Liverpool keep: Gerrard’s FA Cup dream alive with late turnaround
Two goals at the end saw The Reds scrape through 2-1 against Bolton.
Liverpool scored two late goals to go through against Bolton in their fourth-round FA Cup replay.
BOLTON:
Liverpool fought back to reach the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Bolton Wanderers to keep alive talismanic captain Steven Gerrard’s hopes of a Wembley swansong.
The Liverpool captain turns 35 on the day of the FA Cup final and supporters had seemingly already pencilled a trip to Wembley into their diaries. But with Liverpool trailing with just four minutes of the 90 left in their fourth-round replay at the Macron Stadium, the dream of Gerrard climbing the steps to lift the famous old trophy appeared to be in their dying embers.
However, Raheem Sterling cancelled out Eidur Gudjohnsen’s penalty before Philippe Coutinho scored a brilliant injury-time winner to seal a meeting with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the next round.
“You have to keep your patience and keep the width in the game, especially against 10 men,” a relieved Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told the BBC. “It was a great pass by Emre Can for the first goal and a great finish for the second goal. This is a competition we want to do well in and thankfully we’re into the next round against Crystal Palace.”
Meanwhile, his Bolton counterpart Neil Lennon, who has engineered a revival in the club’s fortunes since taking over in early October, was left fuming over the referee Roger East’s performance. “I’m not happy with the referee tonight at all,” said the 43-year-old Northern Irishman. “Neil Danns’ first yellow card was not a booking and I’m not convinced that our penalty was a penalty either.”
Meanwhile, Gerrard, who will leave Anfield for Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy when his contract expires in the summer, clocked up his 700th career appearance for Liverpool.
Only Jamie Carragher (737) and Ian Callaghan (857) have worn the red shirt with the Liverbird on their chest more than Gerrard.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2015.
Liverpool fought back to reach the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Bolton Wanderers to keep alive talismanic captain Steven Gerrard’s hopes of a Wembley swansong.
The Liverpool captain turns 35 on the day of the FA Cup final and supporters had seemingly already pencilled a trip to Wembley into their diaries. But with Liverpool trailing with just four minutes of the 90 left in their fourth-round replay at the Macron Stadium, the dream of Gerrard climbing the steps to lift the famous old trophy appeared to be in their dying embers.
However, Raheem Sterling cancelled out Eidur Gudjohnsen’s penalty before Philippe Coutinho scored a brilliant injury-time winner to seal a meeting with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the next round.
“You have to keep your patience and keep the width in the game, especially against 10 men,” a relieved Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told the BBC. “It was a great pass by Emre Can for the first goal and a great finish for the second goal. This is a competition we want to do well in and thankfully we’re into the next round against Crystal Palace.”
Meanwhile, his Bolton counterpart Neil Lennon, who has engineered a revival in the club’s fortunes since taking over in early October, was left fuming over the referee Roger East’s performance. “I’m not happy with the referee tonight at all,” said the 43-year-old Northern Irishman. “Neil Danns’ first yellow card was not a booking and I’m not convinced that our penalty was a penalty either.”
Meanwhile, Gerrard, who will leave Anfield for Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy when his contract expires in the summer, clocked up his 700th career appearance for Liverpool.
Only Jamie Carragher (737) and Ian Callaghan (857) have worn the red shirt with the Liverbird on their chest more than Gerrard.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2015.