Source: Daily_Mail
Sunderland 1 Liverpool 0: Rafa facing crisis after Stadium of Light balls-up
Can you imaginetelling Bob Paisley or Brian Clough, two great sons of the North East andlegends to both these clubs, that one day the winninggoal between the teams would be scored by a beach ball in club colours?
But Liverpool were victims of the modern football era and lost their fourth League game of the season to an own goal from a club product.
Young Jay Spearing's debut was not that good.
When it was punched towards Pepe Reina's goal before kick-off,it was available at half-price for a tenner as part of a set, including towel and carry bag. The item was out of stock by the time its goal was aired on Saturday night.
The inflatable started the game in the back of Reina's net but had blown to the edge of the six-yard box by the fourth minute whenDarren Bent met Andy Reid's neat cross with a first-time volley.
Reina had the shot covered, but ball touched ball, the Liverpool keeper followed the flight of the big inflatable coloured one and the match ball flew into the net for Sunderland's first goal againstLiverpool in nine hours.
Ecstatic Sunderland manager Steve Bruce said that 'only a saddo' would know the correct law regarding goals scored by inanimate objects (with apologiesto Graham Poll), and, luckily for the home side, referee Mike Jones is not one of them.
He incorrectly awarded the goal, rather than a dropped ball, despite Reina's protests and a consultation with his assistant.So sensitive is the identity of the Liverpool fan who belted the match-winner on to the pitch during the warm-up, that Match of the Day editors pixelated his face.
Liverpool's capabilities when Gerrard and Torres aren't in town, had nothing to do with the ball, the unfortunate young lad, or the two talismans RafaelBenitez relies on so heavily, even if he won't admit it.
Benitez's buys lie at the root of Liverpool's problems.
The supportstaff is not good enough, and the evidence was provided by the impotent threat of Lucas Leiva and Spearing compared to the rampant chaos, creativity and energy provided in red and white stripes by Lorik Cana and Lee Cattermole.
Jamie Carragher was run raggedby Bent, who was denied a hat-trick by the post and one excellent Reina save, but the stand-in captain was the only Liverpool player prepared to acknowledge the depressedtravelling fans and answer the charge that the title has gone yet again.
With Lyon and Manchester United next up and Benitez non-committal on the prospects of the priceless duo returning, life is pretty tough at Anfield.
Carragher said: 'We all know it is a squad game now, but any team would miss those kind of players. We have to forget them and do much better.
'There is a long way to go yet, but if we continue losing games, it will be the end.
'We have given ourselves a mountain to climb but Chelsea lost and there is a seven-point difference withManchester United but we can't think about the title right now, to be honest.
'We have to concentrate on the next League game, which isManchester United and that will give us the chance to claw some points back. That will help us get a lot closer if we beat teams like that.
'We are not playing well and the supporters know that, but I'm sure that they will rally round and we will respond.'
