LATE DRAMA AS TORRES PUTS REDS TOP An injury-time winner from substitute Fernando Torres sent Liverpool back to the top of the league after a dramatic 3-2 win at Fratton Park. The Reds twice came from behind through Fabio Aurelio and Dirk Kuyt before El Nino's ninth goal of the season saw them leapfrog Manchester United until Sunday at least.
All five goals came in an unbelievable second half, and though Liverpool had trailed through David Nugent and Hermann Hreidarsson, the victory was deserved.
Changes were expected following the extra-time defeat to Everton just 72 hours earlier, though the extent no doubt shocked some of the hardcore Scousers who braved the arctic conditions at Fratton Park.
With Torres and Xabi Alonso deemed fit enough only for the bench, rookie striker David Ngog got his first Premier League start, while Fabio Aurelio stood in as a makeshift midfielder, something he was occasionally asked to do by Benitez at Valencia. Elsewhere, there were five at the back, with Daniel Agger returning.
Liverpool started brightly but it was one of their ex stars who was first to threaten when some great hold up play from Nugent allowed Peter Crouch to ghost into the box before shooting straight at Pepe Reina in front of the travelling Kop.
The visitors were dominant from there, as if Benitez's starters felt they had a point to prove.
One of those to impress was Agger, who found Alvaro Arbeloa with a superb lofted pass. The full-back seemed to take Pompey by surprise with an early ball to Yossi Benayoun, who strode into the area only to squander his shot.
Next Aurelio, assuming free-kick duty in the absence of Alonso and the hamstrung Steven Gerrard, brushed the post with a 25-yard bender.
The Brazilian looked a natural in midfield, though had his head in hands on 16 minutes after skewing wide following some slick football from Ngog and Ryan Babel.
Aurelio's midfield partner was next to be denied. The sight of Javier Mascherano directing a scorcher into the bottom corner on 26 minutes took David James by surprise, but the former Reds stopper did just enough to tip wide.
At the other end, Pompey's threat was largely restricted to set-pieces, although a turn and shot from Crouch as half-time loomed caused temporary alarm.
Liverpool started the second half on the front foot, with Ngog winning a corner after skipping past two defenders.
Minutes later Howard Webb waved away penalty protests following an apparent handball from Glen Johnson. If the visitors felt hard done by, things soon evened themselves out when a slip from Agger saw him inadvertently palm the ball away from a blue shirt. No penalty, said Mr Webb.
The away fans were starting to bounce in tribute to their £20million substitute, though it was Kuyt who Benitez introduced for Ngog after 56 minutes.
The Dutchman almost made an instant impact. It was Benayoun who skipped effortlessly past Hreidarsson before finding Kuyt, who drove the ball across the six-yard box only for Babel to miss an open goal.
Then, on 62 minutes, a breakthrough at the wrong end. And to add insult to injury, it came from an Evertonian as Nugent latched onto a superb throughball from, who else, Crouch before keeping his cool to slot underneath Reina.
The irony would not have been lost on Sunday newspaper writers had Crouch inflicted a serious blow to Liverpool's title challenge, but just seven minutes later the big man was instrumental in restoring parity. It was the England striker's mis-judged back pass that was handled by James, resulting in an indirect free-kick 10 yards out. Substitute Alonso took the faintest of touches before Aurelio thundered into the bottom corner and it was 1-1.
Cue tremors around Fratton Park as Torres entered the fray. El Nino had 15 minutes to make the difference, but his task was about to be made almost impossible, for it was Portsmouth who struck next.
The goal came on 77 minutes when Nadir Belhadj's in-swinging free-kick was nodded beyond the despairing Reina by an unmarked Hreidarsson.
If Liverpool were to keep the pressure on Manchester United at the top, another one of those early-season comebacks would be required.
The first step to exactly that was taken on 84 minutes when Torres burst clear of Sylvain Distan before cutting back to Kuyt, who took two touches before blasting into the top corner from a difficult angle.
Then, after one minute of injury time, mission impossible was complete when Benayoun's pinpoint cross was met by a bullet header from Torres.
Teams Liverpool: Reina, Agger, Carragher (captain), Skrtel, Arbeloa, Dossena, Mascherano, Aurelio, Benayoun, Babel, Ngog. Subs - Hyypia, Torres, El Zhar, Riera, Cavalieri, Kuyt, Alonso
Portsmouth: James, Hreidarsson, Campbell (captain), Distin, Johnson, Belhadj, Basinas, Mullins, Davis, Nugent, Crouch. Subs - Pamarot, , Kranjcar, Gekas, Begovic, Mvuemba, Lauren
Referee: Howard Webb
Conditions: Very cold
Attendance: Unknown
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Fabio Aurelio
Breakdown 17:33 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Liverpool get the game underway at Fratton Park
2 mins : Snap shot from Nugent fails to trouble Reina
5 mins : Nugent finds Crouch in the box but the former Red can't beat Reina from close range
6 mins : It looks like we're playing three central defenders, two wing-backs, Aurelio and Mascherano in the middle and then Babel and Benayoun behind Ngog
7 mins : Dossena wins a free kick off Johnson after a foul on the left hand side
8 mins : Great chance for Benayoun but he scuffs a left footed shot into the side netting
11 mins : Aurelio bends a free kick fractions wide of James' post - great effort from the Brazilian. Good start from Liverpool
15 mins : Good run by Babel down the left leads to a spell of good passing from the Reds. We're dominating so far
17 mins : Aurelio goes close again with a left footed shot from 20 yards which is disappointingly wide
25 mins : Great effort from Mascherano who forces James into a diving save away to his left
27 mins : Reina makes a comfortable stop from a Basinas free kick from 25 yards
28 mins : Agger catches Basinas with a challenge and the Portsmouth debutante needs treatment
35 mins : Crouch turns outside the box and smashes a shot over the goal. The game has gone a bit scrappy of late
18:20 GMT : Half Time Reached
18:37 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Portsmouth get the second half underway with the scores still goalless
46 mins : Early shot from Ngog wins Liverpool a corner in front of their own fans
46 mins : Substitution: Niko Kranjcar for Hayden Mullins:
51 mins : Good play from Ngog leads to a promising attack but in the end James is out to gather
55 mins : Substitution: Dirk Kuyt for David Ngog:
58 mins : Golden chance for Babel to open the scoring but he somehow fails to make contact in front of goal from Kuyt's cross
61 mins : GOAL! David Nugent: Nugent slides the ball under Reina from close range to open the scoring
66 mins : Substitution: Xabi Alonso for Andrea Dossena:
67 mins : James handles a backpass, giving Liverpool a free kick inside the area
69 mins : GOAL! Fabio Aurelio: Aurelio fires home the free kick low past James
71 mins : James saves well from a stinging drive from Kuyt
75 mins : Kuyt has the ball in the net from Aurelio's pass but is flagged offside
76 mins : Substitution: Fernando Torres for Ryan Babel:
77 mins : GOAL! Hermann Hreidarsson: Pompey regain the lead as Hreidarsson heads home unmarked from in the box
81 mins : Benayoun has half a chance but James is out quickly to clear the danger
84 mins : GOAL! Dirk Kuyt: Kuyt smashes the ball into the roof of the net to level the scores - can we win it now?
88 mins : First Booking: Hermann Hreidarsson:
90 mins : GOAL! Fernando Torres: Torres heads home a sensational winner from Aurelio's cross |
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