When Rafael BenÍtez talked last week about how his team needed to learn how to win even when they play poorly and be a little more clinical in front of goal, this was what the Liverpool manager had in mind.
It was difficult to overemphasise the importance of this victory for Liverpool, their first in the league since Boxing Day. After four successive draws and a 1-0 defeat away to West Ham United on Wednesday, anything less than three points on Saturday would have dealt a serious blow not only to their hopes of finishing fourth but also to the players’ fragile confidence ahead of a critical few weeks.
“All the players knew this was important,” Peter Crouch, scorer of the first goal, said. “We were geeing ourselves up before the game more than for any Premiership match this season. It was a disappointing loss at West Ham and we have had a few results and performances that were not up to Liverpool’s standards.”
Supporters stayed behind to register their support for BenÍtez and opposition to George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks’s continuing ownership of the club. Informal talks have taken place between the Americans and Dubai International Capital, with the private-equity investment arm of the Arab state thought to be keen to step up attempts this week to take control at Anfield.
Liverpool seemed to win despite their manager, not because of him. Although Jamie Carragher, deployed at right back, fashioned the cross from which Crouch scored before Fernando Torres claimed a second and Steven Gerrard finished things with a last-minute penalty, BenÍtez’s decision to play Lucas Leiva, a central midfield player, on the left when he had Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel on the substitutes’ bench was puzzling.
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The most baffling decision was to omit Xabi Alonso from his squad. BenÍtez claimed that Alonso must “work harder” to regain his fitness after missing much of the season through injury, but there are growing fears that the Spain midfield player could leave in the summer.
LIVERPOOL (4-4-2)
J M Reina 6
J Carragher 6
M Skrtel 5
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S Hyypia 7
F Aur?lio 5 (sub: S Finnan, 46min 5)
J Pennant 7
J Mascherano 7
S Gerrard 6
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Lucas Leiva 4 (sub: Y Benayoun, 61 5)
P Crouch 6 (sub: D Kuyt, 83)
F Torres 6.
Substitutes not used: C Itandje, R Babel. Booked: Finnan. Next: Chelsea (a).
SUNDERLAND (4-4-2)
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C Gordon 6
P Bardsley 6
N Nosworthy 6
J Evans 6
D Collins 5
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M Chopra 6 (sub: M Waghorn, 83)
L Miller 5
D Whitehead 6
K Richardson (sub: R Prica, 7 2; sub: R O’Donovan, 55 5)
K Jones 5
D Murphy 5.
Substitutes not used: M Fulop, P McShane. Booked: Miller, Gordon. Next: Wigan Athletic (h).