DUDEK'S ERROR WIPES OUT THE GLOSS
The Times 23 February 2005
SONGS of jubilation mingled with familiar curses last night as a fine victory, achieved in testing circumstances, was undermined by the latest in a long line of witless errors by Jerzy Dudek.
Anfield ?s reaction was tinged with confusion; without Steven Gerrard, there was proof positive that Liverpool are not a one-man team and further confirmation that their Poland international is a one-man circus.
A 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen would have been grasped hungrily if Rafael Ben£tez had been offered it beforehand, but his players had edged so close to perfection that the final whistle could only bring a twinge of regret. With a swirling free kick as the seconds melted by, Dietmar Hamann had earned Liverpool a significant advantage, but the final act belonged to Dudek.
With the Bundesliga side hurtling forward in desperation, Dudek allowed a shot from Dimitar Berbatov to cannon off his chest. His reactions had been faulty and he was punished when the rebound fell to Sena de Souza Franca, who finished adroitly. Leverkusen had been presented with a crucial away goal.
A 2-0 win in the BayArena would be enough to propel Klaus Augenthaler ?s side into the quarter-finals and while Liverpool will welcome the return of Gerrard from suspension, Bayer ?s record there is formidable. ?Bearing in mind we have already beaten Real Madrid, Roma and Dynamo Kiev at home, we have a chance, ? their head coach said.
Ben£tez, shying away from direct condemnation of Dudek, said: ?In football, you have to be aware and concentrate until the end. The only thing we remember is the last moment, but he had a good game. He has played well for me. ? There have been too many similar episodes, though, to restrict the list to this season.
So Liverpool did not make life easy, but at least they will approach Sunday ?s Carling Cup final in a positive demeanour. Luis Garc£a and the excellent John Arne Riise had foraged a first-half lead that they deserved more as the match progressed.
Given their invidious positionwhereby every result is scrutinised for its effect on Gerrard ?s future, there was much to be savoured. The 24-year-old, who was watching from the stands, had begun the day with a request for a ?realistic ? appraisal of Liverpool ?s European hopes - ?we realise that maybe it is not our year this year, ? he told the BBC - and if this was not quite a rebuttal, it was a positive response.
Leverkusen would not have been flattered by a half-time lead, but their swift movement and dominance in possession was undermined when it mattered most. Of three opportunities that fell the way of Berbatov, the first was punched away - hesitantly - by Dudek, the second fizzed narrowly wide of the left post and the third was a one-on-one howler that will give the Bulgaria striker recurring nightmares.
Liverpool were the opposite. They saw little of the ball and were frequently careless with it, but counter-attacked with precision and took their chances. On the quarter-hour, a through-pass from Igor Biscan scythed through the Bayer defence and Garc£a circumvented the offside trap to shoot with venom. After 35 minutes, with Harry Kewell felled by Diego Placente, Riise wriggled a free kick from 22 yards beyond Hans-Jorg Butt.
Berbatov had not been the sole miscreant for Augenthaler ?s side. Paul Freier had burst towards the byline, gliding past Djimi Traor£ in the process, but Robson Ponte, with the side of a boot, had prodded a free effort above the crossbar. Ponte, the Brazilian playmaker, also found Dudek when positioned well and frustration overwhelmed him when he was booked for fouling Riise.
He will miss the return, as does Freier, who was also cautioned. Given their impoverished situation - inconsistent form and no Fernando Morientes, Mauricio Pellegrino, Djibril Ciss£, Xabi Alonso, Florent Sinama Pongolle or Chris Kirkland - Liverpool were worthy of congratulations. The most meaningful absentee did not transpire to be Gerrard, but Jens Nowotny, Leverkusen ?s Germany centre half. Always incautious in defence, they were obliged to become more so in adversity.
Liverpool, roared on by the Kop, employed familiar tactics. Dudek was shown the yellow card for dawdling over a goal kick, but there was also space to exploit on the counter- attack.
Riise twice set up Milan Baros, but a mediocre header was followed by a blunt reaction, blocked proficiently by Butt. Dudek touched Freier ?s shot away for a corner. More followed. Hamann pounced, Dudek blundered.
LIVERPOOL (4-4-1-1): J Dudek - S Finnan, J Carragher, S Hyypia, D Traor£ - L Garc£a, I Biscan, D Hamann, J A Riise (sub: V Smicer, 89min) - H Kewell (sub: A Le Tallec, 77) - M Baros (sub: D Potter, 85). Substitutes not used: S Carson, A N££ez, S Warnock, J Welsh. Booked: Hamann, Dudek.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN (4-1-3-2): H-J Butt - B Schneider, J-I Callsen-Bracker, Juan, D Placente - C Ramelow - P Freier (sub: D Bierofka, 83), R Ponte (sub: L Donovan, 69), J Krzynowek - D Berbatov, A Voronin (sub: S Franca, 68). Substitutes not used: T Starke, C Fritz, S Dum, G Castro Randon. Booked: Ponte, Freier.
Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).