Home   >   LFC News   >   Swansea 0-0 Liverpool – Goal shy Reds lack killer instinct

Swansea 0-0 Liverpool – Goal shy Reds lack killer instinct

By on November 25, 2012

Swansea City 0-0 Liverpool
Premier League
Sunday, 25th November 2012; Liberty Stadium

Brendan Rodgers’ return to Swansea ended in a goalless draw as Swansea and Liverpool cancelled each other out at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Tellingly, Liverpool are still without a win on a Sunday following a Europa League game this season. The use of key players in both competitions, coupled with the small squad at Rodgers’ disposal is becoming an issue on both fronts now.

Liverpool were much better in the first half, where they saw Raheem Sterling hit the crossbar and Jose Enrique have a goal disallowed for offside.

Rodgers handed a first Premier League start of the season to Jordan Henderson, and Stewart Downing made his first League start since the opening day thrashing at West Brom. Both were withdrawn midway into the second half, with the decision to play Downing at left-back massively backfiring. He may be an option to use their in the Europa League but here he was often caught out of position.

At half-time it looked like only a matter of time before Liverpool made the breakthrough but the second half saw Swansea enjoy much the better half, with Liverpool more of a threat on the counter attack – Suarez and Sterling went through 2 v 1 but Sterling’s heavy pass forced Suarez wide.

At the other end, Pepe Reina looked back to form and fitness. His recent injury layoff could be a blessing in disguise and provide him with refreshed impetus.

Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard made several mistakes and again showed how Liverpool are eager for a return to fitness for Lucas Leiva to solidify their midfield.

Jonjo Shelvey forced a save from Tremmell with a powerful drive late on, while Agger almost headed back across goal to Gerrard for what would have been a tap-in.

Liverpool stay eleventh, a win would have put them eighth. Next up is Spurs away.

Swansea: Tremmel, Rangel, Williams, Chico, Davies, Britton, de Guzman (Agustien 84), Routledge (Dyer 67), Hernandez, Michu, Shechter (Ki 46).
Subs: Cornell, Monk, Tiendalli, Lita.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Downing (Cole 77), Allen, Henderson (Shelvey 77), Gerrard, Enrique, Sterling, Suarez.
Subs not used: Jones, Carragher, Coates, Suso, Sahin.

Referee: Moss
Attendance: 20,621

Stats (SWA – LIV)

Possession: 50% – 50%
Shots: 17 – 21
On target: 8 – 14
Corners: 7 – 6
Fouls: 6 – 10



About This Is Anfield

We are an Independent Liverpool FC Fans Website - Online Since 2001. Keep up to date with the latest from This Is Anfield by following us on Twitter, Facebook or via our RSS feed.

  • imoff

    Joe Cole came in and never even got a touch , i wonder what BR sees in him to choose him over Suso and Assaidi who did not even make the bench .The way we played today looks like a team with a mid table team mentality .

  • joe

    No passion, no defending, no passing, no pride, no talent. Why did they even bother with the travel? Anyone who thinks this is a team to challenge for top 6-8 is kidding themselves! Yesteryear is yesteryear. We got history, but no future.

  • Viewpoint_X

    That was Awful, but for me BR still has until the summer.

  • Nige

    Where was assaidi? He has pace and some tricks. Not feeling joe Allen yet- gives away silly fouls around our area and I hope Lucas comes back ASAP. What’s up with gerrard? He is playing within himself- his best form has been when he can attack the box. Wasting his ability. Downing was poor at left back. All in all a draw isn’t a good result. We lack the guile and movement upfront to score

    • Saraceninc

      I agree, I though he would briong him on for that fool Downing or Henderson, but he brought on old man Joe. might you asaadi is great but each time he crosses its to an empty penalty area, so maybe thats why?

  • L Shaw

    Key point in this article “small squad” sums it up. It would be wonderful to beat Spurs next week, yet in the current state of things a draw at the worst would be okay. Reality can suck.

  • Nabil

    all brendan rodgers seems to be saying after each game where makin progress wtf i dont knw why he was named LFC manager sack him its actually embrassin that weve only won 3 games out of 14 premier league games and not even considered as a top 4 team

  • Saraceninc

    The squad is small because of the £120 million wasted on carroll, Henderson, Adam and Downing, till today no one has questioned what Commoli made out of this deal? Joe is right after 1 million passess still no goal, since thre is no skill other than poor old Suarex, God help us all should he get injured. Steve is now well past it, dwoning is like a wondering fool and Henderson looks like a wondering fool.

    • Viewpoint_X

      You were going well until you repeated the wondering fool thing with Hendo. :)
      I’d say Drowning is a wAndering fool and Hendo is a wOndering one.

      • eskimo

        i agree on downing but i can’t stand all the stick hendo’s getting. i think he was perhaps our best midfielder today and at this age he can develop into an england regular and an excellent player for us for years to come

        • Viewpoint_X

          I actually agree with you. I was just trying to be witty but failed drastically! :)

  • sideshow_bob

    Totally disagree with all the negativity This result is progress from last season. That day we were truly, truly awful and never looked like winning the game. Today, while we were poor for the first 20 minutes or so after the break, we generally held a good shape, tried to play football in the opposition half, created chances and eventually kept a clean sheet. For me, BR is on is way to achieving the first goal of any good manager, especially one not afforded the luxury of a bank vault full of petro-dollars, he is making his team difficult to beat. Even more positively he has done so while trying to play a progressive style of football and risking young players as opposed to sticking eleven men behind the ball and hoping for the odd break here and there. Clearly, it doesn’t sit well with any of us to be 11th in the league, but we are only 4 points off sixth and I still believe we will finish in the top six.

    I just don’t understand what people expected this year? Did you really think we would finish fourth? Yeah, we all *hoped*, in the way that football fans do, but surely deep down you didn’t *expect* it? If you check out the first League campaign of many good managers you’ll find a similar pattern. Teams gradually start to turn the tables by becoming harder to beat and set improved records such as more clean sheets and longer unbeaten runs. What you won’t find is many fairy tales of teams that finished eighth the year before becoming title challengers without huge investment.

    In BR I trust.

    • Viewpoint_X

      Top Top comment! Well said. Just from todays game I thought we appeared very very sluggish for some reason.

  • ianmcd31

    Another really frustrating game to watch for us liverpool fans, and we’ll have many more this season. We have to sit tight and support our team, especially our talented youngsters that are getting experienced very quickly. Maybe after the January transfer window we’ll have a few players that can help turn these draws into wins. We are thin on the ground but i’m real happy with the way we are heading. A few of our in form players didn’t have such a good show today but i agree with ‘sideshow bob’ in that we are becoming harder to beat and more organised. I’m in no doubt of Rogers, i am seeing good things on the pitch and it’ll get better with new faces.

  • don

    all rodgers has done is sold every player from last season who was capable of scoring a goal and not replaced any of them with people who can score, how many goals and points would we have with kuyt maxi bellemy adam and carrol still in the squad, how many goals has anyone of the people who replace them score? only are number 7 has scored in the pl and the rest of the squad have about 6 goals between them, the players i mention would be on alot more than that after 13 games, so we have gone backwards and pulled the teeth from the team, why keep hendo and dowing who i thing have 3 pl goals between them in 18 month and sell our best goal scorers so no wonder we in this mess, br needs to stop talking and start winning else he should be sacked as like any other mannager would be coz how ever you dress it up 3 wins from 13 is shocking and i cant remember the first 13 games of any other season being this bad

  • Redblooded Male

    I reckon Assaidi has a clause in his contract whereby his fee rises to £7m-£8m if he makes a certain number of apps before January? What d’you think? Sterling needs a little stint on the bench. The overhit one-two with him & Suarez would have won us the game.
    He choked vs Everton too, when he shanked his 1 on 1 game winning shot well wide.
    Joe Allen is pointless, all he’s concerned with is maintaining HIS pass completion %,
    no through balls, no assists, no goals, £14m, really?
    FSG need to offer up £50m+ in January, but if the summer was anything to go by BR won’t spend it well.

    Bony-£8m+Heung Min Son-£9m+Hemed-£8m = £25m

  • Butragenio

    Only Brenda thinks this result is positive. Delusional!

  • magic2ouch

    under hicks and gillets we punched well above our weight and under FSG we have been made into a mid table swansea. if in the summer city or chelsea offer 50 million for suarez he will go ( i dont blame him) and we will waste it on probably darren bent, walcott and sturridge.