Logic

Gerrard with one of the better goals of the season!!!! Long distance shot in the upper right corner of the goal!

Win a corner from a badly taken freekick. ps. We seriously need to improve our freekicks and corners for next season. Corner ends up going over everyone. Villa throw in. Pressed the Villa players into giving us the ball. Riise with a shot from outside the area. Goes wide left of the goal. Momo on for Cisse.

God coming on for Crouch.

GOAL!!!!!!! Gerrard! Alonso corner taken low and Gerrard makes a run for the near post. Good finish with the outside of his left foot.

Defence truly and well asleep! Sami with another fekk up (not having a good game) and the guy who I'll never remember what is called gets through. Luckily he puts it wide. Reina goes nuts.

Good play by AV. Villa plays it into feet for Angel who sends it straight out to the wing. Low cross comes in and our defence was asleep. Barry with an easy tap in.

We get a corner. Everyone standing on the far side. Easy catch for Sorensen.

Not sure. He seemed like he simply wasn't up to it today or that Sami and Carra just completely know how to play against him. Angel is playing the same position as Baros did in the 1st half.

A good cross is put in from the right, Crouch heads it down and Morientes takes a shot. Shot deflected by villa defence and Sorensen dives to his left to save it.

Villa player with a name that I will never remember exploits Sami's lack of pace only to be tackled by both Sami and Gerrard down on our right side. Claims corner but we get the ball. Villa playing with a bit more intent now. Ah! that's it! (way too difficult to remember )

Cisse works great to run past two Villa players and gets the cross in. Crouch on the edge of the ummm box in the area (what's that called in English?) but puts it wide.

Fekk up by Sami leads to Angel almost getting through. When Reina is about to clear he hits either Riise or Angel and the ball rolls across the goal. Reina eventually picks it up.

Kronkamp penalised for being too strong (shoulder to shoulder challenge). Dangerous position on the edge of the area. Freekick cleared.

Second half starts. Shall I continue with the commentary?

Half time analysis as promised. Low key game. Not much happening. We basically use three kind of attacks. 1. Try to play Cisse through on the right for him to either cross or go through on goal. 2. If that fails he plays it back to Kronkamp who quickly switches play over to Riise who seems to be wide open when we've played up the right. 3. If there isn't space for Cisse we seem to try to play it through the middle with Crouch dropping to play in either Morientes or Gerrard. That's our basic play. Villa haven't done anything worth noting and it seems like both Carra and Sami know exactly how to deal with Baros. Baros hasn't looked anything like the player he was with us (i.e. winning corners and throw-ins ). It wouldn't surprise me much if we see Gerrard even further up the field in the second half to try to exploit the huge holes in the central defence created by the movement of Crouch and Morientes. Villas wide-backs stay out wide and the two centre-backs get dragged out of position and stay way too narrow.

HT. Analysis to come when I get back from buying cigs!

Cross from Kronkamp across the area, Riise chests it down for Gerrard who tries a shot with his left. Yet another dead pigeon. Just wait for my half-time analysis! I might even do images with arrows!

After good work from Kronkamp (good turn) he puts a cross in. Riise gets to it but tries to shoot with his right. One less pigeon flying over Anfield the result.

Fekk up in the Villa defence allows Traore to be one on one with the goalie but he (as all defenders in that position ) tries to pass the ball across the goal to Cisse but the pass is intercepted. Good chance that.

Cisse with a good ball over to Riise. Riise puts it in but Villa clears just in time. Moro was behind the defender if he had failed the clearance. Riise with another cross and this time Morientes connects (tries to back heel it) but defender clears. Villa break, good cross put in but the header is into the ground and over. Both teams looking for a goal.

Villa with a corner. cleared. Villa a bit more up to it now. Trying to put the ball into the box but everything has so far been dealt with easily by our defence. Mostly Carra.

Cheers. We were almost through after a break from a corner but Sorensen was quick off his line to clear the danger.

As for a running commentary. It's a boring game that we seem to be well under control. I'll do what I can to tell what's happening.

Movement across the defensive line by Morientes. Picked up by Alonso who puts a great pass in his path. Morientes takes it into the area, feigns (don't know if this is the correct term in English ) a shot to get the defender to commit to the block but pulls it back in and puts it low in the side-netting to the goalkeepers right.

Crowd singing Milan's name and he applauds them. Good to see.