How Sweet It Is: Liverpool Finds Relief at Blackburn

Liverpool 3:2 Blackburn
Rodriguez (13’, 16’), Carroll (90’); Aiyegbeni (36’, pen 61’) 

The Reds found relief at long last on Tuesday night, facing Blackburn with an upended side from Saturday’s draw against Aston Villa, Kenny making a whopping 6 changes to his line-up.

The first 13 minutes saw little action until de facto skipper Martin Skrtel flawlessly picked out Craig Bellamy who sent a precise cross in Maxi Rodriguez’s direction, making the Argentine’s finish an easy one. A mere 3 minutes later saw Maxi in nearly the same spot as he pounced on the ball after Andy Carroll and Jonjo Shelvey had both been denied, putting Liverpool ahead by 2 and sending yours truly into fits of sheer joy.

The 25’ saw things go wrong. So wrong, as Doni received a straight red for bringing down Hoilett in the box after an off pass from Flanagan.  Doni had been set to fill in for the suspended Pepe Reina in the FA Cup match against Everton at Wembley and was, understandably, inconsolable. 

Flanagan came off for Brad Jones, who has only seen action twice since his signing in 2010. Jones, who became a father to a boy, Nico Luca, exactly a week before after the tragic loss of his son, Luca, to leukemia in November, was tested from the start. The Aussie didn’t fail to impress, saving Yakubu’s penalty shot, prompting a choir of angels to sing as he received a hug from Martin The Terminator Skrtel.

His excitement only lasted so long, Yakubu scoring twice, once from a dramatic penalty, against Jones. Even still, Reds can have little complaints as the Aussie saved a 10-man Liverpool from an Andy Carroll header (have we blamed the pony tail for skewing his aim lately?) own goal with just one finger.

Carroll would redeem himself, however. The 90^th minute, the 90^th tortuous minute, saw Coates send the ball into the box, Agger nod it across, and Carroll head it in beyond Robinson, earning a full 3 points in the Premier League for Liverpool.

If ever there was a game to precede an FA Cup semifinal, this should be it, with Liverpool’s confidence on the rise and the club’s primary focus on FA Cup silverware.

Next Match:
Liverpool v Everton. FA Cup. Saturday, April 14. 7:30 AM EST.

written by Yasmien Mizyed