Gerrard gives a present to Torres and allows him to tap in from 3 yds. 2-0! Very unselfish play from Gerrard. We win!
Torres' goal was ridiculous. Gerrard was in with Torres without anyone except the PNE keeper within 40 yards. Stevie took it to the right side of the post, to the six yard line, then tapped it across for Torres to score.
actually - I think the ref finally said to Babel - you've been working very hard up top and I'm going to give a call, even though it might have been another foul. I hope Alonso is Ok - I DID NOT LIKE THAT BOOT ON HIS FOOT!!
Player Ratings Cavalieri - 6. Average match. Dealt well with through balls and most crosses, however there were a few moments when he hesitated and put either Agger or Hyypia under pressure. Carra - 6.5. poor by his heroic standards. Was continually beaten for pace by Wallace down the flank but did make a few good interceptions towards the end and provided one great first-time ball for Babel which was fluffed. Hyypia - 8.5, great match, won every aerial contest from open play or set-pieces, made many interceptions and helped keep possession with Agger. Agger - 9. Great match along with Sami, dealt with every aerial ball but most importantly made several vital interceptions all over the pitch to halt PNE attacks. Insua - 6. Made quite a few poor clearances and lost possession on too many ocassions, causing Agger to have a go at him. Also gave away a very dangerous free-kick right on the edge of the area which was poorly taken by Wallace. Aurelio and Dossena should step into the LB spot over the next few weeks to provide a bit more experience at the back. Masch - 9. Did everything asked of him...continually broke down PNE build-ups and his passing was outstanding. Along with Agger, contender for MOTM. Alonso - 7.5. Along with Masch, controlled the match and when both went off we lost control of the midfield. Quietly dictated the tempo today without standing out but was vital for our first half dominance. Riera - 7. Scored a great goal and even though he was played down the right flank for the majority of the match, he played fairly well. Wasnt given any service in the 2nd half due to our loss of control in the middle of the park. Provided much better defence and cover to the full-back than Babel on the opposite flank. Babel - 4. Poor with the ball and poor without the ball. Unfortunately for Insua and Carra, this made them look worse as whenever PNE attacked down Babel's flank, they were given plenty of space to work over our full-backs. As the commentators also mentioned, he also misplaced at least 5 final passes/crosses. Gerrard - 8. Got a few good shots on target that tested PNE keeper and delivered a few good set-pieces. Always played the right pass and continually set up Keane for scoring opportunities that were fluffed. He probably cant wait to start a match playing behind Torres who wouldve scored a hattrick today. Keane - 5.5. Although he got himself into some good positions, to have 3 clear chances and to walk away without a goal is very poor from a top class striker. Get some bloody composure Robbie or you'll find yourself on the bench with Torres fit. Lucas - 6.5. Didnt control the game as much as Xabi and Masch, but did do what was needed for the first part of the 2nd half. Torres - 6. Rustiness was expected but showed with a magnificent back-heel turn and a few other drops of the shoulder that he is only a few matches away from scaring defences again. Goal should be perfect boost for his confidence, even if my 100 year old great grandmother couldve scored it Aurelio - Not on long enough to make an impact.
2-0. From the comms it didn't sound like this was our greatest FA Cup performance, but we are moving on. "We Can Build On This!"
We were great in the first half. Once Alonso went off, we couldn't control the midfield for the whole second half. Lucas can't replace Alonso as the metronome of the team.
PNE had a good 15 minutes spell from 60 mins onwards. Other than that we controlled the match or at least assumed parity. We did play much better in the first half and should have finished the contest then. Riera and Gerrard looked very impressive imo. Masch and Alonso won the battle for midfield. Credit to PNE, they had a go towards the end but did not do enough to equalise. The team played pretty well today overall but we should have killed the game in the first half. We are in the next round and that's what counts. Hopefully the knocks to Alonso and Masch are not too serious.
Goals Riera http://www.footyfilms.com/musicvideo.php?vid=16193e3b8 Torres http://www.footyfilms.com/musicvideo.php?vid=b68235175
are these official? i would rate Lucas a little better, for the time he was on. Keane??? poor guy must be completely frazzled. Insua appeared to feel the pressure of a one-and-done competition.
Can't add much to Grinners except that Babel was about a 2 and I thought Lucas did about a half point better. Report says Alonso had seven stiches in his foot -- hopefully there is no structural damage and he just misses Stoke.
I'm very satisfied with the performance and result. I can't help but think that we would have barely won this in the last couple of years and struggled a lot more. We controlled the game for the most part and could have won by a bigger scoreline had Keane not missed those sitters and Gerrard put one of his several chances in. Gerrard and Riera were excellent in this match. Stevie was unphazed by the personal issues and Riera showed that he can do just as well when switching over to the right. Great to see Torres back as well, he looked lively.
Nice goal from Riera. Babel's face didn't look to pleased with the strike though, probably thinking that strike further decreases the chance of him starting on the left.
Babel isn't a wide player anyways, he is just there out of neccessity I think. We have tons of options in the center, none of which Ryan would start over. And the more I see of Babel the more I am convinced that he isn't able to adapt to a wide role. It just doesn't suit his style of player and his attributes as a player.
I really think it was a matter of PNE going hell bent for a goal and getting a lot of excuse me fouls. Lucas really didn't play that poorly.
If he were to consistently play in his natural role, supporting striker, I think he could develop more properly and actually be an assett to the club. I don't see that happening anytime soon so I think he could be off in the summer.