2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season

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Liverpool
2009–10 season
ChairmenTom Hicks and George Gillett (until 16 April 2010)
Martin Broughton (from 16 April 2010)
ManagerRafael Benítez
StadiumAnfield
Premier League7th
FA CupThird round replay (lost to Reading)
League CupFourth round (lost to Arsenal)
UEFA Champions LeagueGroup stage, 3rd
UEFA Europa LeagueSemi-finals (lost to Atlético Madrid)
Top goalscorerLeague: Fernando Torres (18)
All: Fernando Torres (22)
Highest home attendance44,375 (v. Chelsea, Premier League, 1 May 2010)
Lowest home attendance31,063 (v. Reading, FA Cup, 13 January 2010)
Average home league attendance41,962

The 2009–10 Premier League was Liverpool's 118th season since their foundation, and their 48th consecutive year in the top flight. They were sponsored for an eighteenth season by Carlsberg, but this association would end at the end of the year. Rafael Benítez was the club's manager, this being his sixth season in charge. His association with the club would also end at the end of the year, however.

Having finished second in the previous league campaign, Liverpool qualified automatically for the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2002–03 season. This season Liverpool made major moves in the transfer market, selling important players such as Xabi Alonso and Sami Hyypiä, while signing Alberto Aquilani from Roma and Glen Johnson from Portsmouth.

After a season of poor results and inconsistent play, as well as injuries to main striker Fernando Torres, Liverpool finished 7th in the Premier League, their lowest finish in 11 years, and failed to progress beyond round 4 of either domestic cup. They were eliminated from the League Cup at the hands of Arsenal in the Fourth round in a 2–1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on 26 October. They were then knocked out of the FA Cup on 13 January. After a 1–1 draw with Championship team Reading at the Madejski Stadium in the Third round, Liverpool lost the replay at Anfield 2–1 after extra time.

In addition to a poor domestic campaign, Liverpool failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League, finishing third in their group and entering the UEFA Europa League Round of 32; Liverpool were knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual winners Atlético Madrid. They lost the first leg at the Vicente Calderón Stadium 1–0, and despite forcing extra time in the second leg, and then going on to win 2–1, they were eliminated on the away goals rule.

A week after the end of the Premier League season, Liverpool announced they had terminated Rafael Benítez's contract by mutual consent.

Pre-season[edit]

Liverpool confirmed that long-serving centre-back Sami Hyypiä would be leaving the club after 10 years to join German club Bayer Leverkusen.[1] Liverpool also confirmed that José Segura, the ex-Olympiacos manager, would be joining the club as Academy technical manager, starting on 1 June.[2]

Liverpool announced their pre-season programme on 6 May 2009, including a tour of Asia and a friendly against Espanyol, as part of a clause of the deal that brought Albert Riera to the club. Liverpool started their pre-season campaign against St. Gallen in Switzerland on 15 July, which ended 0–0, a game in which Rafael Benítez gave playing time to most of his players. Glen Johnson made his debut for Liverpool and earned himself the Fans Man of the Match award from Liverpool F.C. TV. They played their second encounter with Rapid Wien at the Ernst Happel Stadium on 19 July, which Liverpool lost 1–0 from a goal from midfielder Steffen Hofmann. The Asian tour began with a match against Thailand on 22 July, which ended 1–1, with Liverpool's early goal coming from Ryan Babel and the Thai's from substitute Sutee Suksomkit. This was followed by a trip to Kallang to play Singapore, a game which Liverpool won 5–0 with goals from Andriy Voronin, Albert Riera, two by Krisztián Németh and Fernando Torres. They then played Espanyol on 2 August, where they suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat thanks to two goals from Ben Sahar and one from Luis García. They then enjoyed their first win of the campaign, against Lyn Oslo on 5 August, winning won 2–0 with goals from Voronin and David N'Gog. They ended the pre-season with a 1–2 loss against Atlético Madrid on 8 August at Anfield. Goals from Sergio Agüero and Diego Forlán put the Spaniards 0–2 up until Lucas pulled one back late on for the Reds.

Team kit[edit]

The team kit for the 2009–10 season was produced by Adidas. The home kit remained the same as the previous season. The away kit was black with gold trim. The third kit changed in August 2009 to a new white kit. It was announced that longtime sponsor Carlsberg would be leaving the club after 18 years to be replaced by British bank Standard Chartered, who commenced a four-year £80 million deal with the club in May 2010.[3][4]

Technical staff[edit]

First-team squad[edit]

No. Name Nationality Position Date of Birth (Age) Signed From
Goalkeepers
1 Diego Cavalieri Brazil GK (1982-12-01)1 December 1982 (aged 26) Palmeiras
25 Pepe Reina Spain GK (1982-08-31)31 August 1982 (aged 26) Villarreal
Defenders
2 Glen Johnson England RB (1984-08-23)23 August 1984 (aged 24) Portsmouth
5 Daniel Agger Denmark CB (1984-12-12)12 December 1984 (aged 24) Brøndby
12 Fábio Aurélio Brazil LB (1979-09-24)24 September 1979 (aged 29) Valencia
16 Sotirios Kyrgiakos Greece CB (1979-07-23)23 July 1979 (aged 29) AEK Athens
22 Emiliano Insúa Argentina LB (1989-01-07)7 January 1989 (aged 20) Boca Juniors
23 Jamie Carragher England CB (1978-01-28)28 January 1978 (aged 31) The Academy
27 Philipp Degen Switzerland RB (1983-02-15)15 February 1983 (aged 26) Borussia Dortmund
32 Stephen Darby England RB (1988-10-06)6 October 1988 (aged 20) The Academy
34 Martin Kelly England RB/CB (1990-04-27)27 April 1990 (aged 19) The Academy
37 Martin Škrtel Slovakia CB (1984-12-15)15 December 1984 (aged 24) Zenit Saint Petersburg
40 Daniel Ayala Spain CB (1990-11-07)7 November 1990 (aged 18) Sevilla
Midfielders
4 Alberto Aquilani Italy CM (1984-07-07)7 July 1984 (aged 24) Roma
8 Steven Gerrard England CM/AM (1980-05-30)30 May 1980 (aged 29) The Academy
11 Albert Riera Spain LW (1982-04-15)15 April 1982 (aged 27) Espanyol
15 Yossi Benayoun Israel RW (1980-05-05)5 May 1980 (aged 29) West Ham United
17 Maxi Rodríguez Argentina RW/LW (1981-01-02)2 January 1981 (aged 28) Atlético Madrid
19 Ryan Babel Netherlands LW (1986-12-19)19 December 1986 (aged 22) Ajax
20 Javier Mascherano Argentina DM (1984-06-08)8 June 1984 (aged 25) West Ham United
21 Lucas Brazil DM/CM (1987-01-09)9 January 1987 (aged 22) Grêmio
26 Jay Spearing England DM/CM (1988-11-25)25 November 1988 (aged 20) The Academy
28 Damien Plessis France DM (1988-03-05)5 March 1988 (aged 21) Lyon
31 Nabil El Zhar Morocco RW (1986-08-27)27 August 1986 (aged 22) Saint-Étienne
Strikers
9 Fernando Torres Spain ST (1984-03-20)20 March 1984 (aged 25) Atlético Madrid
18 Dirk Kuyt Netherlands FW (1980-07-22)22 July 1980 (aged 28) Feyenoord
24 David N'Gog France ST (1989-04-01)1 April 1989 (aged 20) Paris Saint-Germain
39 Nathan Eccleston England ST (1990-12-30)30 December 1990 (aged 18) The Academy
47 Daniel Pacheco Spain ST (1991-01-05)5 January 1991 (aged 18) The Academy

As of 1 July 2009. [6][7]

Squad statistics[edit]

Total UEFA Champions League Premier League FA Cup Football League Cup UEFA Europa League
No.
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Sts
App
Gls
App
Gls
App
Gls
App
Gls
App
Gls
App
Gls
25 GK Spain Reina 52 52 5 38 1 8
2 DF England Johnson 33 35 3 3 25 3 1 6
37 DF Slovakia Škrtel 23 29 1 4 19 1 2 2 2
23 DF England Carragher 53 53 5 37 2 1 8
22 DF Argentina Insúa 43 44 1 6 31 2 1 1 4
20 MF Argentina Mascherano 44 48 1 5 34 1 8 1
21 MF Brazil Lucas 46 50 1 5 35 2 8 1
18 ST Netherlands Kuyt 51 53 11 6 1 37 9 2 1 7 1
15 MF Israel Benayoun 29 45 9 6 2 30 6 2 1 6 1
8 MF England Gerrard 47 49 12 5 33 9 2 1 1 8 2
9 ST Spain Fernando Torres 29 32 22 4 22 18 2 4 4
12 DF Brazil Aurélio 13 23 5 14 1 1 2
24 ST France N'Gog 18 37 8 3 1 24 5 2 2 1 6 1
5 DF Denmark Agger 36 36 1 4 23 1 8 1
19 MF Netherlands Babel 16 38 6 3 1 25 4 1 2 7 1
11 MF Spain Riera 12 16 1 12 1 2
4 MF Italy Aquilani 13 26 2 2 18 1 2 1 3 1
16 DF Greece Kyrgiakos 18 21 1 1 14 1 2 4
27 DF Switzerland Degen 6 11 7 1 2 1
17 MF Argentina Rodríguez [a] 14 17 1 17 1
26 MF England Spearing 3 5 3 2
40 DF Spain Ayala 2 5 5
1 GK Brazil Cavalieri 4 4 1 1 2
32 DF England Darby 4 3 1 1 1
39 ST England Eccleston [b] 2 1 1
47 ST Spain Pacheco 7 1 4 2
34 DF England Kelly 1 3 1 1 1
28 MF France Plessis 1 1 1
31 MF Morocco El Zhar 1 7 3 4
Last updated: 2 August 2014
Source: BBC Sport
Ordered by starting 11, then appearances, then games started
0 shown as blank
  1. ^ Joined in January
  2. ^ On loan

Reserve squad[edit]

Updated 23 March 2010[8] Squad Numbers refer to players' first team squad number (for season 2009–10), where applicable. Reserve and youth games are 1–11. See Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
26 MF England ENG Jay Spearing
29 FW Hungary HUN Krisztián Németh
30 GK France FRA Charles Itandje
32 DF England ENG Stephen Darby
34 DF England ENG Martin Kelly
36 DF England ENG Steve Irwin
38 DF England ENG Robbie Threlfall
39 FW England ENG Nathan Eccleston
40 DF Spain ESP Daniel Ayala
41 GK Denmark DEN Martin Hansen
42 GK Hungary HUN Péter Gulácsi
43 GK Australia AUS Dean Bouzanis
44 GK England ENG David Martin
45 MF Sweden SWE Alex Kačaniklić
46 MF England ENG David Amoo
No. Pos. Nation Player
47 FW Spain ESP Daniel Pacheco
48 MF Argentina ARG Gerardo Bruna
49 DF England ENG Jack Robinson
GK Republic of Ireland IRL Christopher Oldfield
DF Spain ESP Emmanuel Mendy
DF France FRA Chris Mavinga
DF Spain ESP Mikel San José
MF Spain ESP Francisco Durán
MF Iceland ISL Guðlaugur Victor Pálsson
MF Hungary HUN Zsolt Pölöskei (on loan from MTK Hungaria)
MF Netherlands NED Vincent Weijl
FW Netherlands NED Jordy Brouwer
FW Finland FIN Lauri Dalla Valle
FW Denmark DEN Nikola Sarić
FW Hungary HUN András Simon

Transfers[edit]

In[edit]

First Team

No.
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving from
Type
Transfer
window
Ends
Transfer
fee
Source
4 MF Italy Alberto Aquilani 25 EU Roma Italy Transfer Summer 2014 €22,100,000 BBC
2 RB England Glen Johnson 24 EU Portsmouth Transfer Summer 2013 £17.5M BBC
16 DF Greece Sotirios Kyrgiakos 30 EU AEK Athens Greece Transfer Summer 2011 £2M + Németh loan liverpoolfc.com
17 MF Argentina Maxi Rodríguez 29 EU Atlético Madrid Spain Transfer Winter 2013 Free liverpoolfc.com

Last updated: 13 January

Reserves and Academy

No.
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving from
Type
Transfer
window
Ends
Transfer
fee
Source
GK England Tyrell Belford 15 EU Coventry City Transfer Summer Undisclosed Compensation Coventry Telegraph
MF Iceland Kristján Emilsson 16 EU FH Transfer Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed Liverpool F.C. Official site
MF England Aaron King 16 EU Rushden & Diamonds Transfer Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed Rushden & Diamonds Official website
MF Denmark Nicolas Kohlert 16 EU Esbjerg fB Denmark Transfer Summer 2012 Undisclosed Goal.com
DF Republic of Ireland Maloney 16 EU St Josephs Boys AFC Transfer Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed
LB France Chris Mavinga 18 EU Paris Saint-Germain France Transfer Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed Liverpool F.C. Official site
England David Moli EU Luton Town Transfer Summer Undisclosed Compensation Luton Town F.C.
FW England Michael Ngoo 16 EU Southend United Transfer Summer Undisclosed £250,000 Liverpool F.C. Official site
DF Germany Stephen Sama 16 EU Borussia Dortmund Germany Transfer Summer 2012 Compensation Liverpool F.C. Official site
MF Portugal Toni Silva 16 EU Benfica Portugal Transfer Summer Undisclosed Compensation Liverpool F.C.
DF Czech Republic Jakub Sokolík 16 EU Baník Ostrava Czech Republic Transfer Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed Sky Sports
GK England Jamie Stephens 16 EU Swindon Town Transfer Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed Liverpool F.C.

Last updated: 10 December

Out[edit]

First Team

N
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving to
Type
Transfer
window
Transfer
fee
Source
14 CM Spain Xabi Alonso 27 EU Real Madrid Transfer Summer £30,000,000 liverpoolfc.com
17 DF Spain Álvaro Arbeloa 26 EU Real Madrid Transfer Summer £3,500,000 liverpoolfc.com
35 MF Scotland Ryan Flynn 21 EU Falkirk Transfer Summer Undisclosed liverpoolfc.com
4 CB Finland Sami Hyypiä 35 EU Bayer Leverkusen Germany Contract ended Summer Free liverpoolfc.com
33 LM Argentina Sebastián Leto 22 Non-EU Panathinaikos Greece Transfer Summer £3,000,000 liverpoolfc.com
38 FW England Craig Lindfield 20 EU Macclesfield Town Released Summer Free liverpoolfc.com
16 RM England Jermaine Pennant 26 EU Zaragoza Spain Contract ended Summer Free Guardian
38 DF Italy Andrea Dossena 28 EU Napoli Transfer Winter €4,250,000 liverpoolfc.com
10 FW Ukraine Andriy Voronin 30 Non-EU Dynamo Moscow Transfer Winter €2,000,000 liverpoolfc.com

Last updated: 10 January

Reserves and Academy

N
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving to
Type
Transfer
window
Transfer
fee
Source
RW England Paul Anderson 20 EU Nottingham Forest Transfer Summer £250,000 Liverpool Official Site
DF Ghana Godwin Antwi 21 EU Vejle BK Denmark Contract ended Summer Free Liverpool Official Site
MF Sweden Astrit Ajdarević 18 EU Leicester City England Contract ended Summer Free BBC
DF Germany Christopher Buchtmann 17 EU Fulham England Transfer Winter £100,000 Liverpool Official Site
MF England Ryan Crowther 20 EU Contract ended Summer Free Liverpool Official Site
MF England Adam Dawson 16 EU Bury Released Summer Free Bury Times
GK England Hakan Duyan 18 EU Shrewsbury Town Released Summer Free BBC
MF Brazil Vitor Flora 20 EU Goiás Brazil Transfer Winter Undisclosed Liverpool Official Site
MF England Adam Hammill 21 EU Barnsley Transfer Summer Undisclosed Liverpool Official Site
CB England Jack Hobbs 20 EU Leicester City Transfer Summer £400,000 Liverpool Official Site
DF Paraguay Ronald Huth 19 EU Vicenza Italy Contract ended Summer Free Liverpool Official Site
DF England Joe Kennedy 18 EU Youth contract ended Summer Free Liverpool Official Site
MF Scotland Gary Mackay-Steven 20 EU Contract ended Summer Free Liverpool Official Site
DF Republic of Ireland Shane O'Connor 19 EU Ipswich Town England Contract ended Summer Free Liverpool Official Site
MF England Ray Putterill 20 EU Halewood Town Released Summer Free
DF Spain Miki Roqué 20 EU Real Betis Contract ended Summer Free Liverpool Official Site

Last updated: 5 February

Loaned in[edit]

# Pos Player From Start End
MF Hungary Zsolt Pölöskei Hungary MTK Hungária 01-07-2009 30-06-2010[9]
FW Hungary Krisztián Adorján Hungary MTK Hungária 01-08-2009 30-06-2010[10]
FW Hungary Patrik Poór Hungary MTK Hungária 01-08-2009 30-06-2010

Loaned out[edit]

# Pos Player To Start End
26 MF England Jay Spearing England Leicester City 23-03-2010 30-05-2010[11]
29 FW Hungary Krisztián Németh Greece AEK Athens 21-08-2009 30-06-2010[12]
30 GK France Charles Itandje Greece Kavala 31-08-2009 30-06-2010[13]
32 DF England Stephen Darby England Swindon Town 12-03-2010 31-05-2010[14]
35 MF Scotland Ryan Flynn Scotland Falkirk 10-07-2009 14-09-2009[15]
38 DF England Robbie Threlfall England Northampton Town 21-08-2009 19-09-2009[16]
38 DF England Robbie Threlfall England Bradford City 22-02-2010 22-03-2010[17]
38 DF England Robbie Threlfall England Bradford City 22-03-2010 30-05-2010[18]
39 MF England Nathan Eccleston England Huddersfield Town 28-01-2010 08-05-2010[19]
42 GK Hungary Péter Gulácsi England Tranmere Rovers 16-04-2010 23-04-2010[20]
42 GK Hungary Péter Gulácsi England Tranmere Rovers 23-04-2010 30-04-2010[21]
42 GK Hungary Péter Gulácsi England Tranmere Rovers 01-05-2010 08-05-2010[22]
43 GK Australia Dean Bouzanis England Accrington Stanley 26-11-2009 02-01-2010[23]
43 GK Australia Dean Bouzanis England Accrington Stanley 03-01-2010 30-01-2010[24]
43 GK Australia Dean Bouzanis England Accrington Stanley 01-02-2010 30-05-2010[25]
44 GK England David Martin England Tranmere Rovers 16-10-2009 16-11-2009[26]
44 GK England David Martin England Leeds United 26-11-2009 28-12-2009[27]
44 GK England David Martin England Leeds United 29-12-2009 30-01-2010[28]
44 GK England David Martin England Leeds United 01-02-2010 10-02-2010[25]
44 GK England David Martin England Derby County 12-03-2010 10-04-2010[14]
45 MF Spain Mikel San José Spain Athletic Bilbao 15-08-2009 30-06-2010[29]
GK Bulgaria Nikolay Mihaylov Netherlands Twente 01-07-2008 30-06-2010[30]
FW Hungary András Simon Spain Córdoba 21-08-2009 30-06-2010[31]
MF Netherlands Vincent Weijl Netherlands Helmond Sport 30-01-2010 30-06-2010[32]

Match results[edit]

Pre-season[edit]

Friendlies
Kick Off Opponents H / A Result Scorers Referee Attendance Report
2009-07-15 20:00 Switzerland St. Gallen A 0–0 Switzerland Cyril Zimmermann 20,000 MR
2009-07-19 19:15 Austria Rapid Wien A 0–1 Austria Gerhard Grubelnik 50,000 MR
2009-07-22 20:00 Thailand Thailand A 1–1 Babel 6' 55,000 MR
2009-07-26 20:00 Singapore Singapore A 5–0 Voronin 45', Riera 54', Németh 73', 83', Torres 80' Singapore Abdul Malik Bashir 55,000 MR
2009-08-02 21:00 Spain Espanyol A 0–3 - 40,000 MR
2009-08-05 19:00 Norway Lyn Oslo A 2–0 Voronin 44', N'Gog 59' MR
2009-08-08 15:00 Spain Atlético Madrid H 1–2 Lucas 82' England Phil Dowd 44,102 MR

Premier League[edit]

August[edit]

The fixtures for the 2009–10 Premier League season were announced on 17 June, with Liverpool being handed an away fixture to Tottenham Hotspur.[33] Spurs took the lead a minute before half time when left back Benoît Assou-Ekotto scored from 30 yards, after Tom Huddlestone's free kick had been blocked. Liverpool showed more urgency after half time, and were awarded a penalty on 55 minutes when Glen Johnson's run was ended by keeper Heurelho Gomes' challenge. Steven Gerrard converted the penalty to equalise for Liverpool. However, Tottenham regained the lead on 64 minutes when Cameroonian centre-half Sébastien Bassong headed home a Luka Modrić free kick. Liverpool seemed unable to respond, and fashioned few chances. They had a penalty appeal turned down on 84 minutes when Andriy Voronin seemed to be tripped by Assou-Ekotto in the box, but Spurs hung on for a 2–1 win.[34][35] Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez later criticised referee Phil Dowd for his failure to award Liverpool a penalty, and was later charged with improper conduct by the FA.[36][37]

Liverpool's first home match was against Stoke City four days later. Liverpool took the lead after five minutes when Fernando Torres swept home Steven Gerrard's cross. The lead was doubled moments before half time when Glen Johnson acrobatically finished after Dirk Kuyt's header had been blocked off the line. Good work from Gerrard on the right saw Kuyt make it 3–0 five minutes from time, before Frenchman David N'Gog headed a fourth in stoppage time.[38][39]

Liverpool suffered their first home league defeat since a 0–1 loss to Manchester United on 16 December 2007 against Aston Villa the following Monday. The away side took the lead when Lucas inadvertently headed into his own net from an Ashley Young cross on 33 minutes. Villa doubled their lead in first half injury time when Curtis Davies headed home from a corner. Liverpool did manage to pull one back through Fernando Torres, but Gerrard's poorly timed tackle on Nigel Reo-Coker led to a penalty, which Ashley Young converted to consign Liverpool to a 3–1 defeat.[40][41] Manager Rafael Benítez criticised his senior players for the defeat and demanded a better performance for the next match, away at Bolton Wanderers.[42]

At the Reebok Stadium, Liverpool had to twice come back from behind against Bolton. They took the lead on 33 minutes when poor marking from a corner saw Kevin Davies bundle the ball home from close range. Glen Johnson equalised four minutes before the break when a Liverpool corner was not properly cleared, and he stroked home left-footed from twenty yards. Bolton regained the lead two minutes after the break when Davies headed down Jussi Jääskeläinen's long punt for Tamir Cohen to smash home. The turning point of the game was Sean Davis' sending off on 53 minutes for a second bookable offence. Liverpool equalised just a few minutes later when Fernando Torres finished tidily following good work from Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool continued to press and finally got the winner on 83 minutes, when Torres' knockdown from a Glen Johnson was met by a shot from Gerrard, who had earlier hit the bar.[43] Gerrard later felt he "owed" the performance after poor performances in the defeats to 'Spurs and Villa.[44][45]

September[edit]

Liverpool's next match came after the international break, where they faced newly promoted Burnley at home. Despite comments made prior to the match by goalkeeper Pepe Reina that the league title was 'not a realistic ambition this season',[46] Liverpool comfortably dispatched the East Lancashire club 4–0 to go up to fourth in the table, thanks to an inspired performance from Yossi Benayoun, who scored a hat-trick.[47] Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez later praised Benayoun's work ethic, and stated that he was an 'example to the rest of the squad'[48][49] Michael Shields, attended this match as a special guest, his first since Istanbul, just three days after being released from prison.[50]

Liverpool travelled to the Boleyn Ground the following week, a ground that they won 3–0 at the previous season. They looked to be heading for a similar result when Fernando Torres' goal put the visitors 1–0 up after thirteen minutes. However, Jamie Carragher brought young striker Zavon Hines down on the half-hour, and Alessandro Diamanti converted the spot kick, which he appeared to touch twice. However, Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool back in front four minutes before the break, when he got a slight touch on a Steven Gerrard header. West Ham then equalised on half time through Carlton Cole after poor defending from a corner kick. The second half was approached slightly more cautiously by the home side, and substitute Ryan Babel made the desired impact when his ball was headed home by Torres. Liverpool held on for the remaining 15 minutes for their second consecutive 3–2 away win.[51] Benítez praised Torres for his role in the win; Torres had stated earlier that week that he felt he was not playing to standard.[52][53][54]

The club's last Premier League match of the month came at home on 26 September, against Hull City. Liverpool took the lead after Fernando Torres slotted past Boaz Myhill. Hull then equalised four minutes later, when defensive frailties were pounced upon by Geovanni. Liverpool retook the lead when Torres rounded Myhill, and the Spaniard completed his hat-trick with a solo effort on 47 minutes. Steven Gerrard made the game safe when his cross accidentally sailed in on the hour. Substitute Ryan Babel then came off the bench to tap in a fifth and he inadvertently deflected Albert Riera's shot in injury time to make it 6–1.[55]

October[edit]

Liverpool lost their first big four game 2–0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match was level until Nicolas Anelka guided the ball over Pepe Reina on the hour mark. With Liverpool pouring forward in search of an equaliser, Liverpool were left stretched at the back. With Chelsea attempting to kill time in the corner, Didier Drogba outmuscled Emiliano Insúa and squared back for Florent Malouda to double Chelsea's lead in added time.[56]

Then, Liverpool lost their next match to Sunderland, falling out 1–0. The solitary, controversial goal was scored by Darren Bent. Andy Reid picked out Bent in the box and he directed it straight to Reina. However, a beach ball, thrown onto the field by a spectator deflected the ball into the net.[57] Liverpool were not able to react to the shock goal, and Sunderland held on for the win.[58]

On 25 October, Liverpool prepared to face off with Manchester United. Manager Rafa Benítez was under pressure following four straight defeats, but he was calm as he spoke to the press.[59] Fábio Aurélio had a chance when his header was saved by Edwin van der Sar. Liverpool sustained their pressure throughout the second half. They finally took the lead on 65 minutes when Fernando Torres outmuscled Rio Ferdinand and fired his shot into the top corner of the net.[60] United finally reacted after the goal, but were not able to fashion any clear cut chances. Antonio Valencia hit the crossbar, but that was the closest the visitors came to an equaliser.[61] Their plight was not helped by Nemanja Vidić's sending off for a second bookable offence on 90 minutes.[62] Javier Mascherano was also sent off for two bookings on 95 minutes, when he tackled van der Sar. David N'Gog finally secured the three points for Liverpool when he broke away and slotted past van der Sar to secure victory, Liverpool's third consecutive victory over their rivals.[63]

Liverpool's final match of the month came away to Fulham. Liverpool fell behind after 24 minutes when Bobby Zamora tapped home. Liverpool equalised three minutes before half time, when Fernando Torres finished from 20 yards. After the break, Fulham started to put Liverpool under pressure, and when Torres was taken off on the hour, they lost their main attacking threat. Fulham retook the lead on 73 minutes, when another breakaway resulted in Erik Nevland finishing off a Paul Konchesky cross.[64] Liverpool were left chasing the game at this point, and they lost two men in three minutes; Philipp Degen was sent off for a tackle on Zamora, and Jamie Carragher was later sent off for a professional foul. This was Liverpool's fifth defeat in 11 matches, and it left them 9 points behind Chelsea at the top.[65]

November[edit]

Liverpool's first match of the month was home to Birmingham City. Liverpool took the lead on 13 minutes, when David N'Gog finished off after several saves from Joe Hart. Birmingham fought back, however, and equalised on 26 minutes, when a harmless free kick resulted in Christian Benítez heading home. Birmingham took the lead in the third minute of first half stoppage time, when Cameron Jerome netted from 35 yards. Liverpool brought on Steven Gerrard at the break, and he converted Liverpool's equaliser on 71 minutes, from the penalty spot, after N'Gog had adjudged to be fouled by Lee Carsley. TV replays showed that N'Gog had dived.[66] Liverpool could not find the winner, but this would have been harsh on Birmingham, who had defended well throughout.[67]

Liverpool's next match after the international break was another home game, this time to Manchester City. Liverpool took the lead five minutes into the second half when Martin Škrtel got the vital touch from a Gerrard free kick. City got back into the game on 69 minutes; poor marking from Craig Bellamy's corner left Emmanuel Adebayor with a free header from six yards. City then silenced Anfield when they took the lead on 76 minutes; Shaun Wright-Phillips turned Sotirios Kyrgiakos and crossed for Stephen Ireland to finish from close range. However, City could not hold on to their lead, and Yossi Benayoun was left to tap home just 72 seconds after Ireland's goal.[68]

Liverpool headed into the Merseyside derby having exited the Champions League, and with just one win in 10. Everton were also in poor form, though they started the brighter of the two teams.[69] Liverpool were content to soak up the pressure, and took the lead on 12 minutes, when Javier Mascherano's 30-yard shot was deflected in by Joseph Yobo. Everton's Jo had two goals ruled out for offside, and though Everton had the possession, they could not convert this into goals. Everton were left chasing the game late into the second half, and Yobo's defensive error allowed Gerrard to tee up Albert Riera, whose powerful shot Tim Howard could not hold, allowing Dirk Kuyt to tap in with ten minutes remaining. Liverpool had further chances to add to their goal tally, but 2–0 flattered Liverpool, who had taken their chances, and defended well.[70]

December[edit]

On a high after the derby win, The Reds travelled to Ewood Park as they faced Blackburn Rovers in what was Steven Gerrard's 500th game for Liverpool. Rovers manager Sam Allardyce has a good record against Liverpool, and he managed to contain the Reds in a goalless draw. Chances were few and far between, with the best chance falling to the young Frenchman David N'Gog late on; his scuffed shot hit the bar.

Liverpool's next game was at home to Arsenal. The home side started well, dominating Arsenal in the early stages. Their pressure paid off four minutes before the break when Dirk Kuyt tapped home from close range. Cesc Fàbregas later revealed that manager Arsène Wenger had given his players the hairdryer treatment at half time, making it clear in no uncertain terms that they had played awfully in the first period.[71] Arsenal returned invigoured after the second half, and put Liverpool under a period of intense pressure in the opening exchanges of the second half. Arsenal equalised when Samir Nasri's cross was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Glen Johnson. Buoyed by the goal, Arsenal pushed on and took the lead five minutes later through a goal from Andrey Arshavin which gave Reina no chance at his near post. Arsenal held on for their first win at Anfield since October 2003.

Liverpool managed to regain the winning touch with a 2–1 win over Wigan Athletic at Anfield three days later. The away side gave a good account of themselves, and aside from David N'Gog's early goal, matched Liverpool for spells. Liverpool wrapped up the win 11 minutes from time with Fernando Torres' 11th goal of the season. Wigan got a late consolation through Charles N'Zogbia, which was more than deserved.

Liverpool travelled to Fratton Park to face bottom of the table Portsmouth in what was seen as an easy game. Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez had made an eyebrow-raising team selection upon his team's visit the previous season,[72] and he also raised questions about his selection as he picked out-of-favour Andrea Dossena on the left.[73] Daniel Agger's close-range header was the visitors' best chance of the half, but it was Portsmouth who took the lead six minutes from the end, Algerian Nadir Belhadj rifling in a shot from what seemed an impossible angle. Javier Mascherano was sent off in first-half injury time after a two-footed lunge on Tal Ben Haim. The away side pressured for an equaliser in the second half, with Asmir Begović pulling off a stupendous save from Steven Gerrard's heavily deflected shot. The home side sealed the win with seven minutes to go when Frédéric Piquionne volleyed home from 10 yards by sealing Portsmouth's first victory over Liverpool since April 2007. Many fans called for Benítez's exit after the game, despite his 'guarantee' of a fourth-place finish.[74]

The boxing day fixture saw Liverpool host Wolves. An even first half saw Kevin Doyle miss the away side's best chance as he headed over from six yards, but Stephen Ward's controversial red card early in the second half proved a turning point. Steven Gerrard powered in a header just after the hour, and Yossi Benayoun added a second deflected shot eight minutes later.

Liverpool's last match of the decade was a crunch match for 4th place with Aston Villa at Villa Park. The game turned out to be rather poor, with both teams cancelling each other out. Villa missed good chances through Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew, but with the game heading for a draw, Fernando Torres slotted past Brad Friedel in the third minute of stoppage time to give Liverpool a vital three points.

January[edit]

Liverpool's first Premier League match of the calendar year pitted them against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium, just days after they had been knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Reading at Anfield. The away side were weakened by injuries, but still put in a creditable performance. Lucas appeared to be tripped by Danny Higginbotham in the penalty area on 26 minutes, but referee Lee Mason booked the Brazilian for diving. Stoke were content to sit back and let Liverpool have possession, and the away side lacked a cutting edge that would have killed the game. They did take the lead on 57 minutes, with Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos knocking in after Thomas Sørensen had dropped Fábio Aurélio's free kick. Stoke put Liverpool under heavy pressure in the last quarter of an hour, and made the breakthrough when Robert Huth scrambled home. Dirk Kuyt missed a golden opportunity to win the game in the sixth minute of injury time, but his header hit the post.

Liverpool faced another important showdown with Tottenham at Anfield. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp felt that his side could get a result at Anfield, with Liverpool missing key players and in poor form. Liverpool, however, started strongly, taking the lead in the sixth minute through Dirk Kuyt's 6th-minute strike. Tottenham were off-par, and despite the ruling out of Jermain Defoe's goal, failed to test Reina. The home side earned a penalty in injury-time when substitutes Maxi Rodríguez and David N'Gog combined, with the latter being tripped in the box. Kuyt was made to re-take his penalty, but still sent Heurelho Gomes the wrong way to secure Liverpool's third win in four.

Despite their impressive form, Liverpool were disappointing once more, as they failed to break down Wolves at Molineux. Albert Riera's early effort was comfortably saved by Marcus Hahnemann, but the away side failed to create any clear-cut chances, and the best opportunities in a drab game fell to Wolves' Kevin Doyle, whose goalbound shot was cleared by Emiliano Insúa.

Liverpool's next game was at home to Bolton. They failed to impress, but still managed to grind out a 2–0 win, with Dirk Kuyt grabbing his third goal in as many games as he toe-poked in from close range. Emiliano Insúa's long-range strike was deflected into his own net by Kevin Davies for the second. David N'Gog should have added a late third, but missed a sitter, hitting the crossbar from five yards out with the goal gaping. Rafael Benítez praised The Reds' defence, as they kept a third consecutive clean sheet, and a fifth in the last six games.

February[edit]

Liverpool prepared to renew rivalries with Everton on 6 February at Anfield. The Toffees were in scintillating form, earning impressive draws at The Emirates and at Stamford Bridge in their nine-game unbeaten run. The game turned out to be more of a physical battle than a football match, with Jamie Carragher's tackle on Steven Pienaar within the first 10 seconds setting the precedent. Sotirios Kyrgiakos was sent off on 34 minutes for a lunge on Marouane Fellaini, but the away side failed to capitalise on his absence, particularly in the air. The best chance of the half fell to Everton's Tim Cahill, but his close range header went just over. Liverpool took the lead 10 minutes into the second half, Dirk Kuyt heading in from close range from Steven Gerrard's corner. The home side then had to defend as Everton pinned them back for periods. Liverpool threatened on the break, but could not find a second. Everton disappointed, and despite the introduction of Yakubu and Victor Anichebe, could not create a clear opening. Liverpool held on to complete a second double over Everton in three seasons.

Liverpool's second game of February was away to title contenders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Liverpool lost the game 1–0 thanks to Abou Diaby's header. Liverpool's penultimate game of February was away to also top 4 challengers Manchester City at Eastlands. The game finished 0–0. Liverpool players Fernando Torres & Yossi Benayoun both made cameo appearances on their return from injuries, but neither could swing the game in Liverpool's fortunes.

Liverpool's third and final game of February was against to Blackburn Rovers at Anfield. Liverpool had captain Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres on the same scoresheet for only the third time in the Barclays Premier League this season. Steven Gerrard scored after 20 minutes and Fernando Torres netted 2 minutes before half time after Rovers had equalised from the penalty spot after Jamie Carragher's foul in the box.

March[edit]

Liverpool opened March with a 1–0 loss to Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. Dirk Kuyt gifted the goal to Wigan, attempting to pass it back to Pepe Reina, but Hugo Rodallega skipped past Javier Mascherano and chipped the ball over the oncoming Reina to ultimately win the game for the Latics ten minutes before half-time. Glen Johnson came on as a substitute for Liverpool on his return from injury. Liverpool's second game of March was at home to near relegated Portsmouth. Portsmouth were in the hunt to do the 'double' over Liverpool after their morale-boosting 2–0 victory back in December. Fernando Torres opened the scoring for Liverpool with his 14th goal of the season after 28 minutes. Ryan Babel doubled Liverpool's advantage on the half-hour mark. Italian Alberto Aquilani scored his first goal in English football to make it 3–0 on 32 minutes. Fernando Torres scored his second of the night and Liverpool's fourth on 77 minutes. Portsmouth grabbed a sole consolation in the last minute thanks to Nadir Belhadj, but Liverpool ran out comfortable winners.

Liverpool's third game of March saw them renew rivalries with old foes Manchester United at Old Trafford. Liverpool took the lead after just five minutes after Dirk Kuyt released captain Steven Gerrard, who fed in Fernando Torres. Torres shot with excellent power which left United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar with no chance.[75] Controversy flared when Liverpool's Argentinian midfielder Javier Mascherano appeared to have fouled Antonio Valencia in the penalty box. TV replays clearly showed that the foul was outside of the box.[76] Wayne Rooney took the penalty and scored the rebound after Pepe Reina's save. United continued to pour forward in numbers, and finally got the goal their play deserved,[75][77] when veteran winger Ryan Giggs crossed. The ball missed everyone apart from Ji Sung Park, who scored despite the close attention from the Liverpool right back Glen Johnson. The 2–1 win for United was Sir Alex Ferguson's 100th home Barclays Premier League win.

Liverpool wrapped up March with an impressive 3–0 win over Sunderland at Anfield. Liverpool took the lead with only 6 minutes on the clock. Great work[78][79][80] from in-form Spaniard Fernando Torres on the left resulted in him cutting inside two defenders before a high, curling shot flew into the top right-hand corner. Liverpool cruised into a 2–0 lead when a corner broke loose to right back Glen Johnson, who skipped past a Sunderland defender before unleashing a left-foot strike that took a deflection. Sunderland rarely exerted any pressure to force Liverpool into defensive play in the second half, which meant Liverpool could counter-attack without worrying about numbers at the back. During one of these counterattacks, Liverpool scored their third and final goal, with Johnson fooling everyone by releasing the ball through to Fernando Torres. Torres scored into an empty net to give Liverpool three goals and three points.

April[edit]

Liverpool started off their top 4 battle run in with a 1–1 draw against Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Liverpool took the lead just two minutes into the second half, when a corner on the left side on the edge of the 18-yard box fell short to Steven Gerrard, who curled an effort past City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Birmingham equalised near the end of the game to deal Liverpool's top four ambitions another blow. Liverpool's second game of April was a drab home game against Europa League-contending Fulham at Anfield. Liverpool were without striker Fernando Torres for this game because he was in Spain seeing a specialist about his recent knee injury. Mark Schwarzer was Fulham's hero, shutting out Liverpool all day long with a string of superb saves to keep Fulham's Europa League dream alive. Liverpool were now three points off the top four, having played a game more than Tottenham and Manchester City. Liverpool's third game of April was a Monday night fixture to relegation threatened West Ham United at Anfield. Liverpool took three points from this game, but needed to beat Chelsea to keep their hope of a Champions League place alive. Steven Gerrard's back-pass allowed Chelsea to score, and after that, Chelsea pressed home their advantage. The loss for Liverpool meant they failed to qualify for the Champions League. Liverpool ended their campaign with a 0–0 draw at the KC Stadium against Hull City, in which youngster Jack Robinson made his debut for the reds.

League table[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
5 Manchester City 38 18 13 7 73 45 +28 67 Qualification for the Europa League play-off round[a]
6 Aston Villa 38 17 13 8 52 39 +13 64
7 Liverpool 38 18 9 11 61 35 +26 63 Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[b]
8 Everton 38 16 13 9 60 49 +11 61
9 Birmingham City 38 13 11 14 38 47 −9 50
Source: Premier League
Notes:
  1. ^ Since Manchester United won the League Cup and then qualified for the Champions League, their spot in the Europa League was passed down to the 6th-placed team. The 6th-placed Aston Villa was coincidentally also the League Cup runners-up.
  2. ^ Originally Portsmouth qualified for the third qualifying round of the Europa League as the FA Cup runners-up, replacing the winners, Champions League-qualified Chelsea. However, they failed to apply for a UEFA licence. Therefore, Liverpool as the best placed team not qualified for the European competitions took their place.

Results summary[edit]

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 18 9 11 61 35  +26 63 13 3 3 43 15  +28 5 6 8 18 20  −2

Games against Top Six[edit]

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
12 3 2 7 11 16  −5 11 2 1 3 8 9  −1 1 1 4 3 7  −4

Results by round[edit]

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHAHAHAAHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHA
ResultLWLWWWWLLWLDDWDLWLWWDWDWWLDWLWLWDDWWLD
Position1241074335855775776877765545666566667777
Updated to match(es) played on 24 April 2010. Source: Matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches[edit]

16 August 2009 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Liverpool London
16:00 Assou-Ekotto 44'
Bassong 59'
MR Gerrard 56' (pen.) Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 35,935
Referee: Phil Dowd
19 August 2009 2 Liverpool 4–0 Stoke City Liverpool
20:00 Torres 5'
Johnson 45'
Kuyt 78'
N'Gog 90+4'
MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,318
Referee: Peter Walton
24 August 2009 3 Liverpool 1–3 Aston Villa Liverpool
20:00 Torres 72' MR Lucas 34' (o.g.)
C. Davies 45+2'
A. Young 75'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,667
Referee: Martin Atkinson
29 August 2009 4 Bolton Wanderers 2–3 Liverpool Bolton
15:00 K. Davies 33'
Cohen 47'
MR Johnson 41'
Torres 56'
Gerrard 83'
Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 23,284
Referee: Alan Wiley
12 September 2009 5 Liverpool 4–0 Burnley Liverpool
15:00 Benayoun 27', 61', 82'
Kuyt 41'
MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,817
Referee: Lee Mason
19 September 2009 6 West Ham United 2–3 Liverpool London
17:15 Diamanti 29'
C. Cole 45'
MR Torres 20', 75'
Kuyt 41'
Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 34,658
Referee: Andre Marriner
26 September 2009 7 Liverpool 6–1 Hull City Liverpool
15:00 Torres 11', 28', 47'
Gerrard 61'
Babel 88', 90'
MR Geovanni 15' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,392
Referee: Peter Walton
4 October 2009 8 Chelsea 2–0 Liverpool London
16:00 Anelka 60'
Malouda 90'
MR Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 41,732
Referee: Martin Atkinson
17 October 2009 9 Sunderland 1–0 Liverpool Sunderland
15:00 Bent 5' MR Stadium: Stadium of Light
Attendance: 47,327
Referee: Mike Jones
25 October 2009 10 Liverpool 2–0 Manchester United Liverpool
14:00 Torres 65'
Mascherano Yellow card 72' Yellow-red card 90+5'
Carragher Yellow card 87'
N'Gog 90+6'
MR Evra Yellow card 15'
Berbatov Yellow card 37'
Vidić Yellow card 75' Yellow-red card 90'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,188
Referee: Andre Marriner
31 October 2009 11 Fulham 3–1 Liverpool London
15:00 Zamora 24'
Nevland 73'
Dempsey 87'
MR Torres 42' Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 25,700
Referee: Lee Mason
9 November 2009 12 Liverpool 2–2 Birmingham City Liverpool
20:00 N'Gog 13'
Gerrard 71' (pen.)
MR Benítez 26'
Jerome 47'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,560
Referee: Peter Walton
21 November 2009 13 Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City Liverpool
12:45 Carragher Yellow card 17'
Škrtel 50'
Leiva Yellow card 63'
Benayoun 77'
MR Adebayor 69'
Ireland 76'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,164
Referee: Phil Dowd
29 November 2009 14 Everton 0–2 Liverpool Liverpool
13:30 Heitinga Yellow card 84' MR Yobo 12' (o.g.)
Kuyt 80'
Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 39,652
Referee: Alan Wiley
5 December 2009 15 Blackburn Rovers 0–0 Liverpool Blackburn
16:00 MR Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 29,660
Referee: Martin Atkinson
13 December 2009 16 Liverpool 1–2 Arsenal Liverpool
16:00 Kuyt 41' MR Johnson 50' (o.g.)
Arshavin 58'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,853
Referee: Howard Webb
16 December 2009 17 Liverpool 2–1 Wigan Athletic Liverpool
16:00 N'Gog 9'
Torres 79'
MR N'Zogbia 90' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 41,116
Referee: Phil Dowd
19 December 2009 18 Portsmouth 2–0 Liverpool Portsmouth
12:45 Belhadj 33'
Piquionne 82'
MR Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,534
Referee: Lee Mason
26 December 2009 19 Liverpool 2–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Liverpool
17:30 Gerrard 62'
Benayoun 70'
MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 41,936
Referee: Andre Marriner
29 December 2009 20 Aston Villa 0–1 Liverpool Birmingham
17:45 MR Torres 90+3' Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 42,788
Referee: Lee Probert
16 January 2010 21 Stoke City 1–1 Liverpool Stoke-on-Trent
12:45 Huth 90' MR Kyrgiakos 57' Stadium: Britannia Stadium
Attendance: 27,247
Referee: Lee Mason
20 January 2010 22 Liverpool 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool
20:00 Kuyt 6', 90+2' (pen.) MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,016
Referee: Howard Webb
26 January 2010 23 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–0 Liverpool Wolverhampton
19:45 MR Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 28,763
Referee: Peter Walton
30 January 2010 24 Liverpool 2–0 Bolton Wanderers Liverpool
15:00 Kuyt 37'
K. Davies 70' (o.g.)
MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,413
Referee: Steve Bennett
6 February 2010 25 Liverpool 1–0 Everton Liverpool
12:45 Kuyt Yellow card 21', 55'
Carragher Yellow card 30'
Kyrgiakos Red card 34'
Gerrard Yellow card 85'
MR Pienaar Yellow card 29' Yellow-red card 90+6'
Heitinga Yellow card 56'
Anichebe Yellow card 85'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,216
Referee: Martin Atkinson
10 February 2010 26 Arsenal 1–0 Liverpool London
19:45 Clichy Yellow card 40'
Bendtner Yellow card 64'
Diaby 72'
Fàbregas Yellow card 90+5'
MR Rodríguez Yellow card 41'
Degen Yellow card 62'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,045
Referee: Howard Webb
21 February 2010 27 Manchester City 0–0 Liverpool Manchester
15:00 Barry Yellow card 54' MR Mascherano Yellow card 31'
Gerrard Yellow card 45+1'
Babel Yellow card 63'
Benayoun Yellow card 67'
Kuyt Yellow card 76'
Torres Yellow card 90+3'
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Attendance: 47,203
Referee: Peter Walton
28 February 2010 28 Liverpool 2–1 Blackburn Rovers Liverpool
15:00 Gerrard 20'
Torres 44'
MR Andrews 40' (pen.) Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,795
Referee: Alan Wiley
8 March 2010 29 Wigan Athletic 1–0 Liverpool Wigan
20:00 Rodallega 35' MR Stadium: DW Stadium
Attendance: 17,427
Referee: Andre Marriner
15 March 2010 30 Liverpool 4–1 Portsmouth Liverpool
20:00 Torres 26', 77'
Babel 28'
Aquilani 32'
MR Belhadj 88' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,316
Referee: Stuart Attwell
21 March 2010 31 Manchester United 2–1 Liverpool Manchester
13:30 Rooney soccer ball with red X 11', 12'
Park 60'
Valencia Yellow card 61'
Vidić Yellow card 73'
MR Torres 5', Yellow card 25'
Mascherano Yellow card 11'
Carragher Yellow card 45+2'
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 75,216
Referee: Howard Webb
28 March 2010 32 Liverpool 3–0 Sunderland Liverpool
16:00 Torres 3', 60'
Johnson 32'
MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,121
Referee: Phil Dowd
3 April 2010 33 Birmingham City 1–1 Liverpool Birmingham
15:00 Ridgewell 56' MR Gerrard 47' Stadium: St Andrew's
Attendance: 27,909
Referee: Martin Atkinson
11 April 2010 34 Liverpool 0–0 Fulham Liverpool
15:00 MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,331
Referee: Andre Marriner
19 April 2010 35 Liverpool 3–0 West Ham United Liverpool
20:00 Benayoun 19'
N'Gog 29'
Green 59' (o.g.)
MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 37,697
Referee: Peter Walton
24 April 2010 36 Burnley 0–4 Liverpool Burnley
15:00 MR Gerrard 54', 59'
Rodríguez 74'
Babel 90'
Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 21,553
Referee: Phil Dowd
1 May 2010 37 Liverpool 0–2 Chelsea Liverpool
15:00 MR Drogba 33'
Lampard 54'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,375
Referee: Alan Wiley
9 May 2010 38 Hull City 0–0 Liverpool Kingston-upon-Hull
15:00 MR Stadium: KC Stadium
Attendance: 25,030
Referee: Andre Marriner

UEFA Champions League[edit]

The draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League was made on 27 August 2009 in Monaco. As Liverpool were seeded in Pot 1, this meant that they could not be drawn with teams from the same pot, such as Barcelona, Milan or Bayern Munich. However, they faced the possibility of being drawn in the same group as Real Madrid, Internazionale or Juventus.[81] Liverpool were drawn into Group E with 7-times Ligue 1 champions Lyon, Hungarian champions and Champions League debutants Debrecen and Italian side Fiorentina. Their first match was at home to Debrecen, on 16 September.[82][83]

Liverpool's managing director Christian Purslow said that the club was "pretty happy" with the draw.[83]

Liverpool's first game was at Anfield, where they faced Debreceni. The Hungarian champions had chances to score in the first half. However, in the last minute of the first half, Fernando Torres' shot was parried by Vukašin Poleksić; however, Dirk Kuyt was on hand to score the opener. In the second half, Liverpool only briefly threatened to score, while the visitors never really had a sustained period of pressure. Rafa Benítez was frustrated by his team's failure to take the many chances they created throughout the match, and was relieved just to get the three points.[84][85]

Liverpool's next group game was away to Fiorentina. Liverpool were two goals down in the first half after Montenegrin player Stevan Jovetić scored a brace. The Reds raised their game after half time, but ultimately were not able to finish off the chances that they created.[86] Rafa Benítez was irate after the match, vowing that Liverpool will "'never again' be as bad as they were during the first half."[87] Fábio Aurélio, who had played under Benítez for the last nine years, at Valencia and Liverpool, said that he had never seen Benítez so angry as he was at half-time at Stadio Artemio Franchi.[88]

Liverpool suffered a second consecutive defeat, at home to Lyon. Although the home side took the lead after 41 minutes through Yossi Benayoun, they struggled to maintain the lead, and the visitors scored an equaliser on 72 minutes through Maxime Gonalons.[89] César Delgado scored the winner for Lyon from close range in the first minute of injury time.[90]

Liverpool's next group game was away at group leaders Lyon. Although Liverpool were missing several first team players through injury, they managed to create several chances, the best of which was spurned by Andriy Voronin. Liverpool dominated the game without ever really posing a potent threat to the host's goal. Substitute Ryan Babel finally opened the scoring for Liverpool with seven minutes to go, with a "stunning" strike from long range.[91] It looked as if Liverpool were going to hang on to the three points, and keep their hopes alive, but in the 90th minute, Liverpool failed to clear a high ball, and Lisandro López guided the ball past Pepe Reina to inflict Liverpool's worst run in 22 years.[92] This left Liverpool relying on Lyon to defeat Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in their next group game to stay in the competition.[93]

With Rafa Benitez's men needing nothing less than three points to keep their Champions League hopes alive, they got off to the perfect start inside three minutes. Fábio Aurélio swung over a ball from the right, Jamie Carragher headed it back across goal and David N'Gog reacted quickest to poke it in from a few yards out.[94] Liverpool did all they could to keep their Champions League hopes alive, but in the end it just wasn't enough. A solitary goal gave the Reds all three points on the night against Debrecen but thanks to Fiorentina's win in Lyon, the 2005 champions were eliminated from the competition at the group stages for the very first time under boss Rafael Benítez.[95] Alberto Aquilani made a cameo appearance with seconds to spare but the game finished 1–0.[96] After the win in Hungary, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez said, "We did our part and we did our part well. Obviously we cannot control the other game, but this win will give us confidence."

Liverpool ended their failed Champions League campaign in defeat as they were beaten 2–1 by Fiorentina which inflicted Liverpool's second successive home defeat in this European competition and also they had the worst points tally in their European history.

Group stage[edit]

Group E
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Italy Fiorentina 6 5 0 1 14 7 +7 15
France Lyon 6 4 1 1 12 3 +9 13
England Liverpool 6 2 1 3 5 7 −2 7
Hungary Debrecen 6 0 0 6 5 19 −14 0
16 September 2009 1 Liverpool England 1–0 Hungary Debrecen Liverpool, England
19:45 Kuyt 45+1' Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 41,591
Referee: Pedro Proença (Portugal)
29 September 2009 2 Fiorentina Italy 2–0 England Liverpool Florence, Italy
19:45 Jovetić 28', 37' Report Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi
Attendance: 33,426
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
20 October 2009 3 Liverpool England 1–2 France Lyon Liverpool, England
19:45 Benayoun 41' Report Gonalons 72'
Delgado 90+1'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 41,562
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)
4 November 2009 4 Lyon France 1–1 England Liverpool Lyon, France
20:45 López 90' Report Babel 83' Stadium: Stade de Gerland
Attendance: 39,180
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
24 November 2009 5 Debrecen Hungary 0–1 England Liverpool Budapest, Hungary
20:45 Report N'Gog 4' Stadium: Ferenc Puskás Stadium
Attendance: 41,500
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
9 December 2009 6 Liverpool England 1–2 Italy Fiorentina Liverpool, England
19:45 Benayoun 43' Report Jorgensen 63'
Gilardino 90+2'
Stadium: Anfield
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

UEFA Europa League[edit]

Being unable to finish higher than third in the 2009–10 Champions League group stage, Liverpool appeared in the Europa League for the first time since the 2003–04 season. Liverpool were drawn to play Romanian side Unirea Urziceni, playing the first leg at Anfield.

The dates for the two legs were 18 February 2010 for the first leg and 25 February 2010 for the second leg. Liverpool made 3 changes for the first leg, with Fábio Aurélio coming in for Emiliano Insúa, Jamie Carragher being drafted back into the squad to replace Sotirios Kyrgiakos, and Dirk Kuyt being placed on the right-wing, with David N'Gog the lone striker.

Liverpool started brightly, with Steven Gerrard having a shot kept out by the Unirea keeper after 60 seconds and Fábio Aurélio placing a free-kick wide after three minutes. Liverpool continued to press throughout the rest of the first half and for all but ten minutes of the second-half.

Unirea were proving to be strong in defence, but in the 81st minute, Liverpool finally scored, substitute Ryan Babel crossing into the path of fellow substitute Daniel Pacheco, who produced a downward header into David N'Gog, and he headed into an empty net. This meant Liverpool would take a slender 1–0 lead to Romania. In the second leg, Liverpool cruised through to the last 16, winning the tie 3–1 and winning on aggregate 4–1. The game did not start brightly for Liverpool, conceding on 18 minutes after failing to clear their lines. Liverpool equalised on the half-hour mark, Javier Mascherano with a powerful low shot into the bottom left hand corner. From there on in, Liverpool scored two more goals courtesy of Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard goals to send Liverpool into the last 16.

Liverpool faced tough opposition for the last 16, being handed two legged ties with Lille. Liverpool did not play well on the night, and it was no surprise that they conceded in the 85th minute after an Eden Hazard free kick was swung deep into the penalty area and went over Jamie Carragher's and Pepe Reina's heads and into the back of the net. In the second leg, Liverpool cruised past Lille, with the home side completely dominating the first-half. Liverpool opened the scoring in only the eighth minute of the game, with Brazilian Lucas being hauled down in the penalty area after an impressive run from just inside the visitors' half. Captain Steven Gerrard calmy slotted home the penalty in the bottom left hand corner. Back in form striker Fernando Torres doubled Liverpool's lead on the night in the 49th minute with a delicate chip over Lille 'keeper Landreau. Liverpool secured their place in the last eight when Fernando Torres scored his second of the night and his fourth in two games.

The draw for the quarter-finals pitted Liverpool against 31-time Portuguese champions Benfica. The first leg was played on 1 April at the Estádio da Luz. The return leg was held on 8 April at Anfield.

Liverpool started off the first leg well enough to score after eight minutes. Steven Gerrard earned a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area and rolled it into the path of Danish international Daniel Agger. Agger produced a cheeky back heel from 9 yards out that slightly deflected of a Benfica defender and into the bottom left hand corner to leave the 'keeper Júlio César stranded. Benfica were now pressing for periods which forced Liverpool into defensive play. On 31 minutes, Fernando Torres was fouled by Luisão on the far byline. Ryan Babel appeared to have put his hand over Luisão's mouth after calling Torres a "diving f****** disgrace." Luisão was originally sent off for his part in the matter, but then it was Babel who was sent off for putting his hand over Luisão's mouth. Both players missed the return leg at Anfield on 8 April. From there on in, Benfica started to really play, with the visitors rarely threatening on the break. Benfica were awarded a penalty when Jamie Carragher accidentally handballed on the far byline and the striker Óscar Cardozo tucked the penalty away in the bottom right hand corner. Benfica were then awarded a second penalty when a Liverpool defender hauled down Cardozo just inside the penalty area. Cardozo was again the penalty taker and scored straight down the middle. Liverpool have a vital away goal going into the second leg back at Anfield next week.

Any doubts that Liverpool were heading out of Europe's top two European competitions in the same season were soon washed away with an outstanding performance at Anfield. Liverpool took the lead after 27 minutes after a corner by Steven Gerrard was headed into the bottom right hand corner by Dirk Kuyt for his 11th goal of the season. Celebrations soon turned to anguish when the linesman ruled out Kuyt's header as he appeared to be in an offside position. The referee rightly gave the goal as you cannot be offside from a corner. Liverpool doubled their lead just 7 minutes later when Steven Gerrard fed in Brazilian Lucas, who smartly rounded Júlio César and finished from seven yards out for his fifth goal in a Liverpool shirt. Liverpool continued to dominate matters in the second half too, with lethal Spaniard Fernando Torres netting 14 minutes into the second half. First leg hero Cardozo netted a comeback goal for Benfica to set up a nail bitting finale. However, Fernando Torres netted his second of the night and his 22nd in all competitions for the reds this season eight minutes from time. The goal came in similar fashion to the one he scored against Sunderland on 28 March. Liverpool were drawn with Atlético Madrid over two legs in the semi-finals. The first leg was at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in Madrid on 22 April and the second leg was at Anfield on 29 April. Coincidentally, Atlético Madrid is both Fernando Torres' and Maxi Rodríguez's old club, thus both cannot play the rest of the competition, with Torres sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury and Rodríguez already played for Atlético earlier on in the season in the UEFA Champions League. In the first leg, Atlético finished with a narrow 1–0 lead, and at Anfield in the second leg, Liverpool beat Atletico 2–1 after extra-time. But due to Atlético's away goal at Anfield, they progressed to the final.

Round of 32[edit]

18 February 2010 Leg 1 Liverpool England 1–0 Romania Unirea Urziceni Liverpool
20:05 (GMT) N'Gog 81' MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,450
Referee: Eric Braamhaar (Netherlands)Netherlands
25 February 2010 Leg 2 Unirea Urziceni Romania 1–3
(1–4 agg.)
England Liverpool Bucharest
18:00 (GMT) Fernandes 18' MR Mascherano 30'
Babel 41'
Gerrard 57'
Stadium: Stadionul Steaua
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Stefan Johannesson Sweden

Round of 16[edit]

11 March 2010 Leg 1 Lille France 1–0 England Liverpool Lille
18:00 (GMT) Hazard 85' MR Stadium: Stadium Nord Lille Métropole
Attendance: 18.000
Referee: Alan LarsenDenmark
18 March 2010 Leg 2 Liverpool England 3–0
(3–1 agg.)
France Lille Liverpool
20:05 (GMT) Gerrard 9' (pen.)
Torres 49', 90'
MR Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,139
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli Italy

Quarter-final[edit]

1 April 2010 Leg 1 Benfica Portugal 2–1 England Liverpool Lisbon
20:05 GMT Luisão Yellow card 30'
David Luiz Yellow card 37'
Cardozo 59' (pen.), 79' (pen.)
MR Agger 9'
Babel Red card 31'
Insúa Yellow card 45'
Reina Yellow card 74'
Carragher Yellow card 79'
Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 62,629
Referee: Jonas Eriksson Sweden
8 April 2010 Leg 2 Liverpool England 4–1
(5–3 agg.)
Portugal Benfica Liverpool
20:05 GMT Kuyt 27'
Lucas 34'
Torres 59', 82'
Benayoun Yellow card 75'
MR Cardozo 70'
Aimar Yellow card 84'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,377
Referee: Björn Kuipers Netherlands

Semi-final[edit]

22 April 2010 Leg 1 Atlético Madrid Spain 1–0 England Liverpool Madrid
20:05 GMT Forlán 9' MR Stadium: Vicente Calderón Stadium
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Laurent Duhamel France
29 April 2010 Leg 2 Liverpool England 2–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–2a agg.)
Spain Atlético Madrid Liverpool
20:05 GMT Aquilani 44', Benayoun 95' MR Forlán 102' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,040
Referee: Terje Hauge Norway

League Cup[edit]

The draw for the 3rd round was made on 29 August 2009. Liverpool were drawn away to Leeds United.[97][98] The League One side raised their game for the occasion, and Elland Road saw a bumper 38,168 crowd. Leeds more than matched Liverpool throughout the first half, and had a Luciano Becchio effort ruled out for offside; however, Liverpool showed their defensive mettle. They scored the game's only goal on 66 minutes, when Javier Mascherano's cross-cum-shot was trapped excellently by David N'Gog, who turned and finished expertly past goalkeeper Shane Higgs.[99]

Liverpool received a tricky away fixture to Arsenal for the fourth round.[100] The Reds fielded a weakened side, but still managed to match Arsenal's youngsters. Philipp Degen had an early chance on 14 minutes, which he failed to put away. Arsenal punished this five minutes later. Andriy Voronin failed to clear, and was dispossessed by Mérida, who turned and smacked the ball from 25 yards, which flew past Diego Cavalieri. Liverpool's Emiliano Insúa levelled the scores with an even better strike on 26 minutes. The ball ricocheted off David N'Gog, and the ball sat up for the young Argentinean to smash a dipping shot over Łukasz Fabiański. Both teams were evenly matched for the rest of the first half. Five minutes into the second half, Nicklas Bendtner put Arsenal back into the lead, when he guided the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Liverpool failed to rouse themselves to react, and despite the introduction of Alberto Aquilani with 15 minutes to go, the visitors could not find the equaliser, and thus were eliminated from the competition.[101] This was the fifth consecutive year that Liverpool had been knocked out at this stage in the capital, and completed a North London double over the Merseyside clubs, following Tottenham Hotspur's 2–0 victory over Everton the previous night.

22 September 2009 Third round Leeds United 0–1 Liverpool Leeds
19:45 BST Report N'Gog 66' Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 38,168
Referee: Alan Wiley
28 October 2009 Fourth round Arsenal 2–1 Liverpool London
Mérida 19'
Bendtner 50'
Report Insúa 26' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,004
Referee: Alan Wiley

FA Cup[edit]

Liverpool were given a bye to the third round of the FA Cup, where they were drawn away to Championship strugglers Reading. Liverpool drew the tie at the Madejski Stadium 1–1, with Steven Gerrard saving Liverpool's blushes with an equalising goal. The subsequent replay at Anfield did not go to plan; Liverpool lost 2–1 in extra time.

2 January 2010 Third round Reading 1–1 Liverpool Reading
17:15 Church 24' Report Gerrard 36' Stadium: Madejski Stadium
Attendance: 23,656
Referee: Martin Atkinson
13 January 2010 Third Round RP Liverpool 1 – 2 (a.e.t.) Reading Liverpool
20:00 Bertrand 45+1' (o.g.) Report Sigurðsson 90+4' (pen.)
Long 100'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 31,063
Referee: Phil Dowd

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External links[edit]