Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has been handed an additional two-match ban and fined £15,000 by the English FA for improper conduct after being sent off against Manchester United on March 23.
The Argentina international reacted badly when sent off by referee Steve Bennett for a second bookable offence after questioning the booking of Liverpool's star striker Fernando Torres. The 23 year-old seemed baffled by Torres' booking and approached the referee to remonstrate before he was shown his second yellow card and a subsequent red.
Despite the fact that Mascherano had already admitted to improper conduct when he appeared before the FA's disciplinary commission, it appears the highly-rated defensive midfielder has been made a scapegoat in the recent crack down of player dissent towards match officials.
Mascherano picked up an automatic one-match suspension for the red card but will now be slapped with a further two-match ban PLUS a £15,000 fine on top of the fine of two weeks' wages imposed by his club! Ouch!
Having already missed last week's Merseyside derby against Everton through suspension, Masch will now also be absent with the Premier League games against Arsenal this Saturday and Blackburn a week later. He will, however, be available to contest next week's mid-week Champions League fixture with Arsenal because suspensions are only related to domestic fixtures.
As harsh as the decision may be, there's no doubt that Mascherano will now think twice before speaking to the ref. Liverpool are now considering an appeal for the ruling.
Wed, Apr 2: UEFA Champions League (Quarter-Final 1st Leg)
Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool
Fenerbahce 2 - 1 Chelsea
SUMMARY:
Last season's Champions League finalists Liverpool hold a slender away goal advantage heading into next week's return leg at Anfield after a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the quarter-final first leg overnight.
The home side took the lead through Emmanuel Adebayor's header only for the visitors to equalise just three minutes later after a moment of genius from captain marvel Steven Gerrard. Bursting his way past three Arsenal defenders, the England midfielder then crossed for Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt to bundle the ball home for a crucial away goal.
Both sides had opportunities to take the lead thereafter including a strong penalty claim for the Gunners after Alex Hleb appeared to have his shirt tugged by Kuyt as he made his way inside the box only for referee Pieter Vink to wave play on.
Arsenal and Liverpool face off again on Saturday in a Premier League clash before meeting for the return leg at Anfield next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Chelsea suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Turkish giants Fenerbahce at the Sukru Saracoglu in the second Champions League quarter-final match last night.
The London club took the lead in the 13th minute courtesy of an own goal by Deivid but the home side kept at it and were rewarded for their efforts when substitute Colin Kazim-Richards equalised on the 64th minute.
Own goal villain Deivid then made amends for his earlier error by scoring the winner in the 80th minute with a spectacular 35-yard shot that gave Cudicini no chance.
Chelsea will need to go all out for a win at home in the return leg to reach their fourth semi-final in five years.
The relationship between Liverpool co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett has broken down to the extent that they have asked not to be seated together for the Champions League Quarter-final 1st leg against Arsenal at the Emirates tomorrow.
A few days ago, George Gillett Jr admitted that his relationship with co-owner Tom Hicks had been under strain for some time and that it had become unworkable between the US pair which bought into the club last season.
He also revealed that he made an offer to sell his own stake to Dubai Investment Capital (DIC) but the deal to fell through. An alternative was to sell up to his co-owner, but this would incur the wrath of the fans as Hicks has been a chief antagonist on numerous occasions.
Gillett also revealed how the number of e-mails he has received, have been directed mainly at Hicks when he said: "We get as many as 2,000 emails a week,
"Ninety five per cent of them have been directed at some of the comments made by my partner.
"The fans don't want him to have even one share of my stake in the club, based on what they are sending to me. As a result of that we have received many phone calls in the middle of the night threatening our lives, death threats. A number came to the office and my son, Foster, and daughter-in-law, Lauren, have received them."
Although it does appear that Gillett is the 'better' of these two blokes, you just have to question the poor timing of his latest comments. With three vital games against Arsenal in the Champions League AND Premier League, these comments have been completely inappropriate. With all to play for in Europe's premier club competition, the Reds' focus should be on the football pitch and not off of it.
Tue, Mar 11: UEFA Champions League (Round of 16 2ND Leg)
Inter Milan 0 - 1 Liverpool
SUMMARY:
2004-05 Champion's League winners Liverpool are through to the quarter finals of the 07/08 competition after a convincing 3-0 (agg) win over Serie A leaders Internazionale.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the first leg at Anfield, Liverpool visited the Italian giants' own backyard to win 1-0 at the San Siro courtesy of a brilliant Fernando Torres goal to make it four English sides in the last eight of Europe's premier club competition.
Inter had yet another player sent off after Nicolas Burdisso picked up two offences and was given his marching orders in the 50th minute. The visitors, who had been playing beautifully up to that point, seized the opportunity to take the game beyond the home side with Spanish sensation Fernando Torres scoring his 26th goal of the season in the 63rd minute
Receiving the ball from Fabio Aurelio with his back to goal, Torres turned and unleashed in one swift motion to send the ball in the right hand corner. From then on, it was game over as the Reds snuffed out whatever little chance Inter had to claim the 12th European Cup quarter-final place in their history.
In the Liverpool club magazine Steve Gerrard has spoken out about the team's season and about the behind the scenes wrangling at the club.
"In the position we find ourselves now, fourth is the least that is acceptable. But we have bigger ambitions than that," He said.
"The only way we can fulfil those ambitions is in the Champions League. And I am not going to pretend that even winning that trophy - and we are a long way away from it at the moment - will make up for the disappointment of the league campaign."
Gerrard's honesty about the Premier League being more important to him than the Champions League may not go down too well with his boss, as Rafa would appear to feel the opposite.
Gerrard also claimed that the constant speculation over a possible takeover at the club and the future of Rafa Benitez has affected everyone at the club.
"It's sad so much of the club's business has been conducted in public," added Gerrard.
"The club I have grown up supporting always did its business behind closed doors, and that is what we have to get back to. It's been a damaging situation for everyone."
Again, this appears to be directed at Rafa as well as the American owners. Come the end of this season, I suspect the Liverpool board may be faced with an "either he goes, or I do" situation.
If that does happen, I would expect Rafa Benitez to move on.
Schalke 04 1 - 0 FC Porto
Liverpool 2 - 0 Inter Milan
Roma 2 - 1 Real Madrid
Olympiacos 0 - 0 Chelsea
SUMMARY:
Rafa Benitez's Liverpool has a knack for playing their best football in Europe and it was the same case overnight as the Mighty Reds came back from an embarrassing 2-0 loss against Barnsley to beat Italian giants Inter Milan 2-0 at Anfield.
The most ardent of Liverpool fans would have been worried by the prospect of facing the form side in Europe in the middle of a horrendous form slump, but Benitez's men had other ideas as Inter collapsed spectacularly in the last five minutes.
Dutchman Dirk Kuyt made it two goals in two games with his 85th minute opener, a deflected right-foot shot before talismanic captain Steven Gerrard took possession on the far right corner of the box and fired the second home off the far post in injury time.
While life was made easier for the Reds after the sending off of Marco Materazzi for two bookable offences on the half hour mark, the Italians defended bravely for almost an hour until the home side did enough to finally make a breakthrough.
There is still plenty to play for in the second leg of this intriguing tie.
Elsewhere, Roma were fourth time lucky as they beat Spanish giants Real Madrid 2-1 at home at the fourth attempt. Spanish striker Raul opened the scoring the visitors in the 8th minute, but Roma equalised through Pizarro in the 24th minute before Mancini sealed the game with a 58th minute winner.
Real, with a precious away goal, will fancy their chances when the return leg takes place at the Bernabeu.
Schalke 04 played admirably in their first appearance in the knockout phase of the Champions League, beating FC Porto 1-0 while English Premier League side Chelsea were held to a bore draw by Greek side Olympiacos.
The transfer saga over Javier Mascherano is expected to be completed this week with Liverpool set to pay £18.6 million for the Argentina midfielder who is currently owned by a company called Media Sports Investment (MSI).
The defensive lynchpin spoke to Liverpoolfc.tv after the 3-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday and was hopeful a deal could be sealed by the end of the week.
Proclaiming his love for the Kop, Mascherano said: "The fans like me and I love the fans. They are great and that's the reason I want to stay here.
It's not finished yet but I am hoping to stay here. I have a lot of confidence that after the next week I will be able to say, 'Everything is right and I am staying here in Liverpool.'
"We now need to wait. We are very close but we need to talk again next week. I think everything will be okay. I've waited a long time, so I can wait one week more."
Mascherano up against his mate Carlos Tevez of Man Utd
The Argentina midfielder is currently registered as a Reds player on a long-term loan from owners MSI. He previously played for West Ham but joined the Merseysiders in January 2007 and helped play a vital role in Liverpool's march to the Champions League final.
'Masch' came through the ranks at South American giants River Plate and such was his potential that he earned his first international call-up before kicking a ball for his club.
Tomorrow sees the most romantic game in the FA Cup for many years as Blue South Conference South team Havant and Waterlooville from Hampshire travel to Anfield to take on the mighty Liverpool.
One person you might not expect to get caught up in the romance of it all is Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. Fergie has had a bad press over the years for his dour attitude and his moods and his seeming lack of humour.
It seems that Fergie has arranged for the Havant and Waterlooville squad to train at United's training ground today, and has invited them to be guests of honour at the United game against Tottenham on Sunday.
This is a fine gesture by the great one and shows that he has a heart after all. Doesn't it?
Am I being mischevious to suggest that Fergie is trying all he can to help the minnows cause an upset at his great rivals from Merseyside? Earlier this week he got involved in the troubles at Anfield by putting forward his opinions about the row between the manager and the owners. There is no doubt that Sir Alex is enjoying the goings on at Liverpool, and I think he would probably forsake the title this year if he could help Havant win tomorrow!
Good luck to the part-timers, they'll have a wonderful couple of days, and if they avoid humiliation then they will have great memories for ever. It's what the FA Cup is all about.
The latest report out of the UK is that Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have completed a £350m refinancing deal to repay money borrowed for their £218.9m takeover in March 2007.
BBC sports editor Mihir Bose said: £60m of the package will provide the start-up money for the new ground.
The deal, which is expected to be announced on Friday, underlines the pair's determination to remain at Anfield despite interest from Dubai International Capital (DIC), the investment arm of the Dubai government.
It also means that the club can finally launch their long-awaited plan for a new stadium at Stanley Park.
Fans would happily usher these two out of Anfield
While the refinancing deal could come a long way to offering some much needed stability at the club, it is likely the pair will continue to incur the wrath of the Kop for their despicable treatment of manager Rafael Benitez for some time yet.
The Kop faithful are still fuming over reports that the American owners approached Jurgen Klinsmann as a possible replacement - 'insurance policy' in the words of GIllet and Hicks - for manager Rafael Benitez.
According to the BBC: A survey carried out by the Liverpool Supporters' network showed that 76% of 2,000 fans questioned said they would "seriously consider reducing their financial commitment to the club" if the current owners stayed in charge.
When asked to choose between the owners and the manager as to who had the best interest of the club at heart, 99% backed Benitez.
And when even Sir Alex Ferguson, boss of bitter rivals Manchester United, comes forward to say that "what happened was a bad piece of business on Liverpool's part, no doubt about that", that really is saying something.
Liverpool's failure to beat Aston Villa last night leaves them outside of the Champions League qualifying places and two points behind their rivals Everton. After the 2-2 draw Steven Gerrard publicly stated that the off field matters surrounding the owners, their arguments with manager Rafa Benitez, and the fact that the club might soon be sold to Dubai Investment Capital, are all beginning to have an effect on the players.
Gerrard went on to say that the players try to put these things to the back of their mind and get on with playing the game, but with the issues being discussed all day, every day, that is proving impossible.
It is clear that unless the future of the club is sorted out quickly, the team will continue to under perform. The players at Rafa Benitez's disposal are good enough to be challenging for the Premier League title, yet they are struggling to achieve fourth place.
The fans have been vocal in their support for Benitez, but that will not last for ever. He has done an amazing job with The Reds in their European campaigns but has failed miserably to deliver the domestic success that the Koppites crave.
Benitez has spent millions of pounds on players and demands even more. The owners are not so keen to provide the extra capital and may well be looking to sell. Unfortunately for Liverpool, with every point they drop, and the less likely European Champions League qualification becomes, the less saleable the club becomes.
For such a great club, with such great players, the current situation is totally unacceptable. The next two or three weeks will be absolutely crucial to the future of then club. I just hope that those involved do not destroy the club in the process of sorting out the current mess.
Is Liverpool defensive midfielder Mohamed "Momo" Sissoko leaving or not?
That is the discussion on the lips of most Kop fans at the moment. The player has been quoted saying that he was 'very close' to joining Italian giants Juventus during this month's transfer window.
The Mali international has failed to win a regular place this season and some would go as far as to say that he hasn't been the same ever since the eye injury he suffered last season. The player has been further unsettled by boss Rafael Benitez's admission that the club were open to the 'right club and the right offer' for the 22-year-old.
Despite all this, there has yet to be a firm offer for the player from Juventus or any other club for that matter with Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli scoffing at the rumours and that the club will not make any acquisitions in the January transfer market.
While Sissoko remains an important member of Benitez's squad, the club would actually be better off selling the unsettled player and using the funds generated by his sale to secure the long-term services of Argentine Javier Mascherano.
With Mascherano's loan deal set to finish at the end of the season, it should be Rafa's priority in securing the services of this talented defensive midfielder and not on retaining an unsettled player whose heart is set on a move away from the club.
Liverpool blasted their way through to the 4th round of the FA Cup with a thumping 5-0 win over Luton in their 3rd round replay.
A hat-trick from talismanic captain Steven Gerrard plus other goals from Ryan Babel and Sami Hyypia eased the pressure on under-fire boss Rafa Benitez for the time being after the revelation over the weekend that German great Jurgen Klinsmann had been sounded out about the possibility of becoming the club's next manager by the American owners.
Having been forced into a replay by a League One outfit, Benitez avoided the possibility of a humiliating exit by fielding a full-strength side for the encounter with defensive lynchpin Jamie Carragher named as captain on his 500th appearance for the club.
Benitez was happy with his side's performance and said: "I was not thinking too much about this, I was thinking about the game.
I'm really happy because we won 5-0 and progressed in the competition.
We knew would be difficult to score the first goal but afterwards it would be an open game.
We had a lot of chances and they were really hard with a lot of players behind the ball. We were trying to do our job and they were trying to theirs."
In other third round replays, wins were recorded for Bury, Millwall, West Brom and Tottenham.
The new year has yet to bring any luck for Liverpool after they were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Luton at Kenilworth Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup.
Adding further weight to the criticism that the Reds rely too heavily on talismanic duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, a team boasting eight internationals still failed to see off a struggling Championship outfit.
Despite taking the lead through England striker Peter Crouch in the 72nd minute, the home side were level inside three minutes when Liverpool defender John Arne Riise turned a cross from Drew Talbot past his own goalkeeper, Charles Itandje.
The Liverpool strikeforce of Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt lacked a cutting edge as chance after chance went begging until Crouch finally managed to capitalise on a catalogue of defensive errors by the home side to make a breakthrough.
As it stands, Riise's own goal has earned Luton a lucrative third round replay at Anfield in a match that would surely help ease their dire financial situation. On the other hand, Liverpool boss Benitez will have to deal with an extra match that his players would have rather done without.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is set to go shopping in January as the transfer market opens in Europe.
Having resolved his spat with the American owners of the club, the Spaniard's hand has been forced to spend money on new recruits not because he wants to, but because the team is in a central-defensive crisis at the moment.
With veteran Sami Hyypia sidelined by an ankle injury and first-choice Daniel Agger still to recover from a broken foot, the gaffer was forced to pick Alvaro Arbeloa in a make-shift defence alongside lynchpin Jamie Carragher in Sunday's nil-all draw with Manchester City.
"We are working hard to find some solutions," Rafa explained. "I think we are close to some players, but until they sign you don't know.
"We are looking for players that will be good for us now and in the future."
The names being touted at the moment are Fiorentina's Czech Republic international Tomas Ujfalusi, AC Milan's Kakha Kaladze and Racing Santander's £8million-rated Ezequiel Garay.
The mid-season transfer window is a tricky time to do business as most clubs are unwilling to part with their best players during mid season which means unwanted players (by their respective clubs) are usually the only ones available. Clubs also tend to slap inflated pricetags on certain players to deter prospective buyers - another circumstance that Benitez has to tackle in his bid to solve Liverpool's defensive crisis and to maintain the heat on current Premiership leaders, Arsenal.
After a blistering start to life in the English Premiership, Liverpool's Fernando Torres talks to the club's official website about life in England and the rich vein of form he is in at the moment.
Having scored twelve goals already this season, Liverpool's record signing has settled down better than anyone would have expected for a player his age (23) in his rookie season at a new club in a foreign country.
With one goal in every 1.6 matches this season, Torres has surpassed his goal scoring exploits with former club, Atletico Madrid, by a huge margin - his record at Atletico was 82 goals in 214 league appearances.
Fernando Torres celebrates yet another goal
When asked about his brilliant form, the humble Spaniard credited his team-mates for helping him settle down at the club:
Strikers only really score goals because of the efforts of their teammates. So far I've been scoring pretty much a goal a game and I feel very lucky and happy with that. It's in a large way down to the very good teammates I have. At Liverpool we always play with a high tempo and with a good rhythm, so that helps.
He was also asked to compare about English football and the football in his native Spain and this is what he had to say:
Well, I would say football in England is better. It is more attractive than football in Spain, I would say, and certainly faster. It's more physical. The progress of the game is slower and there are a lot more fouls in Spain. The football here is more dynamic and it is more fun for the team and the individuals.
He was also flattered by the support of the Kop and despite his poor English, which is improving on a daily basis, he understands the supporter's song about him where the crowd claps and then shouts his name:
To be linked with players like Dalglish and Fowler gives me pride and great satisfaction. They were some of the greatest players in the history of Liverpool Football Club. I have just arrived and still have a long way to go, but I am proud of the association.
It is safe to say that with the amount of goals he has already scored plus the overall contribution he has made to the side this season, the rumoured £26.5 million transfer fee the Reds paid for him already looks like a bargain.
Chelsea are through to face Everton in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup after knocking out Liverpool at the quarter-final stages overnight.
With Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez showing little intent in a starting line-up that included reserve keeper Charles Itandje, youngsters Jack Hobbs and Leiva Lucas and a substitutes bench missing captain Steven Gerrard and Spanish striker Fernando Torres, it was always going to be an up-hill struggle against a near full strength Chelsea side.
Chelsea's class and experience prevailed in the second-half courtesy of strikes from Frank Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko to seal a 2-0 win for the London club.
The match was marred by a moment of madness from England striker Peter Crouch who was red-carded for a two-footed lunge on Mikel John Obi shortly after Lampard's opener in the 59th minute.
Crouch will now miss Liverpool's home clash with Portsmouth and the visits to Derby and Manchester City over the festive period.
In the other draw, bitter London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham will battle it out for a place in the final.
Birmingham 1 - 1 Reading
Derby 0 - 1 Middlesbrough
Man City 4 - 2 Bolton
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Tottenham
Sunderland 1 - 1 Aston Villa
West Ham 0 - 2 Everton
Wigan 5 - 3 Blackburn
Fulham 0 - 1 Newcastle
Sun, Dec 16:
Liverpool 0 - 1 Man Utd
Arsenal 1 - 0 Chelsea
Sun, Dec 16:
The Premiership 'Big Four' went head to head over the weekend with Manchester United and Arsenal coming out on top with 1-0 victories over Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Despite dominating the match at Anfield, Liverpool failed to make any in-roads pass the United defence and were made to pay when Carlos Tevez pounced on a Ryan Giggs corner to fire home the winner late in the first half.
The win for Sir Alex Ferguson's men has left United nine points in front of their fierce north-west rivals.
Meanwhile at the Emirates, Arsenal captain William Gallas made his former club pay by heading home the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time. The Frenchman cashed in on an uncharacteristic error from Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to give his side victory and a six-point cushion over their London rivals.
The match of the weekend - an eight-goal thriller - took place on Saturday between Wigan and Blackburn at the JJB stadium.
Marcus Bent and Roque Santa Cruz both completed hat-tricks in a pulsating match which saw Wigan throw away a three-goal lead before eventually overcoming 10-man Blackburn 5-3 to end their 14-match winless run.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Middlesbrough, Man City, Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle.
I have been a quiet observer for a while, and what a season we are having already.
Quick summary of what have been going on for Liverpool so far. - Summer Buys
1) Torres
Scored against Chelsea, created a hattrick in Carling Cup, bag few more in the league, looking sharp and dangerous. The price tag seems quickly justified. I am more than impressed actually at how good he is. For me, he has the right attitude, cool and composed. It's no wonder that he was appointed captaincy back in Atletico Madrid.
2) Voronin
Scored. Played well occasionally, but generally better than what people expect. Certainly good value for a free transfer.
3) Babel
Scored. Showing great potential, and it's just the matter of how soon he can unleash them all. I was most satisfied with Babel's buy during the summer, and I have been very pleased with that i saw.
4) Benayoun
Scored. Hattrick on the record win against Besiktas. Played with the grace I expected him to and has been better than average on his games.
5) Lucas & Leto
Both haven't been playing much, but Lucas showing obvious talent more apparent than of Leto's. From the way Rafa subbed him in the two league games, it seems like Lucas is prepared to be the successor of Gerrard if not a competitor in that position for coming years.
- Position in League & Cups
1) Premier League
Still undefeated. 6 points away from Arsenal, the league leaders. It's not really too far away, so no faith is worth losing.
2) Carling Cup
Now in the quarter final. Another meeting with Chelsea on the way. I don't really care about this match, although yes, I want us to win. Who doesn't?
3) Champions League
Have to win remaining 2 matches against Porto and Marseille to have any hope of qualifying. Ironic to think we have been regarded as the masters of Europe. But does anyone remember we won this trophy back then after a struggling group phase?
In terms of summer buys, I generally think we did a great job. The reason why I emphasize whether they have scored a goal is because I think they are brought in to contribute and they are mostly attacking players. We are improving what we lacked previously, at least we are now more equipped to challenge the league title and as I mentioned from the summary, we are still in the hunt!
We did play like shit after the 6-0 thumping on Derby County, and it persisted for many matches. The fact that we did not lose actually amazed me. But shit happens, I hope it's now ending after the 8-0 win against Besiktas. It felt so sweet, but everyone watching the match should be able to tell it's more because of our opponents, how they have given up and lacking quality to fight back. I am trying to be very critical here because I don't want to put myself in the overly optimistic 8th heaven because of such a win only to be hit back to ground if we don't win against Fulham this weekend. We DID play well, but we were not superb.
However, we do seem to be on the up again. Gerrard's returning form, also the impressive comeback of Kewell. Crouchy's scoring goals again, and Torres could be playing in the coming match. I hope this time we can go all the way winning, not another row of draws, because the last time we won convincingly (6-0 against Derby) we had 6 freaking draws afterwards!
It has been a season of twists and turns, but we are still not too far away from the glory. So let's hope the engine is now finally started and we will catch up with the rest fast!
Tue, Nov 6: UEFA Champions League (First Phase Group A)
FC Porto 2 - 1 Marseille
Liverpool 8 - 0 Besiktas
UEFA Champions League (First Phase Group B)
Schalke 04 0 - 0 Chelsea
Valencia 0 - 2 Rosenborg
UEFA Champions League (First Phase Group C)
Lazio 2 - 1 Werder Bremen
Olympiakos 0 - 0 Real Madrid
UEFA Champions League (First Phase Group D)
Celtic 1 - 0 Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk 0 - 3 AC Milan
SUMMARY:
Liverpool recorded the biggest winning margin in Champions League history with an 8 - 0 demolition of Besiktas at Anfield overnight.
The Mighty Reds regained their European pride on a magical European night at Anfield to give themselves a fighting chance of salvaging their Champions League dreams which had seen the team pick up just a solitary point from their opening three games.
As soon as Peter Crouch, restored to the starting line-up in place of the injured Fernando Torres, opened the scoring in the 19th minute, the floodgates opened for an avalanche of goals including a hat-trick for man of the match Yossi Benayoun.
The scoresheet makes a stunning read:
Peter Crouch (19)
Yossi Benayoun (32)
Yossi Benayoun (53)
Yossi Benayoun (56)
Steven Gerrard (69)
Ryan Babel (78)
Ryan Babel (81)
Peter Crouch (89)
To think that this was the same Liverpool side that lost to the same Turkish side just two weeks ago simply beggars belief!
But with qualification hopes at stake, Rafa Benitez's men turned on a performance worthy of European champions by ripping Besiktas to shreds in a commanding display.
Be sure to watch the video and check out Babel's cheeky back heel for his first goal!
Despite their comprehensive win at Anfield, Liverpool's chances of progressing in the Champions League were dealt a blow in Portugal as Porto claimed three points against Group A rivals Marseille.
In other matches, Rosenborg increased their chances of progressing from Group B by overturning Valencia 2-0 at the Mestalla while Chelsea could only manage a goalless draw against Schalke 04.
Wins were also recorded for Lazio, Celtic and reigning champions AC Milan.
English Carling Cup: Round 4
Liverpool 2 - 1 Cardiff
Anfield legend Robbie Fowler was welcomed back at his beloved Liverpool with a hero's welcome from the Kop as he returned with Cardiff City in the Carling Cup.
Unfortunately, there was no magical homecoming for 32-year-old Fowler, a firm fan favourite after blasting 183 goals in a tremendous 369-game Liverpool career that ended after an unexpected second spell at the club just last season.
Liverpool took the lead through a long-range goal from reserve midfielder Nabil El Zhar before Cardiff skipper Darren Purse equalised for the visitors in the 65th minute.
Level-terms were short lived, however, as talismanic Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard surged forward with a run and shot in typical style just a minute later to seal the win for the Reds.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez had intended on resting Gerrard for the fourth-round tie, but Sissoko - who had been ill ahead of Sunday's draw with Arsenal - had not recovered sufficiently to play against the Coca-Cola Championship side.
After the game, the gaffer walked onto the pitch to embrace Robbie Fowler while the Kop roared the name of a man who will be forever known as "God".
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