Leeds lose out to last minute Liverpool

13 April 2012

Liverpool are fast becoming everything that Leeds United covet most. Prospering in all competitions, their emergence as consistent and credible challengers for silverware is the mantle which belonged to the Yorkshire side only a year ago.

At Elland Road on Saturday, Gerard Houllier demonstrated that he is becoming the manager to lead them back to the days when success at Anfield was the norm. David O'Leary, on the other hand, looks like the man who put everything on black but it came up red.

That was certainly the case in the FA Cup fourth round as Leeds outplayed their opponents for 75 minutes of the game, should have been two up at half-time, and could have been in the fifth-round draw.

Houllier admitted that his team were lucky to take that place. But good teams make their luck although the Frenchman rightly pointed out that his side's status as the only English team to survive in every competition they have entered is no coincidence.

'At the moment we are working our way up to the top,' he said. 'When you are a manager you compare January 2001 to January 2000 and so on. The last two years we were out of two cups by that stage and we had no Europe and were struggling to get near the top position in the league.

'So I would say now we have shown some progress. We do that with the quality of our play and against Leeds we showed a lot of that in defending and elsewhere in the game.

'But also the results are the most important indication and the results are there - we are the only team involved in four competitions. We are still in the UEFA Cup, in contention for the second of three places in the Champions League and we are in the Worthington Cup and the FA Cup.'

But with so much to choose from, which is the priority for Liverpool? Houllier replied candidly: 'In football you don't programme success. You prepare for it. In the cups I'd like to go as far as possible but the priority is to finish top three in the Premiership and qualify for the Champions League.'

If the same question was asked of the away fans who headed triumphantly back to Merseyside, the answer would be different. 'Silver, silver, silver,' Houllier said of the supporters' demands. 'This club is about winning trophies.' The last , of course, was the the League Cup in 1995.

O'Leary would settle for a silver lining right now. Saturday showed Leeds at their best in glimpses and their worst in the end. The attacking force of Lee Bowyer found Robbie Keane in the inside right channel three times in 15 minutes. One should have produced a goal.

Mark Viduka never looked like matching his four-goal haul in the Premiership fixture two months ago and when Eirik Bakke stabbed at goal, Sami Hyypia cleared to safety. O'Leary pointed to missed chances as the difference between the sides but, in fact, it was Robbie Fowler.

The striker produced another influential display - as he did to ensure his team's place in the Worthington Cup final - creating both goals and leading the line selflessly.

Afterwards, Fowler reiterated his desire to stay at the club. Houllier is doubtless feeling sheepish that he even considered letting him go.

When Christian Ziege attempted to dribble past Rio Ferdinand, the deflection to Fowler was unintentional but his sharp reaction wrongfooted Nigel Martyn even if the shot cannoned off the post.

Nick Barmby reacted quickest with a driven angled finish. With Sven Goran Eriksson watching, Fowler then dribbled down the left and crossed for Barmby to set up fellow substitute Emile Heskey to score with similar purpose.

There was a definite element of plunder about the victory although Ferdinand's lack of effort to close down the England striker was indicative of the fact that Leeds had already given up hope.

The match wasn't lacking in controversy, however. Bowyer stupidly hit Gary McAllister with his fore-arm and the Scot clipped Bowyer's feet inside the box in the dying minutes but no penalty was given.

It was the story of this FA Cup tie though that summed up Leeds whole season in microcosm. No-one could have predicted that something which started so brightly might end so badly.

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David Jones (Footballer)

Leeds lose out to last minute Liverpool

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