Jim D

The atmosphere is awful!

What a waste! SWP only has got himself to blame. Had a cracking season at Man City, looks the shadow of the player he was.

Straight from the first minute to the last, that performance today was very average at best. Can't believe we even stood off at Arsenal, it was like saying to them, here you go Arsenal you can have the three points. Too many players again individually played poorly, we can't score for toffee despite the goal today. Garcia well was ineffective apart from the goal. Crouch yes he is good at linking up play back in the midfield but most of the time he ends up back in midfield, plus he can't score from two guilt edge chances!! Warnock was shaky, but that was probably due to having Garcia in front of him. I am extremely p****d off today about that performance and result and to cap it all off, once we got ourselves back into the game, we get a man sent off and Gerrard does the most schoolboy of errors I have ever seen. Lovely pass for Henry, we didn't deserve anything from that I'm afraid and quite frankly our current form and situation means we will be clinging onto 3rd place. Maybe I am just overreacting and I will have a clearer head later on, but right now I am fuming, its just so frustrating and annoying!!

Warnock and Garcia have been totally gash.....final ball letting us down again and why wasn't Toure sent off for his two footed lunge?

Typical Chelsea, but thats what happens when you are a team at the top of table, score crucial last minute winners. Mancs did it for years when they were top dogs. Draw was a fair result, but a Chelsea win keeps the gap between us and Spurs stagnant. I'd take a draw at Highbury now.

Yes and its all the more worrying, as an attacking threat we are a very poor team. How many corners did we have today and didn't even look like scoring from them? I am certain we will finish 3rd but 2nd place is out of the window I feel, because we can't score goals and kill teams off.

This is probably the worst Liverpool team I have seen for a long time as an attacking threat. We are excellent in defence and keeping the ball in midfield, but we show nothing upfront. No pace, set pieces are awful (Free kicks, corners), no movement.

Toothless performance, doing everything right apart from putting it in the back of the net. Typical of our season...... Charlton just had their first effort on goal 72nd minute......

and seven doubles

Time of kick off certainly added to the drab atmosphere.

Well every player on that pitch is expected to give that extra more in their game. Its just not happening for Morientes, what is worrying for me he doesn't even look like scoring. Hes not getting into a position to try and even score a goal. Unlike Crouch earlier on in the season who looked threatening despite the ball not falling for him to put it into the back of the net. Anyway, on an additional note that was on our 18th clean sheet in the League this season, superb record. I think our defence has unfairly recieved criticism in recent weeks. The goals we have conceded recently has been more due to the extra onus put on the defence to keep a clean sheet. The defence has been carrying this team all season, our attacking play in general is just toothless.

Thats it, same problem still exists, lack of cutting edge in front of goal...past 5 results... 1-0 0-1 1-0 1-0 1-0 OK we are winning, but it means the defence is under much more pressure because the forwards aren't doing their job. Have to start scoring alot more.

Rafa has settled for 1-0...... 3mins added

No they were booing Crouch coming off, a very questionable substitution. Crouch has looked threatening all game, Morientes has offered nothing as an attacking threat. How does he stay on?

Arsenal this season = Liverpool last season?? Excellent in Europe, Excellent home record in the League, Awful away record in the League. Struggling to get into the top 4. Could Spurs miss out on Champions League despite finishing 4th? Could lightning strike twice?

There is nothing wrong with the zonal marking system. Unfortunately our defence is carrying the team at the moment. The strikers aren't doing their job and so as a consequence magnifies any individual mistakes made in the back four particularly from set pieces. We have got an excellent defensive record, but if we can't score, its puts extra pressure on the defence and goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet. Most probably why we have been sloppy at set plays. Benfica are a poor side and quite frankly as an attacking thread we never turned up. We got sucker punched again, very similar to the Old Trafford game. I think we are going to have to score 3 goals in the return leg to get through......that at this moment in time is looking unlikely.

No complaints of the result, that was a poor performance. Benfica were there for the taking tonight and we blew it. Our forward play was awful and quite frankly its the defence that is carrying this team at the moment. As a consequence its magnifying the slip ups at set pieces because on the whole the defence has played well all season. Rafa is going to be livid. Our strikerforce is totally toothless, Benfica are an average team, let them off the hook. Additionally can't believe how many times we gave away the ball going forward.....Garcia and Kewell totally at guilt there.

Thought Wes Brown was worse, he got away with two clearances which nearly ended up in his own net. First one when he tried to whack it clear off his foot, totally spooned it and flew back over his own bar. Second one was the diving header at the Kop end from a cross.

Bobby Charlton is probably the only Man Utd past/present player I have the most respect for. That man is a living legend in the game of football. Just a shame alot of the glory hunting mancs don't see it that way. Cantona voted Manchester United greatest ever player, don't make laugh. Law, Charlton and Best in my opinion were greater legends for them than Cantona.

Apparently we top the League Table of corners in the League. We certainly don't make much of those opportunities.

3-1 Man City........how did we not beat Charlton? 3-2!! Bent.

Define "entertainment", Chelsea have scored the same number of goals as you and have a superior goal difference, aren't they more entertaining? Or is it because they can defend much better than you, so are labelled boring? I don't find Chelsea boring at all to be honest, its their ability to win matches consistently week in, week out is why they are top of the League. People throw the "boring" tag at them because they are winning. If they were doing exactly the same thing in their play but weren't winning matches and were midtable say, no one would call them "boring". A similar thing was thrown at Houllier's Liverpool, during the treble winning season, Liverpool scored an average of over 2 goals per game across 63 games that particular season (127 goals). But unfairly got labelled the "boring" tag because they were successful. If they weren't, no one would of mentioned it.

When did entertainment give you points? Also if you honestly believe we are "horrible to watch" then you don't watch alot of Premiership football. If we are that "horrible" to watch what does that make the other 17 teams below us in the Premiership? Seems to me you are throwing in this desperate attempt to mask your own team shortcomings and you are concerned of the progress we have made under Benitez. Thinks this point was further cemented when the majority of Utd fans wanted Chelsea to beat us. A few years ago you would of said the complete opposite because you would of had the belief in your own team to catch them. In essence you are looking over your shoulder now at us and not looking ahead towards Chelsea.

Have to say we have been the better side over the first 45mins. But again a set piece has let us down and all the hard work and good play has come to nothing. Just like the Manc game, controlling it, looking comfortable.

3-2!! Goals galore.