On a noisy night at Tynecastle in Edinburgh, Liverpool got back to its winning ways in a hard fought contest by both sides, thanks to an Andy Webster own goal.

After a disappointing 3-0 loss to West Brom over the weekend, this was the perfect chance for Liverpool to gain a much needed confidence boost. It was the same situation for the Hearts, who squandered a 2-0 lead against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, but ended up drawing 2-2. Both sides were looking for a boost going into their respective games this weekend.

While the Liverpool manager decided to rest the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, he still fielded a side which consisted of seven internationals. But early on, with loud support from the Hearts, fans striker John Sutton nearly got in; Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina was alert to clear the ball.

Slowly but surely, Liverpool got back into the game and started to create chances. The best chance was a Jordan Henderson through ball narrowly missed by Fabio Borini, who tried to volley the ball past Hearts goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald. But some Hearts will feel their side should have been awarded a penalty when Jamie Carragher handled the ball, though it did look accidental.

Late on in the first half, Raheem Sterling produced a great interception and was through on goal. Instead of being selfish, with only the keeper to beat, he produced a pass to Borini but somehow hit bar with seconds to go until the half-time whistle.

Both teams struggled to really get going in the second half. Even though only a few half chances being created by both sides, Hearts fans kept singing throughout the whole match. Liverpool kept playing it from the back and passed throughout the whole game, keeping up with Rodgers philosophy.

Finally, the deadlock was broken in the 77th minute when Liverpool got around the tiring Hearts defence. A good cross by Martin Kelly caused chaos in the Hearts penalty area, and although Borini nearly put the ball in the net, it was an own goal by Andy Webster as he tried in vain not to make contact with the ball.

Although late on Andy Driver had a great chance to equalize, his shot lacked pace. The Hearts had to settle with a 1-0 home defeat.

While Liverpool will take this victory away from home, and look forward to the home leg, for Hearts it was an encouraging display by such a youthful squad.

The second leg will take place August 30 at Anfield. Before that game, Liverpool will host Premier League champions Manchester City, while the Hearts are away at Pittodrie against Aberdeen.

Image Courtesy of  Jaggat / Shutterstock.com

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Liverpool Football Club took to the field at Ewood Park on Tuesday night in the midst of their worst run of form in 50 years. Normally considered a routine victory for the club from Merseyside, especially given the precarious position of opposing side Blackburn Rovers, victory was anything but assured for Kenny Dalglish’s men.

An electric start for the visitors saw Liverpool take a two goal lead thanks to some lethargic defending from Blackburn and two Maxi Rodriguez strikes. It was not long after however and Liverpool’s recent run of form seemed to kick in, first with the sending off of goalkeeper Alexander Doni, albeit substitute goalkeeper Brad Jones saved the resulting penalty, and two goals from Rovers striker Yakubu had levelled the scores.

With time running down and Liverpool having been forced to play with just ten men for the majority of the match, Blackburn were increasing the tempo and trying to find a goal which would earn them an invaluable three points. Unfortunately for the home fans however, it was the much maligned Liverpool forward Andy Carroll who grabbed a winner, powering a header beyond the helpless Paul Robinson.

Liverpool may not have played their best football this season, but they have also had their fair share of bad luck, and this game may signal a change in fortunes for the club. Having lost games in the dying minutes with alarming regularity this season, the result against Blackburn will have come as sweet relief to many of Liverpool’s fans and players, none more so than out -of-form striker Carroll.

The former Newcastle man has suffered a torrid start to his Liverpool career, notching just nine goals in his first 50 appearances for the club, much of which has been attributed his inflated transfer fee of £35 million and the resulting loss of confidence after he was unable to perform to a standard befitting the fee in his first few months on Merseyside.

This late goal could change everything for Carroll. The relief and joy of scoring was clearly visible on Carroll’s face as he ran off to celebrate his winning goal, and has already warned local rivals Everton that his side are high no confidence as they head into their FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley on Saturday.

The challenge for Dalglish remains to get the best out of both Carroll and fellow striker Luis Suarez when they are both on the pitch together, and is an unenviable task. Should Dalglish succeed however, then the rest of the English Premier League will need to sit up and take notice as the physicality and aerial ability of Carroll interspersed with ball skills and finishing of Suarez could yet be a feared strike force.

Far more important than the three points received for the victory, as Champions League qualification is no longer a realistic proposition for Liverpool, is the sense of belief that it will have given back to the players whose lack of confidence has been visible in recent displays. Although not yet a squad capable of challenging for the EPL, they are a talented group who will feel confident about their chances of picking up their second trophy of the season in the FA Cup.

Although the result is anything but a foregone conclusion for either side, with both the red and blue halves of Merseyside descending on Wembley this Saturday one thing can be taken for granted, there’s going to be fireworks.

Image Courtesy of  AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA / Shutterstock.com

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After today’s FA Cup matches that included a Manchester United victory against their cross-town rival, Manchester City, the matches for the fourth round of the FA Cup were drawn, pairing Liverpool and Manchester United together in what is sure to be a hostile match due to the recent events involving racist comments made between players.

The current hostility between the two clubs began after the last match played between the two teams, in which Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was banned for eight matches after being found guilty by the EFA of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

Liverpool beat Oldham Athletic Friday night to continue on in the FA Cup race; however, the game was overshadowed by accusations that Liverpool fans racially abused an Oldham player. Manchester United beat their neighboring rivals Manchester City on Sunday after a Manchester City player received a red card and was kicked out of the game.

Arsenal is set to face Leeds United on Monday to see who will be continuing in the competition and facing Aston Villa at the end of the month.

Matches that were drawn today to be played January 28^th and 29^th included:

• Arsenal or Leeds United vs. Aston Villa
• Blackpool vs. Sheffield Wednesday
• Brighton or Wrexham vs. Newcastle United
• Dagenham & Redbridge or Millwall vs. Southampton
• Derby vs. Stoke
• Everton vs. Fulham
• Hull vs. Crawley
• Liverpool vs. Manchester United
• Macclesfield or Bolton vs. Swansea City
• MK Dons or Queens Park Rangers vs. Chelsea
• Nottingham Forest or Leicester City vs. Swindon
• Sheffield United vs. Birmingham or Wolverhampton
• Stevenage vs. Middlesbrough
• Watford vs. Tottenham
• West Bromwich Albion vs. Norwich City

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