by Reg » Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:50 am
From The Times August 25, 2009
Angry Rafael Benítez points finger at Steven Gerrard for defeat
Rafael Benítez blamed his senior players — including Steven Gerrard — after watching Liverpool lose 3-1 to Aston Villa at Anfield last night.
The Liverpool manager did not pull any punches after the surprise setback, Liverpool’s second defeat of the season. It brought to an end an unbeaten home run in the Barclays Premier League that had stretched back to December 2007.
Lucas Leiva, the Brazil midfield player, will be the obvious target for fans’ frustration after his first-half own goal put Villa on the road to victory, but Benítez was quick to spread the blame throughout his ranks, putting particular emphasis on his belief that Liverpool were let down by some of their biggest names, including Gerrard, the captain, who gave away the penalty that sealed their fate.
“If you look at the goals we conceded, the first [the Lucas own goal] was a mistake and the second was in [first-half] injury time,” said Benítez. “Then we scored and, at a crucial moment, we gave away a penalty. We made too many mistakes at crucial times. It was a clear penalty.
“It was not only Lucas. We have to be fair. Gerrard gave away the penalty. There were too many people involved. If you want to analyse the mistakes of each player, you would have to analyse a lot of things in the game. We are talking about some names, but clearly the team has to improve and it depends on the experienced players to take more responsibility.
“If you are losing, the only way to change things is to win. After we lost the first game, we managed to beat Stoke 4-0. Now we have to try to respond in the same way and win against Bolton at the weekend.”
Having been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend of the season, Liverpool have already lost as many games as they did in the whole of the last campaign and lie six points behind the North London club and Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.
Benítez’s concern will be heightened by two of Villa’s three goals arriving from set-pieces, with Lucas diverting an Ashley Young free kick past a startled Pepe Reina before Curtis Davies scored a near-post header from a Nicky Shorey corner in first-half stoppage time.
Fernando Torres pulled a goal back after 73 minutes as Liverpool piled on the pressure, but, with Brad Friedel in outstanding form, that was to be the only impression they were to make on the scoreline.
Any chances of Liverpool getting back into the game were ended just two minutes after Torres’s strike when Young scored a well-taken penalty after Gerrard had brought down Nigel Reo-Coker. In contrast to his opposite number, Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, was delighted with his players, although he was quick to admonish fans for booing the team at half-time during their home defeat at the hands of Wigan Athletic last weekend.
“We were booed off 45 minutes after finishing sixth in the league,” O’Neill said. “We have won at Anfield and the team was simply brilliant. If you are booed off at home at full time, I can understand it if you’ve not played well but it’s different at half-time. I didn’t see Liverpool booed off here.
“It’s staggering the number of prophecies that are made after two, three or four games of the season. It’s truly staggering, but nothing surprises me.”
For Friedel, the Villa goalkeeper, the result helped to make up for the 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool in March.
“To win at Anfield is fantastic. With the result last year, it does leave a bad taste in the mouth,” Friedel said. “It’s not revenge, but it’s pleasing to put in a performance because last year we just didn’t turn up.”
, just read laza used the same joke in the Alonso thread, swear i didn't know he did! Great minds think alike 
