Reds cruise to victory
04 Apr 2007 - 07:36:34
Liverpool have one foot in the last four of the Champions League after a crushing 3-0 victory over an out-classed PSV Eindhoven side in the first leg of their quarter-final meeting.
Steven Gerrard, John Arne Riise and Peter Crouch were all on the mark for the Reds in a dominant performance which leaves Rafael Benitez's side strong favourites to progress ahead of the second meeting of the sides at Anfield next week.
PSV looked a pale shadow of the side that dumped last year's beaten finalists Arsenal out of the competition in the first knockout round last month.
Ronald Koeman's side were without their key trio of Brazil defender Alex, playmaker Ibrahim Afellay and striker Arouna Kone and it showed in a one-sided encounter in Eindhoven which Liverpool bossed after riding an early spell of pressure from the home side.
Liverpool could have taken a 16th minute lead but Jamie Carragher's downward header from a Gerrard corner was superbly palmed away by Heurelho Gomes.
But they only had to wait a further ten minutes to break the deadlock as Steve Finnan was allowed to gallop into acres of space down the right wing and his clipped cross was planted into the back of the net by Gerrard's superb header.
The Liverpool captain left team-mate Dirk Kuyt in a heap on the turf as he guided the ball past Gomes and with it became the club's all-time leading goalscorer in Europe's premier club competition.
Gerrard's 15th strike eclipsed Ian Rush's previous record and justified Benitez's decision to play his skipper on the right side of midfield in a bid to accommodate Argentina international Javier Mascherano in the centre.
The visitors continued to hold the upper hand after the interval and it was only a matter of time before they extended their lead.
In the 49th minute Timmy Simons hooked a poor clearance away from goal and Riise controlled the ball on his chest before guiding a swerving volley back past the out of position goalkeeper from 35 yards.
Liverpool continued to dominate possession and Crouch was next to breach the PSV backline with a well-worked move.
Finnan was one again given acres of space to pick out a cross and the England striker - who scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal at the weekend - met it with a quality header from ten yards after out-muscling his marker.
Crouch's goal capped a superb all-round performance by the visitors on the night and, after previously beating their Dutch opposition 2-0 at Anfield during the group stages of this year's competition, Liverpool are now odds-on to reach the semi-final stage.