Liverpool failings exposed in depressing defeat at relegation threatened Bolton

Liverpool travelled to Bolton, looking to close the gap on Chelsea, who had drawn against Norwich earlier, but were instead trounced by the Trotters, who completely outclassed their more illustrious opponents. The hosts started the game very brightly and were ahead within 4 minutes, courtesy of some neat play by David Ngog and some excellent finishing by Mark Davies. The Trotters then doubled their tally in the 29th minute, with Chris Eagles setting up Nigel Reo-Coker with an easy finish. Liverpool did reply well after the goal and managed to peg Bolton back in the 36th minute, with Craig Bellamy again coming to their rescue. However, the Trotters continued to play their attacking game and were rewarded early in the second half, with Gretar Steinsson volleying home after David Wheater had set him up with a header. The third goal really blew the wind out of Liverpool, who struggled to make any sort of impact upfront.

In fact Bolton continued to look the more threatening of the two sides and ran out worthy winners towards the end. The loss sees Bolton climb out of the relegation zone to 17th place, a point ahead of Blackburn while Liverpool remain in 7th place, a point behind Newcastle, who also lost today.

Struggling Bolton maintained their 4-5-1 formation, with former Liverpool striker David Ngog being deployed as the lone striker. Kevin Davies returned to the bench, despite scoring against Macclesfield in the FA Cup. The midfield comprised of Mark Davies, Fabrice Muamba and Nigel Reo-Coker at the centre, with Chris Eagles and Martin Petrov deployed in their usual wing positions. The defence meanwhile had Zat Knight and David Wheater as the two centre backs, with Gretar Steinsson on the right and Sam Ricketts on the left.

After a drab showing against Stoke, Sebastian Coates, Dirk Kuyt, Stewart Downing and Jamie Carragher were all demoted to the bench. Daniel Agger returned in defence, with Martin Skrtel alongside him and Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique operating as fullbacks. The five man midfield had Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam as the two central midfielders, with Jordan Henderson in a slightly attacking role with Maxi and Craig Bellamy deployed out wide. Andy Carroll also came back into the side and was deployed as the lone striker upfront.

Bolton were quick off the mark and opened the scoring within 4 minutes as Ngog sent Mark Davies through with a clever backheel and the midfielder didn’t disappoint as he took a couple of touches before placing the ball in the bottom right corner from just inside the box. The goal certainly unsettled Liverpool, as their passes started becoming increasingly sloppy.

The hosts could’ve added another one in the 8th minute as Eagles got the better of Enrique and delivered a tantalising square ball, only for it to marginally miss Fabrice Muamba, who was waiting at the near post. Maxi then had a chance at the other end as Pepe Reina sent him through with an excellent kick. However, the Argentine decided to take a touch instead of shooting and ended up handling the ball, as the referee blew his whistle.

Bolton were the more dominant of the two sides, although Liverpool too were looking threatening while going forward. Henderson then tried his luck from long range in the 18th minute, but Adam Bogdan saved comfortably.

Chances were few and far after that, with Bolton holding firm at the back and Liverpool struggling to string together passes. The hosts though doubled their lead after 29 minutes as Eagles lifted the ball for Reo-Coker, who received the pass on his chest before slotting home from close range past a hapless Reina.

The second goal stirred Liverpool, as they began to show more urgency in their game. Carroll even managed to send Bellamy clear in the 34th minute, only for the winger to attempt a long ranged shot instead of trying to find an unmarked Gerrard inside the box. Bellamy and Carroll though combined again in the 36th minute with the latter sending Bellamy clear with a header and this time the Welshman didn’t disappoint as he put the ball at the back of the net.

Liverpool finished the half strongly and continued to push on for an equaliser, although it was Bolton who had the last chance of the game, as Petrov’s free kick from just outside the box drew a save from Reina. •The score-line though remained the same, with Trotters leading Liverpool by 2 goals to 1.

Both teams started the second half brightly, although Bolton were again looking the sharper of the two sides. Their initial efforts then saw them restore their two goal lead as Wheater headed the ball to Steinsson following a corner, with the full back confidently volleying home in the 49th minute.

Liverpool yet again conceded a soft goal and the game already looked beyond their reach with their frontline not being able to cause •Bolton’s defence many problems. In fact it was Bolton who were asking all the questions, with Mark Davies in particular troubling the likes of Skrtel and Agger with some slick passing and purposeful runs.

Dalglish then brought on Dirk Kuyt and Stewart Downing for Maxi and Adam respectively in order to try and get back into the game. The change though did little to improve Liverpool’s gameplay although Agger did come close in the 71st minute as his long range attempt beat Bogdan, but clipped the bar before going out.

Andy Carroll wasted a golden opportunity in the 72nd minute as he lashed out with his left foot at Downing’s cut back and somehow failed to even connect with the ball. Bellamy too wasted an opportunity 5 minutes later as he decided to again shoot instead of sending Kuyt clear on the right and couldn’t find the back of the net with Bogdan saving his tame shot.

Eagles came close to further increasing Bolton’s lead in the 84th minute as his shot deflected off Skrtel and nearly found its way into the back of the net. The match continued in a similar fashion as Bolton continued to trouble Liverpool with their passing and movement while the Reds continued to struggle on all fronts. The game therefore ended with the Trotters registering a comfortable 3-1 victory over Liverpool.

Bolton will be delighted with their display. They outplayed Liverpool on all fronts and their passing in the final third was particularly impressive. They thoroughly deserved the win and will be hoping to keep up the level of their performance when they host Arsenal on the 1st of February. Liverpool on the other hand had a woeful day where none of their players impressed. They are struggling to keep up with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal and will need to up their game if they are to have a chance of finishing in the top four. They must now, however, turn their attention to the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City, whom they host at Anfield on the 25th of January.

Teams:

Bolton: Bogdan, Ricketts, Knight, Wheater, Steinsson, Eagles (Tuncay 91’), Muamba, Davies, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Ngog (Davies 88’).

Subs: Lynch, Tuncay, Davies, Pratley, Boyata, Riley, O’Halloran

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Gerrard, Henderson, Adam (Downing 64’), Maxi (Kuyt 64’), Bellamy, Carroll.

Subs: Doni, Coates, Kuyt, Downing, Carragher, Shelvey, Kelly.

Final Scoreline: Bolton 3-1 Liverpool (Davies 4’, Reo-Coker 29’, Bellamy 36’, Steinsson 49’)

(TheSportsCampus)