LIVERBORE ARE CRAP

Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 2
IT IS too late for a Christmas card but Liverpool should perhaps send a letter of new year goodwill to the Essex home of Andy D’Urso, the referee. D’Urso’s inadvertent assist in the opening goal for Jari Litmanen at Villa Park yesterday.
D’Urso took centre stage in the seventh minute when Peter Schmeichel launched one of his trademark thrown clearances from the home penalty area. The ball cannoned into D’Urso’s back and rebounded to Litmanen, who sidefooted it into the empty net from 30 yards. Schmeichel scowled, as only the Dane can, but the goal stood.
Liverpool limply retaining third place in the FA Barclaycard Premiership, yet with only one point and one goal from their previous three matches they could not have asked for a better start. D’Urso gift-wrapped it and did not even have the good grace to book himself for ungentlemanly conduct, and the Villa players were so stunned that they barely protested.
The game remained passionless for large portions. Liverpool sent a succession of punts forward for Michael Owen but his isolation, with Litmanen too deep, rendered the tactic almost useless. After 183 appearances for the club, Owen will have to wait for his hundredth goal.
Villa were little better.

At least the forthcoming game against West Ham should be a bit more exciting but unfortunately there is a good chance that Liverpool will bore a win.

Let us pray that Newcastle can keep it going and that they are 4pts ahead with one game to play thus allowing Bobby Robson to talk about winning the championship.

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