Source: Liverpool_Echo
Liverpool FC 2, Wigan 1: Relief as Reds finally get recovery springboard
ON the night they came to pay tribute to the man who made the people happy, at long, long last the people finally had something to smile about.[LNB]While Liverpool may not have been able to conjure up a display befitting the occasion, thanks to a combination of hard work and perseverance, the match closest to the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly's first as Liverpool manager was marked with a win.[LNB]This 2-1 dismissal of Wigan Athletic will live in the memory banks only for the fact some of the club's most famous sons returned home, but there should be no underestimating its importance.[LNB]Having been caught in a maelstrom ever since Chelsea flattened them at Stamford Bridge on October 4, the Reds needed a helping hand from the footballing gods and, mercifully, they got one.[LNB]The night may have been billed as a celebration and the sight of heroes from the 1965 and 1974 FA Cup winning sides on the pitch before kick-off was designed to stir the crowd but, given what has happened recently, bonhomie was in short supply.[LNB]If anything, apprehension ruled; Anfield was eerily quiet for much of the contest, with little encouragement being offered from the stands; the first time it became apparent the stadium was full was when a loud groan greeted a misplaced Steven Gerrard pass.[LNB]Yet their apathy was understandable. Those who had made their way to the ground could scarcely believe the starting line-up did not include Fernando Torres, with many feeling Rafa Benitez had taken a gamble that was in danger of back firing.[LNB]No wonder. The mind instantly flashed back to those games in Torres' first season when he was dropped to the bench against Portsmouth (away) and Birmingham (home) so he could have a rest; you will remember both ended in scoreless draws.[LNB]Had Liverpool fluffed their lines last night, the pressure on Benitez would have become almost intolerable, as his many critics would have seized upon Torres' absence as another stick with which to beat the embattled Spaniard.[LNB]Torres, clearly, is still some way short of peak fitness and in all likelihood every week from now until the end of the season is going to be littered with bulletins on the groin problem which has proven so troublesome.[LNB]But Benitez, remember, is not a compulsive gambler and there is no chance with his team in such 'a bad moment' that he would have sabotaged his own position by deciding to give his sharpest shooter a night on the touchline.[LNB]No. He has maintained all along that Torres will need managing to get him on the pitch as often as possible without undergoing surgery and if it means he cannot start two games in the space of four days, that particular pill must be swallowed.[LNB]Thankfully the man who took over from him was up to the task; David Ngog has improved in leaps and bounds in the past couple of months and his decisive intervention after 10 minutes helped settle nerves.
