Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 0 ( English Premier League, 22 May 2011 )

Liverpool's Joe Cole ( in white ) challenging Aston Villa rightback Kyle Walker for the ball






Aston Villa duo Stewart Downing and Ashley Young have been on Liverpool's radar for some time and manager Kenny Dalglish witnessed first-hand their qualities as his side slipped to the defeat which ended their Europa League hopes.

Liverpool rarely troubled their hosts on an afternoon when Villa's two wingers provided the main attacking thrust.

Downing produced the one moment of quality with a deft touch and brilliant finish to decide the match in the first half as Dalglish's players appeared to run out of steam after a season which for some of them began in July in the Europa League.

It means Liverpool have failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since 1999, although many will see that as a blessing as it will give Dalglish a chance to concentrate on strengthening his squad and making a challenge to get back in the Champions League next season.

Dalglish appeared to already have one eye on the future by naming a bench which, the 31-year-old Christian Poulsen apart, had an average age of just over 19.

He also gave Joe Cole a chance to impress with his first start for two months but the England international failed to take it and he faces an uncertain future after just one season at Anfield in which he has failed to deliver.

Injured Reds captain Steven Gerrard was sat among the travelling supporters but he will have been less than impressed by a first half which was almost entirely devoid of quality or incident.

In fact, Downing's 33rd-minute goal aside it was difficult to single out anything else worthy of a mention.

Virtually substitute Marc Albrighton's first involvement having replaced Fabian Delph was to provide the right-wing cross which sailed over the defence to the unmarked Downing who took a touch before smashing a narrow-angle shot past Jose Reina via the underside of the crossbar.

Either side of that the story of the half was of niggling fouls, injuries and scrappy play.

Liverpool lost Jay Spearing barely 10 minutes into the game having been fouled moments earlier by Nigel Reo-Coker, who was booked, and was replaced by Jonjo Shelvey.

Jamie Carragher temporarily had to leave the field to have stitches in a head wound after a clash with Lucas Leiva, who came closest to scoring for the Reds with a shot from a Raul Meireles corner cleared off the line by Ashley Young.

Cole had a chance to atone for an anonymous opening 45 minutes when Lucas' lofted ball picked him out in the penalty area but he ballooned a shot well over.

The England international's disappointing afternoon was eventually ended in the 67th minute when he was replaced by David Ngog.

Just prior to that Raul Meireles should have done better when Luis Suarez's cut-back took out the sliding Kyle Walker and James Collins but former Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Friedel clawed out his shot.

Collins, substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stiliyan Petrov all had chances to put the result beyond doubt as the hosts finished the stronger, with only Fabio Aurelio and Luis Suarez coming anywhere close for Liverpool.

Ashley Young's withdrawal minutes from the end saw the player, entering the last year of his contract, applaud all four sides of the ground in what looked like a farewell.

But even the prospect of losing one of their major stars could not dampen the delight of the home crowd, who could not decide whether they were happier at a first Villa Park win over the Reds since February 1998 or the demise of city rivals Birmingham.

Meanwhile Dalglish, heading into his first summer transfer window, has plenty to ponder after back-to-back defeats to end the season.

Big decisions need to be taken on some big names as he looks to revitalise his playing staff.

He may well have seen the future at Villa Park.

Aston Villa (1) 1 Liverpool (0) 0

Aston Villa Friedel, Walker, Collins, Dunne, Luke Young,Downing, Reo-Coker (Agbonlahor 68), Delph (Albrighton 28),Petrov, Ashley Young (Bradley 89), Bent.

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Pires, Heskey, Clark.

Booked: Reo-Coker, Walker.

Goals: Downing 33.

Liverpool Reina, Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio,Meireles, Spearing (Shelvey 12), Lucas, Cole (Ngog 68), Suarez,Kuyt.

Subs Not Used: Gulacsi, Wilson, Poulsen, Wisdom, Robinson.

Booked: Meireles, Cole.

Att: 42,785

Liverpool 0 Tottenham Hotspurs 2 ( English Premier League, 15 May 2011 )

Tottenham midfielder Sandro bringing the ball under control




Tottenham seized the advantage in the race for the final Europa League spot as Liverpool's first match since the appointment of Kenny Dalglish as permanent manager ended in defeat.

However, referee Howard Webb could have been accused of having a helping hand in deciding the outcome with a series of questionable decisions which culminated in the award of a very favourable penalty for the visitors' second.

Rafael van der Vaart's volley had given Harry Redknapp's side an early lead only for Liverpool to wrest back control of the game until 11 minutes after the interval when Webb controversially pointed to the spot and Luka Modric converted.

Spurs moved a point ahead of their rivals into fifth place as they inflicted a first home defeat for Dalglish, who signed a three-year contract on Thursday, since he replaced Roy Hodgson in early January.

That formidable home record - 20 points from eight matches prior to this encounter - counted for little as the visitors took the early initiative on their way to their first Anfield victory in 19 games stretching back to 1986.

Injury robbed Dalglish of midfielder Raul Meireles, which meant he had to break up the recent successful partnership of Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt and bring in fit-again club record signing Andy Carroll.

It undoubtedly had a detrimental effect as the £35million England international lacks the mobility and energy of Kuyt in a front two and denied the Reds the high pressing game they have employed of late.

Spurs enjoyed their extra time on the ball and put it to good use in the early stages, dominating possession.

Van der Vaart fired well wide early on but the next time he did not disappoint with his ninth-minute shooting opportunity.

When Modric's right-wing corner skimmed off the head of Martin Skrtel he brought the ball under control with his first touch and with his second volleyed it over the crowd - helped by a deflection off Glen Johnson - past Jose Reina's left hand and into the far corner of the net.

In recent weeks everything had gone right for the Reds, unbeaten in five with 17 goals scored, but the opposite was true on this occasion.

Tottenham's closing down and tight marking prevented the hosts producing the flowing pass-and-move football which has returned under Dalglish.

The only stroke of fortune they enjoyed was the leniency of referee Howard Webb, who chose to only book Suarez for his petulant kick at Michael Dawson while he was on the floor having been angered by the defender's apparent dive to win a free-kick.

Having been brilliant in front of goal in the last month the knack appeared to have deserted Liverpool as Carroll slashed wildly at Maxi Rodriguez's pass and failed to connect properly while midfielder Jay Spearing bundled a shot wide with his weaker left foot.

The same should not have been expected of Carroll though, who wastefully headed over from six yards from Skrtel's cross.

Suarez was closer with a free-kick which flashed just wide on the stroke of half-time but the Reds needed a change as distinctive as Dalglish swapping his tracksuit for jacket and tie at the interval .

Van der Vaart lasted just five minutes into the second half before limping off to be replaced by Jermain Defoe.

Anger at Webb's officiating reached a peak in the 55th minute when he penalised John Flanagan for a foul on Pienaar when the offence appeared to be both outside the penalty area and in favour of the home side.

Modric struck home the spot-kick to give Tottenham a two-goal cushion they barely deserved.

Liverpool surged forward, enraged at the perceived injustice, and Suarez fired over from Flanagan's low cross while substitute Jonjo Shelvey was narrowly off target with a long-range effort.

Chasing the game Dalglish sent on David Ngog for Rodriguez, giving his side every opportunity to score with four strikers on the pitch.

Carroll's ineffectual display meant he was lucky to still be on when he managed his first shot on target in the 87th minute but Carlo Cudicini held it comfortably and the target man immediately replaced by Joe Cole.

Having missed out on the Champions League the Europa League may be of some consolation for Tottenham, if they can better Liverpool's result next week.

There has been an argument put forward that both sides would prefer to miss out on Europe's second-tier competition to concentrate on their league form next season.

Having tasted his first home defeat, and only the fourth of his second spell in charge, Dalglish is unlikely to be in agreement.

Teams

Liverpool Reina, Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson, Kuyt, Lucas, Spearing (Shelvey 64), Maxi (Ngog 75), Suarez, Carroll (Cole 88).

Subs Not Used: Gulacsi, Kyrgiakos, Poulsen, Robinson.

Booked: Suarez, Flanagan.

Tottenham Cudicini, Kaboul, Dawson, King, Rose (Bassong 82), Lennon, Modric, Sandro, Pienaar (Kranjcar 90), Van der Vaart (Defoe 53), Crouch.

Subs Not Used: Pletikosa, Pavlyuchenko, Livermore, Bostock.

Booked: Sandro.

Goals: Van der Vaart 9, Modric 56 pen.

Att: 44,893

Fulham 2 Liverpool 5 ( English Premier League, 9 May 2011 )

Liverpool's Maxi Rodriguez ( number 17 ) shooting home the first goal after just 31 seconds




Liverpool may be about to be knocked off their perch by Manchester United, but they showed at Craven Cottage they might just mount a serious challenge for a 19th league title of their own next season by destroying Fulham.

The Reds made it 13 goals in their last three games and Maxi Rodriguez completed his second hat-trick over the same period, with Dirk Kuyt making it 12 goals in his last 13 matches for club and country and Luis Suarez wrapping up the rout.

The win moved Liverpool back above Tottenham into fifth place in the Premier League and left Fulham stunned as they paid the price for a horrible first 16 minutes which saw them 3-0 down.

The Cottagers threatened a comeback when Mousa Dembele pulled a goal back but they were 5-1 down before Steve Sidwell fired a late consolation.

If Jamie Carragher was worried his 666th appearance for Liverpool - moving him second on the all-time list - was a bad omen, he was in for a pleasant surprise.

It was Fulham who must have thought they were cursed as they endured calamity after calamity right from kick-off.

The first blunder came from Aaron Hughes, whose slip let in Suarez, with Carlos Salcido and Mark Schwarzer making a hash of the striker's left-wing cross and allowing Maxi to thread the ball home.

The shocking defending continued in the seventh minute as Chris Baird played Glen Johnson onside and the full-back crossed for Maxi to volley in from close range at the far post.

Liverpool were rampant, to the glee of the large travelling contingent, and Suarez saw a penalty appeal turned down before a absolute howler from Schwarzer made it 3-0.

There was little power in Kuyt's shot from just inside the penalty area but the goalkeeper allowed the ball to squirm underneath him at the near post, all but killing the game as a contest.

Suarez wasted a glorious chance to pull the ball back for Raul Meireles to make it 4-0 and Maxi volleyed over the top as Fulham's defending in wide areas continued to be non-existent.

Fulham - whose only threat had been a Dembele air shot - finally got going and Dempsey saw his half-volley from Simon Davies' corner cleared off the line by Johnson.

Home boss Mark Hughes threw on Bobby Zamora for Davies at the break and Liverpool suffered a blow when Raul Meireles appeared to pull a hamstring and was replaced by Jonjo Shelvey.

That came after a Fulham free-kick, which Zamora flicked on dangerously moments before Dempsey fired just over the crossbar.

Eidur Gudjohnsen also dragged wide as the home side created more in five minutes than they had in the opening 45.

And they deservedly pulled a goal back in the 57th minute when Martin Skrtel gave Zamora the chance to lay the ball off to Dembele, who curled home beautifully beyond Jose Reina.

The keeper was furious, belting the ball into the stands and earning himself a yellow card.

Hughes would have been cursing himself for not starting with Zamora.

Liverpool remained a threat on the break, particularly through the outstanding Suarez.

But it was Maxi who killed off any hope of a Fulham fightback with 20 minutes remaining, completing his hat-trick with a stunning 25-yard drive into the top corner.

Suarez made it another five-star performance for Kenny Dalglish's men when he raced onto Shelvey's through-ball and brilliantly rounded Schwarzer to prod home the goal his performance deserved.

The Uruguayan beat the offside trap again moments later only to blaze over the top.

Dembele was replaced by Gael Kakuta before Maxi left the field to a standing ovation, with Joe Cole coming on.

Fulham kept going and, with just under five minutes left, Sidwell pounced on a loose clearance and cracked a lovely 20-yard half-volley into the top corner.

Schwarzer saved brilliantly from Shelvey, Spearing had a shot cleared off the line and Kuyt's point-blank shot was blocked by Baird in stoppage-time.

Teams

Fulham Schwarzer, Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Salcido,Davies (Zamora 46), Murphy, Gudjohnsen (Johnson 67), Sidwell,Dempsey, Dembele (Kakuta 76).

Subs Not Used: Stockdale, Senderos, Etuhu, Greening.

Booked: Murphy, Dempsey, Salcido, Sidwell, Baird.

Goals: Dembele 57, Sidwell 86.

Liverpool Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Flanagan,Maxi (Cole 82), Spearing, Lucas, Meireles (Shelvey 48), Suarez,Kuyt.

Subs Not Used: Gulacsi, Kyrgiakos, Wilson, Poulsen, Robinson.

Booked: Reina, Skrtel.

Goals: Maxi 1, 7, Kuyt 16, Maxi 70, Suarez 75.

Att: 25,693

Liverpool 3 Newcastle United 0 ( English Premier League, 1 May 2011 )

Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez ( in red ) volleyig in the first goal for Liverpool



Goals continue to flow at Anfield under Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool strengthened their claim for European football next season with a 3-0 victory over Newcastle.

The Reds, who have scored 14 in their last three home matches, moved above Tottenham into fifth place having rarely been troubled by the Magpies.

Dirk Kuyt's eighth in his last seven Barclays Premier League matches was sandwiched between another for Maxi Rodriguez, who hit a hat-trick in the 5-0 win over Birmingham last week, and one for the impressive Luis Suarez.

Only a goal for Andy Carroll, the subject of incessant abuse from the travelling fans, against his former club would have capped off the performance.

The £35million striker came on for the final 20 minutes but made little impact save for increasing the vitriol from the large away contingent.

Their anger at the way Carroll left them in January, with the club claiming he handed in a transfer request when made aware of Liverpool's interest, was understandable but he was never going to be a major player in this game having missed last week's victory with a knee injury.

The man who was the main reason Newcastle's record of just two wins at Anfield in their last 39 visits was not improved was Suarez.

Carroll's fellow deadline-day signing has made a much greater impression and his inventiveness and workrate were a constant problem to the Magpies.

But it took even him a long while to get things going as, having played their best football of the season in demolishing Birmingham, the first half failed to reach anywhere near those heights despite taking a 10th-minute lead.

Raul Meireles had already bundled a shot wide from a cross by Glen Johnson, returning at left-back after a three-match absence with a hamstring injury, before the hosts went ahead.

Even then they required a slice of luck. Teenager John Flanagan's deep cross was only half headed clear by Mike Williamson and Rodriguez's follow-up volley took a big deflection off Danny Simpson.

It went downhill from there for Dalglish's side as they conceded too much territory to their opponents, who enjoyed a sustained period of possession without really threatening.

It was briefly broken by Jay Spearing's dipping shot, which Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul claimed at the second attempt with Meireles bearing down on him.

The home side were fortunate, however, that for all their time on the ball Newcastle struggled to carve out a decent opportunity.

Liverpool-born midfielder Joey Barton was the Magpies' main culprit as his delivery from set-pieces was poor.

The one time he did put a free-kick into a dangerous area Johnson headed behind for a corner, from which Kevin Nolan subsequently ballooned a shot over.

Liverpool's only other chance of the half saw Lucas Leiva's looping header easily caught by Krul, while Newcastle left-back Jose Enrique, a summer target for the Reds, had the final opportunity with a free-kick deflected behind off the wall.

For the second half Liverpool's full-backs switched sides, with Flanagan having been given a difficult time by Jonas Gutierrez.

But the youngster was almost caught napping within seconds of the restart as Nolan's low cross was side-footed wide by Barton at the far post.

Luck was certainly on Liverpool's side as Suarez almost scored with a deflected shot which hit the side netting and Rodriguez hit the crossbar as he tried to centre from the left.

There was a hint of fortune about Liverpool's 59th-minute second when Suarez isolated Williamson wide on the left from Jose Reina's kick and was sent tumbling by the defender right on the edge of the penalty area close to the byline.

Referee Peter Walton, who had frustrated the home crowd with a number of decisions, had no hesitation in pointing to the spot to allow Kuyt to score.

The Holland international should have doubled his tally with a free header seven yards out minutes later but missed the target.

Suarez made no such mistake in the 65th minute when he exchanged passes with Kuyt to sidefoot under Krul from 10 yards.

With the game safe Dalglish sent on Carroll for Rodriguez with 20 minutes to go, just before Meireles' diving header was deflected behind by Fabricio Coloccini.

Carroll barely touched the ball as his side ran out comfortable winners and, despite having played one match more than Tottenham, Liverpool are strong contenders to take the Europa League berth.

Teams

Liverpool Reina, Flanagan (Shelvey 81), Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson, Meireles, Lucas, Spearing, Maxi (Carroll 69), Suarez (Cole 87), Kuyt.

Subs Not Used: Gulacsi, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Robinson.

Booked: Flanagan.

Goals: Maxi 10, Kuyt 59 pen, Suarez 65.

Newcastle Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique (Ferguson 90), Barton, Nolan, Tiote, Gutierrez, Lovenkrands (Ranger 73), Ameobi (Kuqi 82).

Subs Not Used: Harper, Ryan Taylor, Steven Taylor, Tavernier.

Booked: Tiote, Williamson.

Att: 44,923