be the Successor of Gerard. Jonjo Shelvey, we don't know yet. The good signs are there, but worryingly, it is the lack of depth of the squad that portends a bleak season ahead. Injuries to Dan Agger and Martin Kelly look to compound the shortage up front, and this week will be a time of review on the path ahead.
Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2: match report - Telegraph

Liverpool couldn't do it for the 96

I didn't see this match but from all accounts, liverpool did enough to at least justify a draw. The lack of forward power again showed itself and for the  third or fourth game in succession Borini was replaced for lack of effect. By Downing. That says it all. So, Brendan Rodgers has just got to make do until January, and since everyone is aware of Liverpool's desperation, it's not going to be pretty even then. Brodgers is trying to offset his lack front power by enhancing his midfield striking options. Perhaps the United game on Sunday is where it will all fall into place.
Luis Su�rez equaliser cannot mask Liverpool's striking deficiencies | Football | The Guardian

The Figure 2

Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal | Premier League match report | Football | The Guardian

A good performance from the players, especially at the beginning, but a second defeat nevertheless. Brodgers' style of play is becoming more apparent but a combination of personal mistakes from 2 stalwarts and lack of front firepower consigned this team to near-bottom of the league going into the 2 week international hiatus. The 2 in question are none other than Stevie G and Pepe. While the former has looked under the weather since the beginning of the season, Pepe had a decent game except for allowing the ball to squirm under him, although I would not blame him too much as the quality of the delivery from Santi Cazorla was excellent. Liverpool's profligacy in the late departed transfer period is becoming more evident as goals are becoming difficult to come by despite good appproach play. Hence the nonsensical mention of Owen by those wishing to sensationalise the current situation of only 2 first team strikers. Whatever it is, Joe Allen is looking to be the best buy of the last 2 seasons, and Nuri Sahin made an impressive debut.