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by David Lacey © The Guardian |
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| The goal-scoring instincts of Ian Rush, newly restored to the attack after a cartilage operation, strengthened Liverpool's hold on the European Cup last night after the home leg of their second round tie against Benfica had threatened to drift away into the gloom which has pervaded Anfield for much of the season. When the Portuguese champions, well organised in defence and quick and skilful on their occasional forays forward, drew level at 1-1 early in the second half, Liverpool again began to look like men who would never find the lost chord. However, Rush, who had given Liverpool the lead shortly before half time, completed his first hat-trick in European football with two sharply taken goals in the space of seven minutes, enabling the holders to take a 3-1 lead to Lisbon in a fortnight's time. Given the overall quality of Benfica's football last night, Liverpool's survival in the away leg will hardly be a formality. They will do well to repeat the victories gained on their two previous visits to the Stadium of Light. Nevertheless, last night's success must have come as an enormous relief to Joe Fagan and his players, whose seasonal ambitions seemed to be in danger on all sides. Liverpool had always maintained that all would be well when Rush was fully match-fit, and his performance last night proved the point. Not that Benfica were swept aside in quite the old manner; for a long time Liverpool struggled to discover the blend, rhythm and confidence which have deserted them in so many of their recent games. Fagan had made, at last, the crucial decision to move Lawrenson out of the back four in an attempt to replace the midfield's missing teeth, now being gnashed by Souness in Italy, but until Rush scored his second-half goals this gamble had produced mixed results. Benfica, sensing their opportunity, adopted a much more positive approach than they had at Anfield in last season's competition, and the football was a better spectacle as a result. For the best part of an hour the Brazilian, Wando, Diamantino and Luis found the pace and accuracy to disrupt Liverpool's defence, with the tall Dane, Manniche, inspiring many of their better attacks. From the outset Liverpool moved forward with a will, but after some initially penetrative attacks they began to labour in the face of Alvaro's swift covering and the decisive interventions of Samuel. | Lawrenson and Wark had close-range headers saved by Bento, whose goalkeeping was much more decisive than on his previous encounters with Liverpool. He emphasised this by dashing off his line more than once to smother the ball at Rush's feet. Grobbelaar, meanwhile, had to move quickly to hold a 25 yard drive from Manuel, and smother another shot from the unmarked Diamantino. Just over a minute before half-time, with Liverpool's football labouring in the heavy rain, a marvellous piece of individualism by Lawrenson raised their hopes to a more accustomed level. Gathering the ball some 35 yards out, Lawrenson surged through the Benfica defence in the inside-right position and sent a low centre in to the goalmouth. Wark mishit his attempt at a first-time shot, but with the Portuguese defence in disarray, Rush was well placed to give Liverpool the lead. Anfield's relief lasted for just six minutes of the second half. Gillespie, defending soundly in only his third full game for Liverpool after joining them from Coventry the summer before last, was thrown off guard when he went to clear a high through ball from Manniche that stuck on the saturated surface. Diamantino pounced immediately, and, after swinging past the hapless centre-back, swerved neatly past Grobbelaar and prodded the ball into an empty net. Liverpool looked forlorn, but with the departure of a limping Samuel, who was replaced by Bastos Lopes, the Benfica defence lost something in organisation. For all that, both of Rush's goals owed everything to his uncanny sense of a scoring opportunity. The goals were remarkably similar in origin and execution. Wark, forced off at half-time with a damaged Achilles tendon, had been replaced by Johnston, who added extra pace to the attack. In the 71st minute, Whelan met Johnston's centre with a mishit shot which went straight to Rush, who again beat Bento. In the 77th minute another centre from Johnston, on the right reached Whelan. This time his shot was going wide, but was still deflected back to Rush, who duly completed his hat-trick. Bento was cautioned for protesting that Whelan had handled the ball, but for Liverpool and their supporters the result was now beyond argument. |
Match article courtesy of  |
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| by Ian Ross © The Liverpool Post | |
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The remarkable Ian Rush breathed new life into Liverpool's ailing season at Anfield last night. The Welsh goal ace, playing only his second game since returning after a cartilage operation, smashed home his first ever European hat-trick, to steer Joe Fagan's men back on the victory trail. His astonishing one-man demolition of Portuguese champions Benfica puts the title-holders in the driving seat for the second leg in the famous Stadium of Light in a fortnight's time. Although Liverpool still have some way to go before a full recovery can be proclaimed, there is no doubt this performance of sheer grit will, temporarily at least, calm the nerves which have been rattling with gay abandon for so many weeks. When Liverpool's astonishingly poor start to the season is borne in mind, the European Cup takes on even more importance than usual. Strange though it may seem, this most prestigious of competitions could conceivably prove to be the easiest route to continued glory. Not that Benfica ever seemed likely last night to take pity on a wounded and confused animal bereft of both confidence and self-belief. Even so, Liverpool dominated in majestic fashion and had their finishing matched their, at times, incisive approach play Benfica would have been dead and buried long before the interval. While they didn't actually manage to get a shot on target until the 32nd minute they were unfortunate not to break the deadlock with two identical close-range headers. After six minutes Mark Lawrenson's effort from Sammy Lee's corner was well held by Bento and, 13 minutes later, John Wark saw a similar attempt meet a similar fate. Rush came closest to shattering an uneasy stalemate after 33 minutes when he latched on to Kenny Dalglish's flick only to be denied by Bento's spreadeagled frame. Two minutes before the interval, it was Rush who poached a typical striker's goal to put a new complexion on a match which had seemed likely to stutter to an unpalatable goalless draw. The architect was Lawrenson, who drove himself past three defenders before crossing into a congested penalty area. Wark stabbed at the ball before Rush pounced to drive home firmly from close range. |
If that strike calmed frayed nerves, the unfortunate Gary Gillespie sadly set them on edge once again just seven minutes into the second half. There appeared to be little danger as he prepared to pick up a long clearance but, as Diamantino bore down on him, he seemed to take his eye off the ball. The speedy winger was quick to capitalise, cutting the ball back from the dead ball line before chipping over the fallen bodies of Gillespie and Bruce Grobbelaar. With away goals counting double in the event of an aggregate draw, Liverpool had no alternative but to open up. Things looked bleak until that man Rush took matters into his own hands as the game entered its final stages. After 70 minutes, substitute Craig Johnston slotted a hopeful ball across the face of Benfica's defensive wall. Whelan pushed it forward and Rush did the rest. Seven minutes later he collected Whelan's mishit drive to complete an invaluable hat-trick. A relieved Joe Fagan said: "Thank God for that, we needed it both for the fans and for the players. We have had it rough and we might have it rough again, but we have got an important win under our belts. I am very content. It is important that we now keep our feet on the ground. I won't have a sleepless night tonight, but it is important to remember one swallow doesn't make a summer". The Anfield boss paid special tribute to Ian Rush, saying: "What a difference one man makes. It is a hell of a psychological boost to have him back winning balls and scoring goals. It has been gloom and doom over the last few weeks, but a win should do us good. The difference tonight was Ian Rush”. Rush said: "I needed that first goal to give me confidence, but I mishit it. If I'd been a few more yards out it would have gone wide, but that's the sort of luck you need in this game". John Wark was not so lucky. He may miss Sunday's match against Nottingham Forest with an injured achilles tendon. Fagan hopes in that case to field the side that finished last night's game. |