Prem Report: Gerrard Secures Three-Points For The Reds

Rafael Benitez saw his expensively-assembled side start the campaign with a vital away win at Aston Villa. An own goal and two set-pieces settled the game at Villa Park, with Steven Gerrard hitting an outstanding free-kick for a late winner.

Only two minutes after Villa had equalized, a brilliant free-kick by Steven Gerrard sent the traveling cop into ecstasy and ensured his team made a fantastic, winning start to the new season.

With Liverpool seemingly cruising to a comfortable victory, a dubious penalty for Aston Villa in the 84th minute sparked a game into life. Gareth Barry confidently tucked the ball away, sending Pepe Reina the wrong way in the process, but the excitement wasn’t over yet.

Carrying the ball to the edge of the Villa box, the impressive Steven Gerrard won a free-kick 30 yards from the goal. Stepping up-to the Liverpool captain curled an unstoppable high free-kick out of Stuart Taylor’s reach and straight into the top-right hand corner of the net.

First Half

The players walked out to a wall of noise as a sunny day in Birmingham added to the widespread joy at the start of the new season at Villa Park.

Both teams looked forward to the performances of their new recruits, with Villa’s combative midfielder Nigel Reo-Cocker and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres named in the starting line-ups. Martin O’Neill opted for a 4-3-3 to stifle to counter Rafa Benitez’s adventurous 4-4-2 formation.

The first half started tentatively as both side’s attempts to settle in to the game translated to a lot of wayward balls and bustling ball-winning from the midfield area.

But Villa slowly began to get the upper-hand as their powerful front-man John Carew fended the ball from the Liverpool defence and constantly looked to make room for the quick Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor to threaten down the flanks.

Villa’s 4-3-3 slowly began to get the upper-hand on Rafa Benitez’s 4-4-2 system as Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrad, who started in the middle, both proved wasteful in possession.

However the famed Liverpool passing game soon clicked into gear, mainly due to the front-two pairing of Dirk Kuyt and Torres linking well and bringing the midfield into the moves. An early chance for Gerrard was saved well by Taylor down to his left as the England international passed a shot towards goal.

The opening goal came as a welcome spark to the game, for the match had started to get bogged down in midfield. The running power and intelligent link-up between Kuyt and Torres had already looked promising, but Martin Laursen and Olaf Mellberg had proved steady at the back for Villa, that is until the 31st minute.

A nice-step over from Kuyt was telegraphed by Torres who then turned Laursen and attempted to pass it past Taylor in a one-on-one situation, but the keeper showed good reactions to parry the ball away well.

However before the ball could go out for a corner the tireless Kuyt pulled a cross back into the box for the helpless Laursen, in an attempt to clear the ball, blast past Taylor and into the roof of the net.

In the Danish stalwart’s favour the fleet-footed Torres was on hand to tap the ball in so he had to do something, although an own-goal was not really on Villa’s mind.

Liverpool became rampant as they fashioned two quick opportunities in less than 4 minutes. Firstly John-Arne Riise beat Craig Gardner down the left-wing and his drilled cross was palmed away by Taylor before Torres could tap it in. Gerrard then carried the momentum as he flashed a curled effort high and wide after Liverpool moved the ball well across the Villa box.

Villa did try to get back into the game, but Barry’s best efforts rebounded off his own-man as Riley blew for the end of the first-half.

Second Half

Clearly reeling from an O’Neill rollicking, the Villa players sprang from the blocks and attacked the Holte End with renewed purpose. But after 10 minutes of huffing and puffing, a Carragher led defence rebuffed all of Villa’s best attacks.

Soon after Gerrard, once again, took charge of the midfield and dragged his team from a defensive make-up into an attacking threat with driving runs from the middle and in the process, pinning the Villa team on the back-foot.

O’Neill had only made one change, with an apparently ‘sick’ Laursen switched for Gary Cahill. But as Liverpool looked steady, the erratic Jermaine Pennant seemed to force Bentiez hand into substituting him. After picking up a silly booking, Pennant then reacted badly to a terrible lunge by the poor Wilfred Bouma.

Both players were soon replaced, with Luke Moore on for Bouma and the first competitive showing of Ryan Babel for Pennant.

Benitez’s side looked most likely to score with Gerrard instigating and almost finishing sweeping counter-attacks for Liverpool. The Spaniard took Torres off for Andriy Voronin in the 78th minute; in a move which saw another new summer recruit make his league debut.

Liverpool’s other major buy; Yossi Benayoun was conspicuous by his absence as reports suggest he was ill before the game and did not travel to the game. Instead thousands of Red followers did make the trip and it seemed they would be leaving very happy with a 1-0 result, until a bizarre penalty decision for Villa was awarded.

Defending a long punt from Villa, Jamie Carragher manoeuvred Carew away from making a flick-on, but could only watch as the ball bounced onto his arm. Referee Mike Riley instantly gave a penalty a decision which bemused Carragher as equally as it gave joy to the rapturous Holte End. Gareth Barry confidently stepped up after some gamesmanship from Reina, which incidentally saw the Spaniard booked, and tucked the ball to the keeper's left.

A noisy Villa Park erupted after witnessing what they must have thought was the final act of the game. But, as he has done countless times before, Steven Gerrard collected the ball in the middle and drove at the defence, only to fall over Stilian Petrov’s outstretched leg. With Villa players fuming, Riley proceeded to award a free-kick, only however, after Gerrard had demanded one.

In what will surely be seen as contentious moment by O’Neill, Riley waved away the remonstrations by Villa and placed the ball down centrally 30 yards from Taylor’s goal. Seemingly too far for a meaningful shot, Gerrard nonetheless managed to whip a curled effort straight into the top right hand corner of the goal with Taylor helpless to stop it. Liverpool had scored only two minutes after Villa’s equaliser.

The Liverpool skipper’s great free-kick sparked jubilation from Liverpool fans and among the travelling Kopites and surely left a relieved Benitez on the touchline, happy that his team have finally made a good, winning start to the Premiership.