Armstrong nails Red marauders

13 April 2012

There are excuses and there are excuses, but at Portman Road last night Liverpool were left bitterly reflecting on the unfairness of Premiership life.

Although Aintree proved that they do treat horses worse than the Anfield side, Gerard Houllier's version of the Red Marauders ran out of legs just when they appeared to have negotiated their trickiest race yet.

For 75 minutes, Houllier's containment policy had shunted George Burley's Tractor Boys into even more dead ends than they had directed Barcelona in the Camp Nou last week.

Spreading five men across the midfield, with Emile Heskey left isolated up front, it was far from pretty, even if it was certainly effective. Ipswich became frustrated and nervous, just as Houllier had hoped, running out of ideas as all their approach play came to nothing.

Given the potential £20million Champions League prize on offer, this was in many respects a third semi-final in six days for Liverpool, part of a ludicrous run of five games in 12 day which represented make-or-break.

They had survived in Catalonia, and breasted the tape at Villa Park, but last night the price was paid as Ipswich refused to allow their fairytale to die.

When Heskey capitalised on a blunder by Chris Makin to race away and calmly claim his 20th of the season 14 seconds into the second half, the tactical plan looked set to succeed.

Even before Heskey's strike, his presence had been enough to disconcert both Titus Bramble and John McGreal, allowing Danny Murphy to feed Christian Ziege only for the German to drag the ball wide.

As Houllier, baited throughout by the Ipswich fans, knew all too well, tired legs always lead to tired minds, however much a manager tries to persuade his players that they can put such thoughts to one side.

Sensing Liverpool's tiredness, George Burley's side raised their game, especially after Fabian Wilnis replaced the apprehensive Bramble.

Sander Westerveld's reluctance to leave his line had been a constant throughout, the Dutchman looking less than convincing behind a reshaped back line that included Greg Vignal at left back, even if Sami Hyypia's dominance at the back suggested he, for one, is not prone to weariness.

And it was Vignal's inexperience of life in England that ended up costing Liverpool two points and allowed Burley's team to move up into third spot in the table.

Makin may have spent most of the second period reflecting on his failure to prevent Ziege's hopeful header reaching Heskey, or indeed his inability to catch the England striker as he sped away to stroke his shot under Richard Wright.

Yet personal redemption can come in the most unlikely of circumstances, and for the former Sunderland man it arrived as he swung the ball in from deep on the left.

It should have been simple for Westerveld, or one of his defenders. But with the keeper rooted to his line, Vignal static, and Patrik Berger realising the danger too late, Alun Armstrong steamed in to pick his spot.

Burley said: 'We deserved our result tonight. It was very competitive.

'Our first aim this season was to stay in the Premiership and I always said I'd be delighted with 17th place.

'But we've been in the top six for several months now and we're trying desperately to qualify for Europe. We're looking forward to that challenge.'

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Gerard Houllier

Ipswich Town

Liverpool FC

Sunderland FC

Armstrong nails Red marauders

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