YOSSI TREBLE SECURES EMPHATIC WIN

Yossi Benayoun fired a hat-trick as Liverpool beat newly-promoted Burnley 4-0 at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

The unstoppable Israeli opened the scoring in the first half before Dirk Kuyt hit our second before the break. Benayoun then struck twice in the second half in front of freed Kopite Michael Shields, attending his first game since Istanbul.

The English summer returned for a late reprieve this week, and the sunshine seemed to bring the best out of Rafa Benitez's title hopefuls. With Javier Mascherano rested after playing 90 minutes for Argentina in South America, Steven Gerrard was asked to drop back alongside Lucas. Instead Benayoun hogged the limelight, with license to roam behind Fernando Torres. It was fellow goalscorer Kuyt who threatened first on seven minutes, attempting to nestle the ball into the bottle corner from 20 yards. The Dutchman saw his shot comfortably saved by Brian Jensen. Next Torres swung his right foot from similar range. This time the ball curled narrowly past the post into the arms of an Anfield Roader. Up stepped Martin Skrtel moments later with a thunderbolt from 35 yards that almost shattered the electronic hoardings.

Well-drilled and determined, Owen Coyle's men were restricting their hosts to long-range efforts until finally a clear sight at goal for Benayoun on 23 minutes. The Israeli captain surged into the box to meet Emiliano Insua's left-footed cross but nodded just wide.

Burnley had been warned. Four minutes later Benayoun picked up possession on the edge of the area, weaved past Burnley skipper Graham Alexander and finished neatly beyond Jensen. With their nerves settled, Liverpool set about finding a second, and it was almost instantaneous as Benayoun saw his diving header from Albert Riera's cross parried. Kuyt was denied from the rebound. Riera then sighed in frustration as his sweetly-struck drive inched wide. The advantage was finally doubled on 41 minutes and Benayoun was again the architect, finding a yard to shoot from distance. Jensen blocked but couldn't gather and Kuyt was on hand to tap in his second of the campaign. It would have been three before half-time had Jensen not produced a superb save to deny Gerrard's 20-yard twister. Pepe Reina was a spectator for most of the first period but was finally tested on the stroke of half-time when Insua backed off Martin Paterson, allowing Burnley's No.10 to fire towards the top corner.

The second-half began with a penalty shout following a trip by Wade Elliott on Gerrard, though the sight of our No.8's boot strewn two feet outside the box vindicated referee Lee Mason's decision to award a free-kick. Gerrard tapped it to Riera, whose fierce effort was blocked. Torres for his part hadn't had much of a sniff, though the Kop net looked set to ripple after he latched onto Kuyt's ball only to be thwarted by a fine tackle from Tyrone Mears. The striker was involved in the third, though, finding the run of Gerrard on 61 minutes. The captain burst into the box, rode an ill-timed challenge and squared for Benayoun to sidefoot into a gaping net. A fine team goal. With the points secure, Benitez took the opportunity to give Philipp Degen his league debut 14 months into his Anfield stay.

This was Benayoun's day, however. The No.15 was denied a hat-trick by the offside flag after pouncing on another Jensen parry but his time would come. First, though, Gerrard almost added his name to the scoresheet on 74 minutes after a mixture of shambolic defending and sheer persistence brought him one-on-one with Jensen. Rounding the goalkeeper was no problem but by now the angle was tight and the England man saw his effort bounce off the post to safety. Benayoun sealed his treble on 81 minutes after more neat passing from the hosts, substitute Andriy Voronin providing the killer ball which the Israeli converted while Burnley looked to the linesman. Gerrard had a late shot saved and Voronin dinked wide but the scoreline was emphatic enough.

Teams

Liverpool: Reina, Insua, Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson, Riera, Gerrard (captain), Leiva, Benayoun, Torres, Kuyt. Subs - Spearing, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Dossena, Voronin, Degen, Cavalieri

Burnley: Jensen, Jordan, Carlisle, Bikey, Mears, McCann, Alexander (captain), Fletcher, Elliott, Paterson, Blake. Subs - Penny, Guerro, Nugent, Eagles, Thompson, McDonald, Gudjonsson

Referee: Lee Mason
Conditions: Sunny
Attendance: 43,817
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Yossi Benayoun

BOLTON WANDERERS 2 - 3 LIVERPOOL

BOLTON WANDERERS 2 - 3 LIVERPOOL

Saturday 29 August 2009 15:00 , Barclays Premier League

Liverpool came from behind twice to secure a pulsating 3-2 victory over Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.

In an absorbing encounter, Kevin Davies gave Bolton the lead when he stabbed over the line from close-range following a corner midway through the first half.

Glen Johnson drew the Reds level with a powerful left-foot effort from the edge of the box, but Wanderers restored their advantage moments into the second half thanks to Tamir Cohen.

However, Sean Davis was sent off for the home team ten minutes after the restart and Fernando Torres equalised with a fine finish following good work from Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt.

And, with just seven minutes remaining, Gerrard collected Torres' knock-down and smashed an unstoppable volley past Jussi Jaaskelainen from 12 yards to claim an impressive three points for Liverpool.

New signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos was handed his Reds debut following his recent transfer from AEK Athens. The Greek international partnered Jamie Carragher at the heart of the defence after impressing for the reserves in midweek.

Young Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi took his place on the bench as a replacement for Diego Cavalieri, with Liverpool's Brazilian custodian having flown home following the death of his father - the Reds players wore black armbands in his honour.

Although the openings exchanges were fairly quiet at the Reebok, Fernando Torres and Lucas Leiva both looped early headers over the bar.

The Reds came close to opening the scoring in the 12th minute. After cutting inside from the right, Glen Johnson steered a left footed effort goalwards that Torres was only millimetres away from turning into the back of the net with his head.

Moments after, the striker almost latched onto Kyrgiakos' ball over the top as the Reds began to assume control of the game - although our new Greek defender had to produce a commanding header from inside his own six yard box to deny Johan Elmander an effort on goal as Bolton mustered a rare sortie forward.

Bolton were becoming increasingly reliant on counter-attacks, but the Reds produced one of their own just shy of the half hour mark to almost devastating effect.

After Johnson had reclaimed possession for the visitors, Lucas threaded a through ball into the path of Torres, who held off the challenge of Gary Cahill, but saw his chipped effort grasped by Bolton 'keeper Jaaskelainen.

However, the home side broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 33rd minute when Elmander rose above Emiliano Insua to head a Bolton corner back across the face of goal, where Davies was on hand to tap over the line in what was Wanderers' first chance of any real note.

Liverpool responded positively and Torres dragged a half-volley wide of the far post following Johnson's centre.

The Reds deservedly equalised four minutes before the break. A half-cleared corner found its way to Johnson lurking on the edge of the box, and the full-back turned inside onto his left boot before firing a low drive into Jaaskelainen's near post from 20 yards.

A flying save from Pepe Reina to divert Matt Taylor's free-kick over the bar ensured the two teams went into the break on level terms.

However, seconds after the restart, Bolton regained the lead when Jaaskelainen's free-kick into the Liverpool box was flicked on by Davies and Cohen - son of ex-Red Avi - arrived on cue to smash the loose ball past Reina at close-range.

Kyrgiakos headed narrowly wide in Liverpool's response and Bolton were reduced to ten men in the 54th minute when Sean Davis was sent off after receiving his second yellow card for a cynical foul on Lucas as the game sparked into life.

The away side were lifted by the dismissal and, after Gerrard had rattled Jaaskelainen's crossbar with a rasping volley, Torres drew Liverpool level for the second time in the game on 57 minutes.

Gerrard's ball into the box was chested into the path of El Nino by Kuyt, and the Reds' striker made no mistake in dispatching a clinical shot into the corner of the goal from eight yards.

With the advantage of the extra man, Liverpool pushed and probed in search of a third goal to put themselves into the lead for the first time, and Gerrard twice tried his luck from distance before Torres guided a header wide.

With time ebbing away, the Reds forced a flurry of corners and the pressure finally told with seven minutes left on the clock.

Johnson's cross from a short flag-kick was brilliantly headed back into Gerrard's path by Torres and the No.8 let fly with a stinging volley into the top corner to put Benitez's men in front - the skipper simply does not miss those type of chances.

There was still time for Jaaskelainen to block a Torres effort on the line, but Liverpool had done enough to claim a welcome - and deserved - three points.

Teams

Liverpool: Reina, Insua, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Johnson, Riera, Mascherano, Leiva, Kuyt, Gerrard (captain), Torres. Subs - Skrtel, Benayoun, Plessis, Dossena, Kelly, Gulacsi, Voronin Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Samuel, Cahill, Knight, Ricketts, Taylor, Muamba, Davis, Cohen, Davies (captain), Elmander. Subs - Habsi, Lee, Riga, O'Brien, Robinson, Basham, Steinsson Referee: A Wiley Conditions: Sunny but windy Attendance: Unknown Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Fernando Torres