Europa League provides solace for Benitez and Liverpool
Just three months ago, Rafael Benitez’s position as Liverpool manager was among the most insecure in the Premier League. Out of the Champions League, seventh in the league table and hindered by disputes in the boardroom. Liverpool were a club in disarray.
But what a difference three months can make in football.
Last night’s emphatic 4-1 victory over the talented Benfica had the Anfield faithful back on their feet chanting Benitez’s name. The Reds’ boss must have forgotten what that felt like.
It was the club’s most outstanding performance of a hugely frustrating and disappointing campaign, but the meticulous Liverpool manager was keen to play down suggestions that it was their best display.
“It was a very good game. Because Benfica are a very good team, to score four goals is fantastic but we’ve still played some better games,” Benitez said afterwards.
The home fans in the Kop End last night would have argued otherwise.
Dirk Kuyt, one of Benitez’s players who hadn’t let his tireless work ethic drop during the tough weeks and months, opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark with a header from a Steven Gerrard corner. Initially, the goal had been ruled out for offside, but when the extra assistant indicated that no flick-on had occurred, it was rightfully awarded back to the hosts.
Benfica had arrived in Merseyside off the back of a stunning 27-game unbeaten run and had most of their star names available. Much more was expected of the Portuguese giants yesterday evening, though. After Kuyt nodded in the opener, the visitors looked distinctly second-best for the majority of the game.
Just like Benitez, another man on the Liverpool payroll who had endured months of criticism, but now finds himself flavour of the month, Lucas, showed tremendous composure to round Julio Cesar and put his side 2-0 ahead on the night, 10 minutes before the break. Even more importantly, Liverpool were 3-2 up on aggregate and on course for the Europa League semi-finals.
The likes of Angel Di Maria, Pablo Aimar and Oscar Cardoza had struggled to stamp down their authority in the opening 45 minutes, compared to their instrumental performances a week previously at the Stadium of Light, and Benfica were now in real danger of finding themselves on the end of a hammering unless they produced a vastly improved second-half display.
Benfica did manage to improve – to an extent - and so nearly hauled themselves back into the match courtesy of the visitor’s standout performer, Cardozo. But by the time the Paraguayan had smashed in a 70th minute free-kick, Liverpool had already taken a 3-0 lead.
A brilliant team move starting from their own 18-yard box, while defending a Benfica set piece - reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal for Manchester United in last season’s Champions League semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium – was finished off by the in-form Fernando Torres for his eighth goal in just seven matches.
After Cardozo had reduced the deficit, he was presented with a glorious chance to hand Benfica the advantage once more with a free-kick from a near-identical position to the one he scored from. Instead of power, he opted for placement, and a minor deflection saw it hit the back of the net.
Fortunately for the hosts, whose supporters must have thought it had flown in, the ball took a vital deflection and went millimetres wide of Pepe Reina’s left-hand post, before hitting the advertising hoardings and then the back of the Liverpool goal.
After that major scare, Torres took it upon himself to wrap up victory – as well as a mouth-watering semi-final against his former club Atletico Madrid - with a typically majestic finish into the Benfica net with less than 10 minutes left to play.
Benitez’s decision to substitute Torres during last weekend’s match against Birmingham now seemed like a masterstroke. Yesterday evening he hooked both Gerrard and Torres off before the final whistle, but this time, it was meant be an entirely different reaction from the apologetic Anfield crowd.
Now just three wins away from the Europa League trophy, Liverpool’s season and Benitez’s job, may just have been salvaged.
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