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  • Torres (5), Torres (33), Agger (83), N'Gog (90)
  • Date:2009-04-11
  • Kick-off:12:45
  • Venue:Anfield
  • Attendance:43466
  • Referee:Riley, M

Live Commentary

90mins

Full-Time: LIVERPOOL 4-0 BLACKBURN. The whistle goes on a convincing win for Liverpool.

90mins

The Anfield crowd are celebrating their victory as the seconds tick away.

90mins

Stephen Warnock shoots just wide.

90mins

There are three minutes of added time.

90mins

LIVERPOOL 4-0 BLACKBURN. N'GOG seals the win, nodding the ball over the line after a header back by Yossi Benayoun.

89mins

David N'Gog finds Yossi Benayoun whose effort is deflected just past the post by Keith Andrews.

88mins

Keith Treacy tries his luck but his shot is straight into the arms of Jose Manuel Reina.

86mins

Xabi Alonso is replaced by Lucas Leiva in Liverpool's final change.

85mins

Carlos Villanueva has a shot which is saved by Jose Manuel Reina.

84mins

David N'Gog comes on for Dirk Kuyt.

83mins

LIVERPOOL 3-0 BLACKBURN. AGGER tries another long-range shot which this time flies into the top right-hand corner.

82mins

Blackburn are being pushed back into their own half again.

80mins

Javier Mascherano has an effort from close range which is deflected over the crossbar after Nabil El Zhar missed his kick.

79mins

Vince Grella loses the ball and is too high on Javier Mascherano, free-kick to Liverpool.

78mins

Liverpool have taken their foot off the pedal but need to be aware of complacency in the last 10 minutes.

76mins

Christopher Samba has a chance with a right-foot low shot which is saved by Jose Manuel Reina.

75mins

Xabi Alonso is booked for a foul on Aaron Doran but Rovers can't make the most of the free-kick.

75mins

Carlos Villanueva has a shot from the edge of the D which goes over the bar.

74mins

Rafael Benitez makes his first substitution as Fernando Torres is replaced by Nabil El Zhar.

72mins

Panic in the Rovers defence as Paul Robinson misses a bouncing ball but Dirk Kuyt is penalised for a foul.

71mins

Blackburn break forward and Keith Treacy's cross is headed straight at Jose Manuel Reina by Christopher Samba.

71mins

Albert Riera is almost through on goal but Keith Andrews puts in a fine challenge.

70mins

Xabi Alonso's free-kick from the right is towards Dirk Kuyt but Blackburn are able to head clear.

69mins

Christopher Samba is flagged offside.

68mins

Christopher Samba tries to control Carlos Villanueva's cross but can't do so and Liverpool clear.

67mins

Vince Grella replaces Kerimoglu Tugay in Blackburn's final substitution.

65mins

Liverpool are keeping possession well and Blackburn are becoming frustrated.

63mins

Albert Riera sees another long-range effort go wide when he did have options in front of him.

62mins

Alvaro Arbeloa crosses into the area but the ball is nodded back to Paul Robinson by Keith Andrews.

60mins

David Dunn is replaced by Carlos Villanueva.

59mins

Daniel Agger has an effort from 10 yards outside the penalty area which goes wide.

57mins

Dirk Kuyt lets fly from outside the area but his effort clears the bar.

56mins

Aaron Doran is caught offside.

55mins

Javier Mascherano's determination wins Liverpool a corner which is cleared by Andre Ooijer.

54mins

Daniel Agger beats Christopher Samba to a long ball from Paul Robinson as Rovers try to come forward.

53mins

Albert Riera goes for a shot from a long way out and the ball flies well wide.

52mins

Liverpool are not sitting back on their lead and are winning every 50-50 ball.

51mins

Dirk Kuyt turns and shoots from inside the area and his effort is deflected behind for a corner by Andre Ooijer.

50mins

Xabi Alonso's corner is headed away by Keith Treacy at the near post and Liverpool try to build from the back again.

49mins

Debutant Aaron Doran runs forward but falls and gives possession to Liverpool, who break forward and win a corner.

47mins

David Dunn's delivery from the free-kick is poor and clears everyone in the area.

47mins

Dirk Kuyt concedes a free-kick for a foul on Gael Givet.

46mins

Aaron Doran is on for Aaron Mokoena.

46mins

The second half gets underway.

45mins

Half-Time: LIVERPOOL 2-0 BLACKBURN. Mike Riley calls an end to the first half.

45mins

There are two minutes of added time.

45mins

The corner is poor and headed away by Emiliano Insua.

45mins

Blackburn win a late corner and need to get a goal back before half-time.

43mins

Blackburn clear another Liverpool attack but give possession straight back as Christopher Samba is very isolated up front.

42mins

Dirk Kuyt loses the ball and his passing has not been at its best today.

40mins

Liverpool are looking very comfortable now and Rovers will welcome half-time.

38mins

Fernando Torres is almost in again but his first touch lets him down and he loses the ball.

37mins

Albert Riera's cross is headed over the bar by Dirk Kuyt.

36mins

A cross is sent in towards Christopher Samba but Jose Manuel Reina is there to gather the ball.

34mins

LIVERPOOL 2-0 BLACKBURN. Xabi Alonso's free-kick is headed past Paul Robinson by TORRES.

34mins

Keith Andrews is booked for a foul on Albert Riera.

33mins

Emiliano Insua and Daniel Agger are trying their best today in their rare starts to impress Rafael Benitez.

31mins

Liverpool take a quick free-kick and Albert Riera passes towards Dirk Kuyt in the area who misses the ball.

30mins

Jose Manuel Reina makes an uncertain save from a Christopher Samba header.

28mins

Emiliano Insua puts in a great cross which is headed goalwards by Dirk Kuyt from four yards out and Paul Robinson makes a reflex save to prevent a second goal.

27mins

Ryan Nelsen is on his feet but looks shaken, and should be okay to continue.

25mins

Ryan Nelsen needs treatment after colliding with Paul Robinson trying to clear a long ball from Liverpool.

24mins

Xabi Alonso's free-kick is headed goalwards by Daniel Agger but Paul Robinson is able to make a comfortable save.

23mins

Daniel Agger tries a long-range shot which flies some 10 yards wide.

22mins

Jose Manuel Reina is almost caught out off his line by Stephen Warnock but manages to clear the ball.

21mins

Xabi Alonso directs the free-kick towards Albert Riera who is penalised for handball.

20mins

Keith Andrews pulls back Albert Riera and Liverpool have a free-kick just outside the penalty area.

18mins

Both managers are on their feet, Sam Allardyce looking slightly more worried than Rafael Benitez.

16mins

Dirk Kuyt breaks forward and finds Javier Mascherano whose shot is parried out by Paul Robinson towards Fernando Torres who sends the ball wide.

15mins

Fernando Torres tries a shot from outside the area which goes wide.

14mins

Blackburn look bereft of ideas after that early setback.

13mins

Xabi Alonso's corner is cleared by David Dunn at the near post and Kerimoglu Tugay completes the clearance.

12mins

Andre Ooijer concedes another Liverpool corner.

10mins

Yossi Benayoun is cheered as he chases down David Dunn - Blackburn are being given no time in possession.

8mins

Keith Treacy's corner is disappointing and cleared towards the halfway line.

7mins

Daniel Agger is booked for fouling Keith Treacy whose fine run has won Blackburn a free-kick, which is cleared for a corner.

5mins

LIVERPOOL 1-0 BLACKBURN. TORRES gives Liverpool the lead with a stunning first-time right-foot volley from Jamie Carragher's ball over the top, giving Paul Robinson no chance.

4mins

Xabi Alonso takes the corner but Christopher Samba is there to clear, and Yossi Benayoun's cross can't reach Dirk Kuyt.

3mins

Alvaro Arbeloa wins the first corner of the game off Stephen Warnock.

2mins

Andre Ooijer beats Fernando Torres to a throughball and ushers the ball back to Paul Robinson.

1mins

The game gets underway.

0mins

We have a minute's silence ahead of the game in memory of those who lost their lives at Hillsborough.

Match Preview

Liverpool go in search of their fifth successive Premier League victory on Saturday when Sam Allardyce brings his Blackburn Rovers side to Anfield.

The Reds have hit a rich vein of domestic form since their shock 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough at the end of February, finding the net 12 times and conceding only once to beat Sunderland, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Fulham.

The run has lifted hopes that Rafa Benitez could be on the verge of guiding the club to their first league title since 1990, particularly as Manchester United have shown in the last month that they are not invincible.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team still hold a one-point advantage and have a game in hand over Liverpool, but Benitez's side have only lost twice in the league all season and are certainly the team with the momentum.

However, the Spaniard must rally his troops after they lost 3-1 in the Champions League to Chelsea on Wednesday night.

The Reds may be flying high in the league, but they are now staring a quarter-final European exit firmly in the face unless they can pull off a miraculous result in next week's second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Benitez does have almost a full squad to choose from with only Sami Hyppia (knee) and Philipp Degen (groin) currently sidelined.

Blackburn make the short trip to Anfield buoyed by last weekend's somewhat fortuitous victory against Tottenham, a result that lifted them five points clear of the bottom three.

Until Wilson Palacios' controversial dismissal, there seemed little likelihood of Rovers securing only their fourth Ewood Park success of the campaign, but late goals by Benni McCarthy and Andre Ooijer finally saw off Spurs' challenge.

Allardyce admitted after the match that his side had been fortunate to take all three points but certainly wasn't complaining, saying: "It wasn't our best performance, I know that. But our battling qualities, our determination to go right to the end got us the victory.

"It isn't so much about the display but the result. It's all about getting the three points. We're the team in form down at the bottom end, we're on the rise."

However, Allardyce will be without Jason Roberts for the next three weeks after the striker picked up a foot injury against Spurs and he joins Brett Emerton and Steven Reid on the sidelines.


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Match Report

Liverpool kept the pressure on Manchester United with an impressive 4-0 demolition of Blackburn who simply lacked the quality to take anything from the game.

A Fernando Torres brace and further efforts by Daniel Agger and David N'Gog sealed a very comfortable win in a performance labelled as 'good enough to win the title' by Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce.

Hoping to erase the memories of the Chelsea drubbing in midweek, Liverpool flew out of the starting blocks and within five minutes lone striker Fernando Torres had rifled the ball into the top corner of the net.

A long ball from Jamie Carragher dropped over the shoulder of Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen and onto the chest of the Liverpool number nine who still had a lot to do with his back to goal.

However, after controlling the ball he didn't need another touch and volleyed over a stranded Paul Robinson.

The Reds kept the pressure on and should have doubled their lead ten minutes later after a poor ball forward from last man Aaron Mokoena dropped onto the foot of Albert Riera to release Dirk Kuyt down the left.

Kuyt found himself in a two-on-one situation with Javier Mascherano piling into the box but, having played in the Argentine, he couldn't beat Robinson who parried the shot from close range before Torres blasted the rebound over.

The Blackburn keeper was called into action again just before the half-hour mark after left-back Emiliano Insua had played a neat one-two with Riera and swung in a cross to an unmarked Kuyt.

However, the flying Dutchman's header from six yards was brilliantly saved by Robinson.

Despite heroics from the former England shot-stopper it seemed only a matter of time before Liverpool doubled their lead and it was Torres who was on hand to extend the lead and grab his second of the game.

A foul on Riera by Keith Andrews allowed Rafa Benitez's side to pack the box once again and a high ball whipped in from Xabi Alonso was met by Torres who had the run on 6ft 7in Christopher Samba to power home a header from five yards.

Liverpool continued to pepper shots at the visiting goal after the restart with efforts from Kuyt, Yossi Benayoun and Torres but, with practically ten men behind the ball, Liverpool had to settle for shooting from outside the area.

Rovers almost conceded another goal when Riera jinked past two men and cut inside onto his weaker right foot but he dragged his shot from inside the box wide.

Blackburn eventually managed a shot on target when Keith Treacy was allowed time to loft in a high cross to the back post where Samba climbed above Agger but he couldn't get enough power to trouble Reina in goal.

With 15 minutes to go Benitez brought off star striker Torres to a standing ovation but the switch brought a fresh surge from Blackburn with Carlos Villanueva firing over the bar and Samba having an effort saved by Reina.

Despite the late Blackburn burst, Liverpool never looked like conceding and they added a third goal in the 83rd minute thanks to a stunning solo effort by Agger.

After receiving the ball from Benayoun, Agger was given enough space to run at the back line and, with no one challenging, he had the time to pick his spot and smash home the goal of the game from 30 yards.

Still throwing men forward, Liverpool had time to add one more to the tally. Jamie Carragher floated a cross to the back post where substitute Lucas headed back across goal to N'Gog who nodded in from close range.

Liverpool

Blackburn Rovers

Corners

72

Fouls

613

Goal attempts

227

Shots off target

102

Offsides

03

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