Premier League: Steven Gerrard scores two penalties as Liverpool beat Man Utd 3-0

Liverpool closed to within four points of Premier League leaders Chelsea after captain Steven Gerrard scored two penalties in a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Gerrard converted from the spot in each half before missing a third penalty after Nemanja Vidic was sent off before Luis Suarez scored a late third to keep Liverpool, who have a game in hand on Chelsea, firmly in the title hunt.

Though chances were scarce during the first half, Liverpool played with a far greater intensity and tempo, and took the lead on 34 minutes.

Rafael was fortunate not to be shown a second yellow card in as many minutes after handling the ball following Suarez's clever touch and Gerrard sent David de Gea the wrong way from the penalty spot.

United briefly woke from their slumber as Wayne Rooney tested Simon Mignolet just before half-time, but Liverpool were awarded another penalty in the opening minute of the second half.

Phil Jones was penalised for a nudge on Joe Allen and, though De Gea guessed correctly on this occasion, Gerrard's precise penalty was beyond the United keeper's reach.

The Red Devils saw two penalty appeals waved away in the ensuing 10 minutes before Liverpool were awarded a third spot-kick when Daniel Sturridge went down under Vidic's challenge which resulted in a second yellow card for the United captain.

Gerrard stepped up for his hat-trick, only to strike the post, while Liverpool could have had a fourth penalty moments later when Sturridge appeared to be tripped by Michael Carrick.

Suarez was thwarted by a brilliant save by De Gea before the Uruguayan did beat the United keeper on 84 minutes with a neat finish after controlling Sturridge's mis-hit shot.

Steven Gerrard talks to Sky Sports' Rob Palmer about Liverpool's season so far ahead of their clash with Manchester Utd on Sunday.

The manner of the defeat against their arch-rivals will be even more galling for United, who now have to lift themselves for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League tie at home to Olympiakos on Wednesday.

This time last year United were 29 points ahead of Liverpool. They are now 14 behind their bitter rivals with nine matches of the season left and the 11-point gap to fourth place looks insurmountable.

United were given an early warning sign after just two minutes when Sturridge sprinted past Vidic but shot wide.

Suarez then latched onto Jon Flanagan's cutting pass and sprinted into the United box but he did not go down when Marouane Fellaini pulled his shorts.

Sturridge again got the better of Vidic and Jones with a burst of pace, but he fluffed his shot, and De Gea made his first save from Allen.

Flanagan was booked for his third foul of the game and Rafael soon joined him for a pointless sliding tackle on Gerrard.

Nemanja Vidic speaks exclusively to Geoff Shreeves about his decision to leave Man Utd and his favourite memories from his eight seasons at the club.

Moments later and Rafael handed the Reds the lead when the ball struck the Brazilian's outstretched right hand as Suarez tried to guide the ball past him.

Gerrard made no mistake from the spot, tucking the ball inside De Gea's left-hand post.

United had a strong five-minute spell before the break which involved Rooney drawing a top save from Mignolet, but just 30 seconds after the restart they imploded.

Jones clattered into the back of Allen and the referee pointed to the spot and Gerrard placed the ball to De Gea's left again.

United thought they should have had two penalties for a handball by Glen Johnson and a foul on Rooney by Martin Skrtel but referee Mark Clattenburg disagreed.

Robin van Persie, the man who won United the title last year, glanced a free header feebly wide from six yards.

A nightmare afternoon plumbed new depths when Vidic was given a second yellow card for bringing down Sturridge, although replays suggested the England striker had dived.

The only crumb of comfort for United was that Gerrard missed his hat-trick opportunity by hitting De Gea's right-hand post.

De Gea saved well from Suarez with eight minutes left but the Uruguayan did not miss moments later to complete a miserable day for United.

Copyright : skysports.com

Liverpool fail with Konoplyanka attempt

By Tom Adams

Liverpool were frustrated in their attempts to sign Yevhen Konoplyanka as the transfer deadline passed without a deal being agreed with Dnipro.

The club were reported to have made an offer of around £15 million and chief executive Ian Ayre flew to Ukraine to hold talks over the signing of the international winger.

Konoplyanka was even believed to have undergone a medical and agreed personal terms with Liverpool, who earlier in the month saw another top target, Mohamed Salah, sign for Chelsea.

However, Liverpool were unable to get the deal over the line before the window closed at 11pm, with reports blaming Dnipro president Ihor Kolomoyskyi for failing to sign the necessary paperwork.

Copyright : eurosport.com

Manchester City begin Premier League defence with Southampton fixture

• Manchester United at Everton on opening day
• Newcastle face Tottenham, West Brom play Liverpool
 

Press Association
guardian.co.uk

Manchester City will begin the defence of their Premier League title with a home fixture against Southampton. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

Manchester City will begin their Premier League title defense with a home match against Southampton face Nigel Adkins's newly promoted side on 18 August at the Etihad Stadium.

United, pipped on the final day of the 2011-12 season by Manchester City, open with a match at Everton before taking on Fulham at Old Trafford the following weekend.

Arsenal, who finished third, start with a home game against Sunderland, before taking to the road with trips to Stoke City and Liverpool.

Two Europa League rivals meet on the opening day at St James' Park, with Newcastle taking on Tottenham Hotspur, currently managerless after the sacking of Harry Redknapp.

Roberto Di Matteo's career as the permanent Chelsea coach starts with a game at Wigan Athletic. Their first home game is against Newcastle.

Brendan Rodgers's Liverpool open at West Bromwich Albion, although the first three Anfield fixtures are more eye-catching, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United the visitors. The team Rodgers left, Swansea City, now managed by Michael Laudrup, begin at Queens Park Rangers.

West Ham United's return to the Premier League starts with a home match against Aston Villa, now under the leadership of Paul Lambert. Their fellow newcomers Reading will also have home advantage in their first top-flight game for four years, with Stoke the opening-day opponents.

The other first-day match sees Fulham and Norwich City meet at Craven Cottage in Chris Hughton's first competitive game since replacing Lambert as the Canaries manager.

Boxing Day sees Manchester United face Newcastle, while Sunderland and City meet at the Stadium of Light.

Newcastle against Arsenal is the most notable of the 19 May fixtures, when West Ham and Reading play for what could be three priceless points at Upton Park.

Rafa Benitez: Liverpool FC must improve despite opening Champions League win

RELIEVED Rafael Benitez has urged his Liverpool team to improve after opening their Champions League campaign in unconvincing fashion.

A goal from Dirk Kuyt in first-half injury time was enough to earn a narrow 1-0 win over Hungarian champions Debrecen at a nervy Anfield last night.

Kuyt’s strike was his 12th in 35 European Cup appearances for the club and earned Liverpool their 100th win in the competition.

But Benitez admits his players almost paid for failing to score a second goal during the second half.

And the Anfield manager believes Liverpool cannot afford a similar performance when they visit Fiorentina for their next Group E game in a fortnight.

“We had some chances, we didn’t take them and we put ourselves under pressure at the end,” said Benitez.

“We scored but the fact we didn’t get a second meant they always thought they had a chance.

“I don’t think the players were nervous. We were in control in the first half and they didn’t have too much threat. But hopefully we will see better things in the next game.

“The difference was because we couldn’t score the second goal, but I’m really pleased because we have won. We always have confidence. We are winning games now and that is important for the players. The confidence is getting better.”

With Lyon having beaten Fiorentina 1-0 in last night’s other Group E game, Liverpool are joint top of the early standings.

And Benitez added: “To start the Champions League group stage with three points was the most important thing. We knew we had to score an early goal but we couldn’t. These kind of games against teams that are well organised and working hard”

Benitez, who kept the same starting line-up that beat Burnley 4-0 at the weekend, dismissed any suggestion Liverpool had underestimated their opponents.

“We knew they had good players and were well organised,” said the Liverpool manager. “We knew it would be difficult. We had to see their level against a top side and they have shown they are a good team.

“You could see from the first minute that Debrecen were going to press for every ball with intensity, so they didn’t make it easy.”

Debrecen manager Andras Herczeg concedes “it would have been a miracle” had the Hungarians snatched a draw, but praised his players for their second-half display.

“We knew we’d be playing against a world-class team,” said Herczeg. “We knew they would create a lot of chances but I thought we coped quite well. I thought we played well and if we could create a few more chances we could have equalised.

“In the first half we were a little bit too nervous but in the second half we were a lot better and corrected our mistakes of the first half.

“It’s a pity we didn’t keep our concentration at the end of the first half when we conceded the goal, but I have to congratulate my players.

“It would have been a miracle if we’d got a draw here. But we’ll have the whole of Hungary behind us when we play at home, and 42,000 inside the stadium.”

Meanwhile, Tom Hicks has asked bankers Merrill Lynch to find new investment in the club, with the Liverpool co-owner believed to be ready to sell a 25% share worth around £100million.

Anfield co-owner Hicks is believed to have instructed Merrill Lynch to pursue avenues in the Middle East where there are a number of potential investors.

Standard Chartered deal lets Liverpool put their shirt on world domination

Liverpool's managing director says £80m from a record shirt sponsorship will go to the club not the owners.

The £80m raised by Liverpool's biggest commercial deal will be reinvested in the club, according to the new managing director, Christian Purslow. In his first interview since succeeding Rick Parry, Purslow said the four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered Bank would be the first step towards transforming Liverpool into "the biggest football team in the world".

Asked whether Standard Chartered's £20m a year would stay on Merseyside or go to Dallas and Montreal to fund the club's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Purslow said: "The fans will be relieved to know that Liverpool's revenues, profits and income belong to the club. I can assure you that as we drive forward our turnover, we will invest a sensible amount of that in our wage bill and our transfers. None of that money will go anywhere other than into the development of the club."

Purslow, who was brought in by Hicks after Parry was forced from office in the summer, knows there is much still to do. He made one pointed remark towards the club's old regime, whose shirt deal with Carlsberg was, at 17 years, the longest running in the Premier League but which, at £7.2m a year, was not the most lucrative.

"We have to strive to have the most successful commercial agreements in the market place," Purslow said. "We should not be satisfied with having OK agreements, agreements that run a long time but are not as economically advantageous as they could be. That is why we set ourselves a goal in terms of this key aspect – shirt sponsorship.

"I hate words like 'brand'. I don't want Liverpool to be the biggest brand in the world, I want to make it the best team in the world. But there has been a pretty clear link to being the best team and having the best performance off the field. That has not been our position, historically, but there is no reason why we cannot be the biggest, the best run and the most commercially successful football club in the world. But I stress we will pick our partners carefully and do deals consistent with our history and our soul."

The contract with Standard Chartered equals Manchester United's four-year £80m tie-in with Aon, who will replace AIG in 2010, as the game's most lucrative shirt deal. The £100m Arsenal received from Emirates in 2004 for a 15-year deal suddenly does not seem such good value.

In June, however, Liverpool announced a record turnover, of £159m, which was still £97m behind Manchester United. Arsenal and Chelsea have also broken the £200m mark. Anfield has 32 private boxes – Old Trafford can seat 9,000 corporate clients. That imbalance will not change without a new stadium, but Liverpool's Stanley Park project has been mothballed by the credit crunch and, according to Hicks, it will not begin again until financial markets improve. Even if the new stadium is finished in time for the 2018 World Cup, it will be six years late on original plans.

Purslow is optimistic that Liverpool can compete while playing at Anfield.

"Our year-end results have just been completed and profits [£44m before tax] were up substantially and substantially ahead of budgeted profits, so even without a new stadium Liverpool is growing and growing fast. But there is no doubt about it, when we have a new stadium it will be the single biggest quantum leap forward in revenue that I can see ahead of me. When we can secure sensible and affordable funding that doesn't burden the club unnecessarily, then we'll do the stadium."

Bank to be new Liverpool sponsor

Standard Chartered Bank is to become the main sponsor of Liverpool football club after signing a four-year deal.

The agreement, which begins in July, runs to the end of the 2013-14 season and will end Liverpool's 17-year association with brewer Carlsberg.

The bank has operations around the world, while Liverpool is one of the most famous UK clubs globally.

It comes after US financial giant Aon signed a sponsorship deal with champions Manchester United.

'Shop window'

The partnership brought together "two highly successful organisations", said Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow.

The club said the deal aimed to step up Liverpool's profile in the lucrative Asian markets, as well as in Africa and the Middle East.

"Many branches in these countries will effectively be a shop window for Liverpool football club and a means of attracting more supporters to the cause," Mr Purslow said.

It is Liverpool's largest ever commercial agreement - with media reports suggesting it was worth £80m over four years.

Last week, Carlsberg retained its role as the official beer of the England national team and the FA Cup.

The news came on the day the British Medical Association (BMA) called for an end to alcohol sponsorship of sport.