LIVERPOOL 3 LILLE 0: ON THE scale of great European nights at Anfield it might not even scrap into the top 40 but, as feats of escapology go, this was still an occasion of rich satisfaction for a club that finally seems to have found some affection for the Europa League.
This is not a competition the club crave with any historic desire but it could have therapeutic qualities when it comes to the possibility of salvaging something from a difficult season.
The pressure on Rafael Benitez may have been intolerable had Liverpool been eliminated from this tournament before the quarter-finals. Instead they set about the business of overhauling Lille with determination, Steven Gerrard putting them ahead with a ninth-minute penalty before Fernando Torres’s two second-half goals demonstrated that he is back to his lethal best after a season heavily disrupted by injury.
The two key men in Liverpool’s side were outstanding on a night when the only concern was of the effect it might have on the players’ legs. With hostilities to be renewed with Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool’s supporters could be forgiven if they find themselves fretting about the sapping effects of a second match in four nights.
Gerrard was a commanding, ubiquitous figure and there were flashes of brilliance from Torres on the night he scored his first goal for Liverpool in European competition since the quarter-final against Chelsea last April.
Benitez’s men began the night as though it was not just the manager who was affronted by Albert Riera’s description of the club being a “sinking ship”.
Lille, a fast, counter-attacking side who have climbed to fourth in le Championnat, arrived at Anfield with a 1-0 first-leg win, but the raw energy of the home side seemed to take them by surprise.
The early breakthrough did much to soothe the crowd’s nerves and it was a nightmarish moment for Adil Rami, the Lille centre-half obligingly sticking out a leg as Lucas ran on to the ball inside the penalty area. It was a gift that Lucas saw coming, the Brazilian taking full advantage as he sprawled to the floor, and Gerrard was calmness personified from the penalty spot.
The first half was a story of almost incessant pressure from Liverpool. But Eden Hazard was the most impressive player in the first leg and the way he burst through Liverpool’s defence just after the half-hour mark suggested again that the 19-year-old Belgian is a player we might get to hear a lot more about in the future.
Hazard’s attempt to flick the ball over the oncoming Pepe Reina was foiled as the ball flicked off the goalkeeper’s head.
Five minutes into the second half Torres reminded us why, when he if fit and sharp, a serious case could be made for him to be recognised as the most devastating finisher in Europe.
Ryan Babel’s through-ball was misjudged by the hapless Rami and Torres held off the centre-half Aurelien Chedjou and dinked the ball over Ludovic Butelle for his fourth goal in his five full games since coming back from a groin injury. Two minutes from the end when Gerrard’s shot was parried by Butelle Torres turned in the rebound to seal the win.
- Guardian Service
LIVERPOOL:Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger (Kyrgiakos 90), Insua, Kuyt, Mascherano, Lucas, Babel (Benayoun 80), Gerrard, Torres (Ngog 90). Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Degen, El Zhar, Kelly. Booked: Insua, Torres.
LILLE:Landreau, Beria, Chedjou, Rami, Emerson, Balmont (Aubameyang 71), Mavuba, Cabaye, Hazard (Vandam 86), Frau (Toure 58), Obraniak. Subs Not Used: Butelle, Dumont, Souare, Souquet. Booked: Cabaye.
Ref:N Rizzoli.
Gerrard 9 pen
Torres 49, 90
Attend: 38,139
Liverpool win 3-1 on agg
