Football: Liverpool back in action with a six

Thrash Brighton 6-1 in FA Cup; Spurs held by Stevenage.

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was elated by the show put on by Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, who all started a match together for the first time, in the 6-1 FA Cup thrashing of Brighton.

Gerrard and Carroll have struggled with injuries, while Suarez recently returned from an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. The trio showed how prolific they can be by helping the Reds to their biggest win since Dalglish’s return to the club 13 months ago.

“The more any team gets the players that are iconic like they are on the pitch, the better chance they’ve got of being successful,” said Dalglish. “But we’ve got more than three players and the fact that we’ve done well, and that’s the first time they’ve all started a match, tells you how well the rest have done.”

Elsewhere, Harry Redknapp was confident of Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of lifting the trophy despite being held to a goal-less draw against Stevenage.

“Usually the Cup ends up with a big club winning it,” said Redknapp. “In the last few years it has been one of the top four who have won it.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2012.