Liverpoolai??i??s Corner: Craig Bellamyai??i??s Heart Wins Over Man Cityai??i??s Hart ai??i?? Attitude, Irony and Wembley!

By Akarsh Sharma
13 years Ago

Jose Enrique received the ball in his customary left-back position after Liverpool thwarted a City attack. He looked up and saw Bellamy surrounded by three defenders. The Liverpool left-back pumped a diagonal ball long to Bellamy, which sailed over the head of the Welsh striker and into the hands of Joe Hart.

Usually, a customary raising of the hand in apology is accepted by a striker, but Bellamy wasnai??i??t having any of it. Enrique received a strong, vocal feedback from the gritty Welshman for not playing the ball down the left channel ai??i?? where Bellamy had troubled the City defence all night long. The next one, and the one after that and so on, were right where he wanted.

That was attitude; the kind that Dalglish had claimed to be missing from the defeat at Bolton, the kind that any player wearing a Liverpool shirt should possess.

Craig Bellamy must still be running. It is the only logical extrapolation from his performance last night. Playing a lone role up front, Liverpoolai??i??s Welsh wizard gave his former club ai??i?? and friends – a torrid time. At 5 ft. 8 inches, Bellamy had no right to ruffle the feathers of the likes of Micah Richards and Jolean Lescott on his own, but he made up for his lack of height and partner through some relentless running of the channels and extra-ordinary battling ability.

Craig Bellamy’s list of former clubs is a who’s who of English football. His temperament has been questioned over the years, but his commitment has never been of any doubt. Bellamy entered his first club Norwich City’s hall of fame, endeared himself to the St. James’ Park faithful before a massive fall out with the manager, and was a fan favourite for his feisty nature at Blackburn, West Ham, Liverpool and Manchester City. On his return to Anfield, Steven Gerrard spoke of the incorrectness of Liverpool’s decision to let him go a few years back and Craig Bellamy has done everything to prove his current captain right.

Against City, when Glen Johnson laid the ball into Bellamyai??i??s path for him to switch his feet and finish with aplomb, it was a fitting finale to a night that belonged to the Liverpool striker. The goal ensured that Bellamy was both officially and unofficially the man who made the difference in this Carling Cup semi-final at Anfield.

And yet, it could so easily have been Cityai??i??s goalkeeper Joe Hart. Englandai??i??s number one played yet another blinder, thwarting shots that had goals written all over them, and deserved a shot at the crown. His saves were the reason City were alive after the first leg and his saves were the reason City were in pole position to reach Wembley, before Bellamy put the issue to bed. If Bellamy was the ai???Man of the Matchai??i??, Joe Hart was indeed ai???Man of the Tieai??i??.

Craig Bellamy and Joe Hart, though, made it tough to pick out the biggest irony of the night at Anfield. Would it be the fact that a free signing played like two or three players in one, while he benched a A?35m signing who barely does the job of half-a-player? Or would it be the fact that Manchester City were the club who let go of Craig Bellamy before this season, only to see the same player return to not only haunt them, but be the best player on the pitch?Ai??Or finally, is it that even after assembling such an expensive line-up of world-class stars, Roberto Mancini had to rely heavily on Joe Hart to save them from a convincing defeat over two legs?

The 2-2 scoreline doesnai??i??t reflect Liverpoolai??i??s dominance last night; not too dissimilar to their dominance in the 1-1 draw at Anfield in the league in November. It is hard to say Kenny Dalglish got it spot on, not because he didnai??i??t, but because the same line-up couldai??i??ve produced a horrendous performance. It is clear that the same set of players do not maintain the same sort of commitment seen last night, in every match.

Only a strong kick up their back side, after the humiliation at Bolton on Saturday, had seen the players pick up their game last night. Summer signings Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing were playing as if their contracts depended on this match. While Hendersonai??i??s pressing play was exceptional, Downing was a threat on the wings all night long; only denied a goal in both legs by the brilliance of Joe Hart.

Steven Gerrard had another massive game at the heart of Liverpoolai??i??s midfield, closely marking David Silva whenever the City playmaker came near Liverpoolai??i??s penalty area. His job description on the night also contained mopping up after Charlie Adam; the Scottish midfielder possessing a positional sense worse than a blind-folded man. However, Adam made up for that with persistent running and tackling.

But Liverpool, being Liverpool, are never short of messing up other aspects when one aspect seems under control. The whole basis of the clubai??i??s season so far ai??i?? their defence ai??i?? seems to be going through a bizarre phase and Liverpoolai??i??s solidity at the back is turning into a semi-leak. Daniel Agger completely switched off for Dzekoai??i??s goal, which is insignificant now, but was crucial at the time. While the Danish centre-backai??i??s attacking threat is a huge bonus, earning Liverpool both the penalties in two legs, his partner Martin Skrtel produced another great performance to keep Sergio Aguero in check last night.

Dirk Kuyt, who had gradually transitioned into a bench player from a sure starter, gave plenty of reasons for Dalglish to have a selection headache in the near future. The Dutch international showcased his intelligence, movement and a fine engine last night, covering for Glen Johnson during the English right-backai??i??s forward forages; one of which led to the winner of the tie.

After watching his boyhood club Cardiff City reach the final in thrilling fashion the night before, Bellamy ensured that not only will he be there to witness the clash, but has virtually ensured he will be starting the final. With Luis Suarez returning, it is unlikely that Bellamy will start as a striker. However, after putting in a pest-like performance associated with the banned Uruguayan, wouldnai??i??t every Red love to see the two cause havoc together against Cardiff?

Although Steven Gerrard will line-up against his cousin, the script was always written for Cardiff-born Craig Bellamy. He is 32, but you couldnai??i??t have guessed. He was signed on a free, but you couldnai??i??t have guessed that either. And he hasnai??i??t been a Red through and through, but last nightai??i??s commitment showed anything but.

While City had a champion of a man in Hart, Craig Bellamy had the heart of a champion. And it takes one, to carry your side to a Wembley final.

February 26 – take note. The Welsh drama has only just begun.

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Categories: COVER STORY, Editor's Pick, English Premier League, Liverpool FC
Tags: Liverpool FC

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