Liverpool celebrated the 50th anniversary of the appointment of Bill Shankly with a 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic at Anfield.
It
was a night for legends at Merseyside, and Fernando Torres duly obliged
by scoring the winning goal late in the second half after youngster
David Ngog opened the scoring with a header early on. Charles N'Zogbia
scored a late consolation in stoppage time.
Liverpool took the
lead nine minutes into the game. The Reds had a corner cleared to Fabio
Aurelio on the right flank, the Brazilian took a touch and delivered a
fantastic cross into the penalty area. Ngog met the ball 10 yards from
goal, ahead of Chris Kirkland, and headed it past the Wigan 'keeper and
into the back of the net: 1-0 to Liverpool.
Wigan had a good
chance three minutes later, they broke down the left with Charles
N'Zogbia and the former Newcastle United man delivered a precise cross
to Paul Scharner in the penalty box. The Austrian had made a run in
between the center backs and headed unchallenged towards goal.
Fortunately for the home side the chance was wasted as Scharner headed
straight at Pepe Reina.
A piece of quick thinking from Yossi
Benayoun almost got Liverpool a second goal in the 16th minute. The
Israeli released Ngog down the right flank with a quick throw in, and
the youngster attacked the penalty area. Spotting Kuyt making a run to
the near post, Ngog drilled the ball inside as the Dutch forward got in
front of his marker and unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot.
Kirkland managed to save with his right hand and the ball skewed over
the crossbar.
Wigan withstood the ensuing period of Liverpool
pressure, clearing the ball off the line after a scramble in the
penalty area, and the game became increasingly scrappy. Both sides had
brief passing moves that broke down after fleeting signs of promise.
As
the first 45 minutes drew to a close Liverpool finished the half on
top. Steven Gerrard attempted a cross-field pass from the left that was
deflected into the path of Ngog. The Frenchman latched onto the ball,
entering the left hand side of the penalty area. He took the shot on
with his first touch and fired it back across goal, missing the
right-hand post by inches.
Wigan had a decent chance at the
start of the second half, breaking on the counter attack N'Zogbia was
released on the left. He hammered a left-footed shot towards goal, but
didn't worry Reina, who spilled the shot but collected on the second
time of asking.
Liverpool re-enacted a chance for the first half
when Ngog and Kuyt combined to almost unlock the Wigan defense. Ngog
attacking down the right and cut the ball back across goal for his
strike partner. Kuyt connected with a vicious shot and Kirkland
produced a brilliant reaction save to deny the Dutchman.
Kuyt
almost returned the favor minutes later, he was released on the right
by a wonderful pass by Gerrard that left Maynor Figueroa stranded. Kuyt
pulled the ball back towards Ngog, who had made a run to the front
post, but Titus Bramble read the danger and cleared the ball before it
got to the 20 year old forward.
Ngog was withdrawn in the 64th
minute and replaced by Fernando Torres. Liverpool should have had a
second goal moments after his introduction. Gerrard crossed into the
area from a corner and Daniel Agger had a free header six yards from
goal, the Dane failed to make a good connection with his header and the
chance was wasted.
Liverpool's inability to kill the game off
was almost punished in the 74th minute as substitute Jason Scotland
came close to equalizing for Wigan. The visitors crossed the ball into
the box from a free-kick high on the right flank, Scharner challenged
Reina and nodded the ball back to Scotland who volleyed towards the top
left-hand corner. His strike was ferocious, but it lashed off the
crossbar and bounced out to safety.
This was to prove a
critical miss for Wigan as Liverpool extended their lead with their
next opportunity on goal. A long ball forward wasn't dealt with by the
Wigan defense and this released Torres for a one-on-one with Kirkland.
The Spaniard skipped past the 'keeper and flicked the ball goal wards
with his right foot, Bramble managed to block this attempt but Torres
pounced on the rebound and showed neat footwork before tapping the ball
into the open net: 2-0 to Liverpool.
The Reds looked to close
out the game in the final stages, with Rafael Benitez introducing
Alberto Aquilani for another cameo appearance. The Italian made an
impression, attempting an overhead kick in the box shortly after coming
off the bench.
Despite looking comfortable, Liverpool conceded a
late goal. The impressive N'Zogbia collected the ball in the right-side
hand of the box and ran across the area, skipping past multiple
challenges. He then drilled the ball back across Reina, beyond the
'keeper's outstretched left hand and into the Liverpool goal: 2-1.
The
Reds managed to hold out to claim the three points, but Benitez will be
concerned his side conceded such a cheap goal late in the game.
EPL: Javier Mascherano - Paul Scharner, Liverpool v Wigan Athletic (Getty Images)