Match Report:Liverpool 1 Norwich 1

Liverpool paid the price for a stack of missed chances as they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly-promoted Norwich City at Anfield. Craig Bellamy fired the Reds in front just before the break but they failed to build on that breakthrough in the second half. Substitute Grant Holt headed Norwich level and it could have got even worse for Kenny Dalglish's side. A late flourish almost led to a winner for Liverpool but the ruthless streak the manager had demanded was absent. The Reds will rue the fact they struck the woodwork on three occasions and found former Everton keeper John Ruddy in inspirational form.However, two points were carelessly spurned and Liverpool now find themselves four points adrift of fourth placed Newcastle. It was a hugely frustrating night for Luis Suarez who couldn't capitalise on a host of opportunities and was on the receiving end of some dismal decisions by referee Peter Walton. Dalglish made two changes to the side which drew 1-1 with Manchester United. With Lucas Leiva suspended, Bellamy made his first league start since his return to Anfield from Manchester City this summer. There was also a first start of the season for Glen Johnson who replaced Martin Kelly at right-back after recovering from a hamstring injury.Liverpool flew out of the blocks but failed to make their early dominance count. Inside two minutes Martin Skrtel rose to meet Charlie Adam's corner and his header rattled the bar. Suarez then produced a sensational turn in the box but with only Ruddy to beat he blazed wide. In the 11th minute Bellamy raced down the left and picked out Suarez, whose volley was brilliantly turned on to the post by Ruddy. The rebound fell kindly for Downing but he failed to hit the target. Suarez wasted another opportunity soon after as he dragged his shot wide after latching on to Johnson's clever pass. Norwich survived that early onslaught and grew in confidence as the first half wore on. Wes Hoolahan got in behind the Reds' rearguard but fired too close to Pepe Reina who gathered at the second attempt. The Liverpool keeper was called into action again soon after to keep out Steve Morison's header. Frustration levels were growing inside Anfield when the Reds broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time. Norwich failed to deal with Jose Enrique's long ball forward and Bellamy pounced. The Welshman burst into the box and his shot took a deflection off Marc Tierney before nestling in the corner. It was Bellamy's first league goal for Liverpool at Anfield since the game against Watford in December 2006. Liverpool were inches away from doubling their account six minutes after the interval. Suarez glided past Leon Barnett but his shot struck defender Russell Martin and rebounded back off the post. Norwich boss Paul Lambert brought on striker Holt in a bid to find an equaliser and the substitute made an instant impact on the hour. Anthony Pilkington whipped in a quality cross from the right and Holt rose to power a header past Reina. The Canaries were energised by that strike and could easily have led six minutes later. Holt nodded goalwards but Reina pulled off a fine reaction stop to push the ball away. Dalglish responded by taking off Bellamy and bringing on Jordan Henderson, while Andy Carroll came on for Downing soon after. Suarez continued to pose a threat but he couldn't find a way past the impressive Ruddy who turned a low drive behind. With 10 minutes to go Suarez went down under a challenge from Tierney when he was clean through on goal but to the home fans' disgust Walton waved play on. The Reds continued to press and came agonisingly close to winning the game in stoppage time. Carroll soared to meet Gerrard's cross six yards out but the big frontman inexplicably headed wide. Then in the 95th minute Gerrard turned provider for Suarez whose sweetly struck volley was brilliantly kept out by Ruddy.

Gerrard Heading for Liverpool Exit?

Much has been made of Kenny Dalglish’s need to thin out a bloated midfield before the transfer window shuts but one fact of Liverpool’s midfield overhaul has been largely overlooked, whisper it – there is no room for Steven Gerrard. Dalglish’s signing of Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing on top of the arrival of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll last winter show that in the new look Liverpool, Gerrard is out of style. As seen from the end of last season Dalglish will set out a 4-4-2 with Suarez buzzing around Carroll and the role of the midfield will be to retain a good shape behind these two meaning that even when fit Gerrard will not be suited to the team. The hero of Istanbul has been a guaranteed starter when fit since the 2001 season but age and tactical changes in recent years have exposed at club level the frailties that have always shown while on international duty. Since the departure of Xabi Alonso and his patient, prudent passing Gerrard has frustrated with a hyperactive, everything and nothing at once style; neither a defensive or attacking force he has roamed aimlessly, misplacing passes and firing long range shots with little return. This will not wash with Dalglish who needs a solid midfield to get the best out of his formation and new signings. Never a particularly disciplined player, Gerrard was accommodated as a maverick in Rafa Benitez’s otherwise strict formation which worked well for Gerrard and Liverpool while he had the right players around him. His inspirational role as an all-action hero under Benitez is now Gerrard’s undoing, as it stands he is a player without a position. For each role in the centre of the park Dalglish recognises that the other midfielders at the club are better than Gerrard. Lucas Leiva was derided as a failure upon his arrival at the club but with over 100 games under his belt in the league he has grown into the custodial ball-winning role in Liverpool’s midfield, a role Gerrard was never comfortable with. Raul Meireles too was seen as a flop within a few games last season but the Portuguese player adapted so well that he was named the PFA’s Fan’s Player of the Year and even though he was often deployed in an unfamiliar wide position he shone as an attacking threat. The signings of Adam and Henderson mean that Meireles will likely have to make do with fewer starts this season but it also puts Gerrard to the back of the queue of potential attacking options. Having long lacked any width Stewart Downing will be a breathe of fresh air for the Anfield faithful if he can rise to the occasion, in any case he has a simple task of supplying Carroll with crosses, on the right-side Daglish will likely opt for Dirk Kuyt or Maxi Rodriguez. Meireles may too be an option out wide though he failed to impress in that position under Roy Hodgson but hey, didn’t they all. Kuyt who, often has been held up as a figure of ridicule, is unsurpassed in his tenacity and eagerness in both defensive and attacking play which may make him indispensable for Dalglish as he attempts to get the best out of his attacking central mids Adam, Meireles and Henderson. Rodriguez grabbed headlines at the end of the season with a brace of hat tricks but other than that he had a quiet season and though not past it just yet he is unlikely to be relied upon. With more than a dozen midfielders current on the books Dalglish will be working frantically to move on Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen and Alberto Aquilani before the transfer window closes while Johnjo Shelvey and Jay Spearing are likely to go out on loan. But when Sunderland arrive at Anfield in two weeks time there may be another more familiar face who finds that he too has no place in the second Dalglish era.

Liverpool Get £20m Downing

Stewart Downing has joined Liverpool after Aston Villa agreed a £20 million deal to sell their star of last season.Downing handed in a transfer request yesterday and a fee was reached between the two clubs during a series of late night telephone calls.Villa chief executive Paul Falkner "I can confirm that we have reached an agreement with Liverpool following an improved offer received earlier today and the submission of a formal transfer request by Stewart Downing and have subsequently given them permission to speak to the player."
The LFC website stated: "Liverpool have now been granted permission to discuss personal terms with the player and arrange a medical."Liverpool are currently in the Far East on a pre-season tour.Villa have already turned their attention to replacing the England winger and have now decided to step up their interest in Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia.Alex McLeish has also earmarked Aiden McGeady as a possible target with reports the former Celtic winger is unsettled at Spartak Moscow.


Downing will leave Villa just two years into a four year contract after a complete U-turn over his prospects of signing a bumper extension.

The 26-year-old winger hinted he was willing to commit his future for longer after picking up a series of player of the season gongs at Villa’s annual awards dinner in May.


But Downing’s growing desire to quit Villa Park for Anfield was such that he submitted a formal written transfer request yesterday to try and force the issue.

However, it was Kenny Dalglish’s willingness to meet the claret and blues’ £20 million asking price, rather than the player’s actions which forced Villa to relent on their previous ‘not for sale’ stance and cash in.

McLeish was reluctant to sell the left-footed midfielder just weeks after Villa lost their other wide player Ashley Young to Manchester United for £16 million.

But the impending deal will give the new boss much more scope in the transfer market. Villa do not wish to spend much more than half of it on a replacement for Downing, freeing up spare funds to strengthen other areas of the squad.

Meanwhile, McLeish is hoping to bring out the best in players like Stephen Warnock and Stephen Ireland, who were cast aside during the Gerard Houllier era.

“I think you’ve got to understand that we’ve got to pay respect to the boys that are here,” he said.

“I think we have to move forward with what we’ve got. I said in the dressing room, we have some players who have probably not done justice to themselves or a club of this magnitude, and I have to find the reasons for that.

“Going by what I’ve seen in training, there has been a lift in the spirits of some of those individuals on training.

“I can’t just say to Randy Lerner, there’s a bunch of guys that have not been doing it, get them out and get another six in. In these days if careful trading it’s not easy to just go an decimate a whole squad and start again.”

Arsene Wenger ‘set to steal Downing from Liverpool’

With Arsenal's top players seemingly in open revolt, manager Arsene Wenger is hoping to pull off a coup of his own by pinching England international Stewart Downing from under the nose of Kenny Dalglish.
Downing, who joined Aston Villa after Middlesbrough's relegation two years ago, has become an established feature on the national scene, notching up 27 caps for England since his debut in 2005.
The midfielder has been pursued by Liverpool in recent weeks – but according to the Mail on Sunday Arsenal hope to "hijack" him before any deal is signed with the Reds.Wenger is having a torrid summer, with the youthful team he has carefully cultivated over recent seasons suddenly disintegrating before his eyes.
Gael Clichy has left for Manchester City and is expected to be joined at Eastlands by fellow Frenchman Samir Nasri any minute now.Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal captain and perennial Barcelona target, is widely tipped to be returning home to Spain after the Arsenal board made it apparent they'd be wiling to sell the 24-year-old.The cloud does have a silver lining, however: Wenger is expected to make around £70 million from the three deals – money that can be spent rebuilding the squad.
As well bidding for Downing - believed to be priced at around £15m – Wenger has reportedly offered double-figure sums for Lyon's Gervinho, Bolton's Gary Cahill and Everton's Phil Jagielka.
Arsenal fans will take heart at the news. Their manager has been notoriously unwilling to spend big in previous transfer windows, preferring instead to invest in youngsters, resulting in a silverware draught stretching back to 2005.
Yet Wenger's apparent determination to reinvest any money from summer sales, combined with his willingness to take on rivals Liverpool in the battle for 26-year-old Downing, suggests the Frenchman still hopes Arsenal can seriously compete for the Premier League title next season.
His transfer movements also suggest a wider change in approach.
In Downing, Jagielka, and Cahill, Wenger has chosen the best of England's next generation to replace the departing Europeans. Downing especially has a preference for getting to the byline and crossing that is markedly different to Arsenal's traditional obsession with keeping the ball on the ground through the middle.
The potential transfers suggest that Wenger is changing his policy in a bid to finally return winning ways to north London.