Liverpool 8 - 0 Besiktas

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| England News

Tuesday Nov 06 2007 07:45

Yossi Benayoun scored the simplest of hat-tricks as Liverpool kept their Champions League hopes alive with record 8-0 rout of hapless Besiktas at Anfield.

The Reds set a new mark for the highest margin of victory in Europe's premier club competition, as they provided the perfect response to those who doubted their ability to bounce back from a dismal start to their Champions League campaign.

Defeat in Istanbul by the same opposition two weeks ago had left Rafael Benitez's side bottom of Group A and needing to win each of their three remaining pool games to reach the knockout stages.

But with their backs to the walls, the Reds produced easily their best European performance of the season, as they bossed a totally one-sided match which they could arguably have won by an even greater margin.

A rare start for Peter Crouch up front was to have the greatest impact as he scored the opening goal midway through the first half and caused the Besiktas defence all manner of problems.Fernando Torres was named on the bench after being surprisingly passed fit after his recent stomach muscle problems, but it was Crouch and hat-trick hero Benayoun who stole the show with superb all-round displays.

Liverpool started in determined fashion and it was little surprise when they forged ahead in the 19th minute.

Crouch held his nerve to slide the ball home at the second attempt after a defensive mistake from Edouard Cisse had allowed him in one-on-one with Hakan Arikan.

The home side kept their foot on the gas and after John Arne Riise's header was cleared off the line, Benayoun doubled the lead as he took advantage of some slack marking to arrow home a low shot from 12 yards after being picked out by Andriy Voronin.

That was the end of the scoring in the first period, but after the interval a lacklustre Besiktas capitulated under an onslaught of pressure from the rampant home side.

Benayoun claimed his second of the night when he had the simple task of sidefooting home from six yards after Arikan could only palm Riise's powerful shot into his path.

Three minutes later the Israel international completed his hat-trick - and surely the easiest treble he will score - as he once again steered home the loose ball after the keeper made a meal of Steven Gerrard's low free-kick.

With Anfield in full voice, Liverpool could be forgiven for playing out time, but against a side who offered little resistance they took full advantage.

Gerrard picked up a superb Voronin backheel before slamming in the fifth goal in the 69th minute.

Then substitute Ryan Babel got in on the act as he first impudently backheeled Benayoun's cut-back past the keeper, before seeing an attempted clearance balloon up off his body and loop over the head of the beleaguered Arikan for the sixth and seventh goals of the night.

The young Dutchman then clattered the crossbar with a header, before Crouch's second of the night in the 89th minute completed the rout in straightforward fashion.

The Besiktas defence had long since given up the ghost, but with Liverpool still only one third of the way through their must-win European triple-header, their qualification for the knockout stages remains far from secure just yet.

Live Commentary

90
FULL-TIME: LIVERPOOL 8-0 BESIKTAS

89
LIVERPOOL 8-0 BESIKTAS: This is now the highest ever margin of victory in the Champions League as CROUCH heads home Benayoun's cross from the right with no markers in sight

88
This has been the perfect response to all those who knocked Liverpool's Champions League chances - they have dominated from start to finish in the most one-sided of games

87
Absolutely nobody is leaving this match early as they might miss a hatful of goals in the closing minutes

85
Riise tries to get in on the act with a 20-yard strike which he mis-hits and it rolls out of play for a goal-kick

84
Babel is inches away from a stunning hat-trick as he gets up totally unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box only to see his header clatter the crossbar

82
Reina is called into action for the first time tonight as he claims a Bobo diving header with relative ease

81
LIVERPOOL 7-0 BESIKTAS: BABEL claims a quick-fire second as an attempted clearance clatters off his body and loops over the head of the beleaguered keeper - the visitors are desperate to hear the full-time whistle now!

78
LIVERPOOL 6-0 BESIKTAS: BABEL gets in on the act as he cheekily flicks Benayoun's cut back beyond the keeper with a lovely back heel - that was a superb piece of skill and surely the icing on tonight's cake

78
Luis Ricardinho replaces Sedef in a final change by the visitors

76
Kewell tries his luck from 30 yards with a shot which flies well over the crossbar as the home side continue to dominate proceedings

74
The home fans are in full voice now as they celebrate what has been the most straight forward of European victories

72
Harry Kewell comes on for Voronin and Lucas Leiva replaces Gerrard in a double change by the home side

70
Every time the ball gets into the Besiktas half the home side look capable of scoring and this has been a surprisingly one-sided affair

69
LIVERPOOL 5-0 BESIKTAS: This is getting embarrassing as GERRARD plays a neat one-two with Voronin before lashing home a deflected shot from just inside the penalty area

68
Liverpool are still in total control of possession as they look to run down the clock by playing exhibition-style keep ball

65
Gerrard bursts through with a superb aggressive run but his low shot is beaten away by Arikan before Babel tests the keeper with a delayed rebound which he blocks at the foot of his post

63
Ryan Babel comes on for Liverpool with Aurelio making way

62
Federico Martin Higuain comes on for Kurtulus as Besiktas make a second change

60
Liverpool are just toying with the visitors now and there are more goals in this match should they go looking for them

58
Besiktas look totally demoralised now and this could well end up a total rout if the Turkish side don't get their heads up

56
LIVERPOOL 4-0 BESIKTAS: Once again BENAYOUN is in the right place to roll home the loose ball after the keeper makes a meal of Gerrard's low free-kick - that's a hat-trick for the Israeli and he won't get an easier one while he's at Anfield

55
Voronin scampers down the right and picks out Crouch with a low cross but the striker mis-hits a straight forward chance wide of the target

53
LIVERPOOL 3-0 BESIKTAS: BENAYOUN claims his second of the night as he has the simple task of side-footing home from six yards after Arikan could only palm Riise's powerful shot into his path - there was some more lamentable defending there!

51
Crouch is so full of confidence he's turning on the party tricks now as he backheels into the path of Arbeloa to the delight of the home fans

49
Arikan earns the wrath of the home fans for a delayed reaction following a collision with Gerrard but to be fair to the visiting keeper he was caught on the knee and then the face with a stray boot

48
The home side are spraying the ball around with the confidence of a team two goals to the good and totally in command of this match

46
Besiktas have made a half-time change with Ali Tandogan on for Ozkan

46
Liverpool kick-off the second half well in control of this match

45
HALF-TIME: LIVERPOOL 2-0 BESIKTAS

45
Voronin nods onto Benayoun inside the box but the Israeli midfielder can't get enough on a difficult half-volley and the keeper claims with relative ease

44
Riise rolls a 30-yard free-kick into the path of Gerrard but the skipper leaves his shooting boots behind as he drags a poor effort well wide of the target

43
Liverpool are finishing the half in much the same way as they started it - totally in control in every department

41
Voronin feeds Benayoun but he dispatches a rising shot from 20 yards that flies well over the top

40
Koray Avci looks absolutely demoralised as he fails to latch onto a rare throughball and Besiktas' body language at the moment is terrible

38
Crouch picks up the pieces after Gerrard fails to bundle his way through on the edge of the box but his low shot is blocked and then cleared

36
Rafael Benitez still doesn't look entirely happy with his side's display as he prowls the technical area delivering a series of instructions

34
Besiktas are looking a shadow of the side that performed so well on home soil just two weeks ago and if they're not careful this could end up a real rout

32
LIVERPOOL 2-0 BESIKTAS: Voronin looks up and picks out BENAYOUN with a pinpoint cross and he has time to control before lashing a low shot past the keeper amid some truly woeful marking

31
Jose Manuel Reina has to be alert to sprint off his line and clear the ball after Fabio Aurelio hesitated and almost let in Mustafa Koray Avci

30
Crouch appears to be the focal point of all Liverpool's attacks and the England man is fully justifying his rare selection in the starting line-up

28
Crouch takes Benayoun's early through pass superbly on the turn but the big striker can't quite reach the ball ahead of his marker inside the area and the visitors just about clear the danger

26
Ertugrul Saglam looks deep in thought in the Besiktas dugout and well he might as his team has been clearly second best in every department so far tonight

24
Crouch tries his luck from a near impossible angle to the right of the target with an ambitious half-volley which flashes across the face of goal before going out for a goal-kick

23
Ibrahim Uzulmez saves Besiktas as he heads Riise's thunderbolt of a header off his own line after a pinpoint Gerrard corner - that was very nearly 2-0 and goodnight to the visitors

21
Anfield is in full voice now and, after dominating the opening quarter of the game, it's no surprise the home side are ahead

19
LIVERPOOL 1-0 BESIKTAS: CROUCH justifies his starting spot as he latches onto a defensive mistake to slide home the ball at the second time of asking after Arikan had blocked his initial low shot from eight yards

18
Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano have taken a real stranglehold on the midfield area and all the play is confined in the Besiktas half at the moment

16
Voronin sends over an early cross but Crouch can't reach it and ends up diverting it out of play at the near post while on his knees

14
Hakan Arikan reacts superbly to palm a first-time Yossi Benayoun shot from Arbeloa's low cross around his post - the instant shot may have hit the woodwork but the keeper was not to know that

13
Liverpool are totally dominating possession now and it seems the visitors have come with a gameplan to defend and perhaps nick a point

11
Serdar Ozkan is the first name in the book for a needless foul in the midfield area

10
Alvaro Arbeloa goes on a driving run into the box but mis-controls at the vital moment and allows Lamine Diatta to execute a vital tackle just when he was looking to shoot

9
Liverpool look to have a certain determination about their play so far tonight and an opening goal could well be on the cards

8
Crouch is inches away from breaking the deadlock as he meets Riise's cross from the left with a downward header from six yards that bounces just wide - that was close and the best chance of the night so far

6
John Arne Riise goes in high on Serdar Kurtulus and is perhaps a little lucky to escape an early yellow card

5
Crouch knocks down to Voronin on the penalty spot but he produces a weak left-footed shot that rolls harmlessly wide - that was a good chance and the Ukrainian striker knows it

3
Matias Emilio Delgado cuts the ball back to Mehmet Yozgatli but he can only steer his eight-yard effort wide of the mark under pressure from Jamie Carragher - that was a warning to the home side though

2
Sami Hyypia does well to stay on his feet before forcing the ball way from Rogerio Da Silva Bobo who had broken into the area

1
Besiktas get the game underway in front of a packed and noisy Anfield

0
Fernando Torres has also been named on the bench just days after it was claimed the Spanish striker would be sidelined for most of November with a stomach muscle injury

0
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has named an unusual side with Steve Finnan dropped to the bench in favour of Alvaro Arbeloa, Peter Crouch in for Dirk Kuyt in attack and Andriy Voronin named in place for out-of-sorts midfielder Mohamed Sissoko

0
The Reds? 2-1 defeat in Istanbul last month left them bottom of Group A and needing to win their remaining three pool matches to reach the knockout stages

0
Liverpool begin the first leg of their must-win Champions League triple header with a home clash against Turkish side Besiktas tonight

Statistics

Liverpool

Shots on target	19
Shots off target	8
Shots off bar/post	1
Fouls	11
Offsides	5
Corners	3

Besiktas

Shots on target	1
Shots off target	2
Shots off bar/post	0
Fouls	15
Offsides	2
Corners	2

See Live Commentary