The Jury: Liverpool FC on the Carling Cup win at Leeds United

24 September 2009 06:00
AFTER two tight victories it seems as though Liverpool might just be starting to evolve a refreshing, old-fashioned style; soak-up the pressure, then break them in the last 30 minutes. Last Saturday this was particularly apparent when West Ham's initial threat seemed to fizzle out, only for Babel to finally cross a ball that was headed in by Torres. While on Tuesday, although Leeds huffed and puffed, the Red's stamina seemed to again produce a winner. Despite the victory, it was still disappointing at Leeds – none of the squad players really stepped-up and took their chance. When Gerrard came on for Ngog, he was still head and shoulders above anyone in a red shirt. Riera again did little to justify his price-tag. PAUL O’LEARY, Allerton I HAVE found League Cup games in recent years to be difficult viewing, largely because our so called ‘fringe’ players have approached such games tentatively. But Tuesday’s game was the complete opposite, although it lacked genuine quality, it was great to witness the majority of our team play with a steely determination to firstly battle and then win a game, which arguably has little importance. The nine replacements Rafa made understood that this was their chance to shine at a hostile ground. We’re slowly beginning to put things together, Tuesday was our fifth win in a row and we will certainly need another five before the majority of Reds are convinced we can fight on all fronts this year. Key players are coming into form, but I believe the success of our season lies in our fringe players and their ability to exceed expectations. We expect Gerrard, Torres and maybe even Kuyt to weigh in with performances, but can Ngog, Babel and co do it at crucial stages?

Source: Liverpool_Echo