Gerrard receives Benitez backing
 Gerrard has been key to Liverpool's success this season |
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says Steven Gerrard has his "full support and backing" following his captain's arrest after an alleged brawl.
Gerrard was charged with assault and affray after an incident at a bar in Southport in the early hours of Monday.
Benitez said: "I sat down with him and had a very good talk about the situation. We'll do whatever we can to support Steven in the weeks ahead."
Benitez also confirmed that Gerrard, 28, took part in training on Wednesday.
Gerrard was arrested with five other men - two of whom face the same charges as the footballer - near the Lounge Inn bar and nightclub in the seaside resort.
Benitez added: "Steven explained to me what had happened and I told him he has my full support and backing, along with everyone else at the football club.
"He's trained with the other lads after a couple of days off for the squad and is keen now to focus solely on his football. He is our captain and a key player for us.
"We've worked very hard to get into the position we're in going through to the new year and all of us are determined to keep that progress going. We're now concentrating on our preparation for the FA Cup game at Preston this weekend."
 | Steven has been an outstanding servant to Liverpool for the last 10 years and the club will give him all the support he needs at this time Liverpool FC statement |
Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said: "We have a watching brief on this and have offered any help we can. I was concerned when I heard about the case as I have known Steven Gerrard a long time.
"I don't know the full details but as the players' union we would want to be supportive of him."
The England midfielder arrived at Liverpool's training ground in the suburb of West Derby at 1005 GMT and was greeted by a few fans, despite the freezing temperatures.
He has so far remained silent about the controversy and on Tuesday his wife Alex Curran, 26, said they would not be commenting.
Gerrard's visit to the bar on Sunday followed Liverpool's 5-1 demolition of Newcastle at St James' Park, a game in which the England international scored twice, as the Reds moved three points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.
A 34-year-old man was taken to hospital with facial injuries after the alleged incident. Gerrard is due to appear at North Sefton Magistrates' Court with the other two men on 23 January.
The Football Association said it would not be making any comment on the Gerrard case other than to stress that his position with England was not in question.
It added that players would continue to be considered for England while police investigations were on-going, with their situation looked at on a case-by-case basis were they to be convicted of a serious criminal offence.
Meanwhile, Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish believes Gerrard will cope with the scrutiny, saying: "Liverpool will support him and the Liverpool fans will support him tremendously well. He's a really strong character and I'm sure it won't affect his performance.
A Liverpool statement, released on Tuesday, read: "Steven has been an outstanding servant to Liverpool for the last 10 years and the club will give him all the support he needs at this time."
Gerrard has been capped by England 70 times and has captained his country four times. He was made an MBE last year and received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University.
Happy New Year 2009!
Asian42 wishes its viewers a very Happy New Year 2009!
2008 has been the starting year of my blog which has been a successful one.
I wish that 2009 will prove to be a very good year for Asian42.
So, I will do my best in this new year to provide you the best from the world of Football.
Thanks,
Abhi Raj
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Charged Gerrard offered support
 The footballer was driven home after spending 21 hours in police custody |
England and Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard has been charged with assault and affray following a disturbance at a Merseyside nightclub.
Liverpool Football Club has issued a statement saying it would offer Gerrard "all the support he needs".
The 28-year-old was arrested along with five other men near the Lounge Inn in Southport in the early hours of Monday.
A 34-year-old man was taken to hospital with facial injuries after the alleged incident.
The football club said: "Steven has been an outstanding servant to Liverpool for the last 10 years and the club will give him all the support he needs at this time."
The Football Assocation said it would not be making any comment on the Steven Gerrard case other than to stress that his position with England was not under question.
 The footballer was arrested with five other men near the Lounge Inn |
It added that players would continue to be considered for England while police investigations were on-going, with their situation looked at on a case-by-case basis were they to be convicted of a serious criminal offence.
John Doran, 29, and Ian Smith, 19, both from Huyton, Liverpool, have also been charged and bailed over the incident.
All three will appear at North Sefton Magistrates' Court on 23 January, accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray.
Three other men have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
In a statement, a Merseyside Police spokesman said: "Merseyside Police has charged Steven Gerrard, 28 years, of Formby, Sefton, John Doran, 29, and Ian Smith, 19 years, both from Huyton, Liverpool, with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray following an incident at Bold Street in Southport in the early hours of Monday, December 29."
After the game on Sunday the Liverpool FC captain, who scored twice, hailed his side as the best he has played in.
Gerrard has been capped by England 70 times and has captained his country four times.
He was made an MBE last year and received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University.
Hull 0-1 Aston Villa
 Anguish for Hull, but delight for the Villa |
Aston Villa regained fourth place in the table after a late own goal by Kamil Zayatte gave them victory.
Nicky Barmby had the ball in the net in the first half after Brad Friedel dropped a cross but the goal was ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper.
Villa sneaked the win when Zayatte turned Ashley Young's cross into his own net with two minutes left.
Hull thought they had won a penalty for a handball by Ashley Young in injury time but the decision was reversed.
Referee Steve Bennett initially looked to have given a spot-kick but changed his mind after consulting with his assistant.
It might have been a cruel blow for Hull, but replays showed the ball hit only the bar and not the player's hand after it had looped goalwards off Luke Young.
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Yet Hull will feel devastated to have been beaten in a game that neither side looked like they wanted to win.
Early on, Barmby briefly thought he had scored when he tucked the ball into an empty net but the goal was ruled out for his challenge on keeper Friedel, who had dropped the ball.
Hull, who had conceded nine goals in their last two matches and won only once in their last 10 games, were understandably cautious.
They sat deep, allowing Villa to stroke the ball around at the back, and neither side attempted to lift the pace.
It made for a dismal first half, with most of the play compressed into the middle third of the pitch and consequently there was a dearth of scoring opportunities.
In rare moment of goalmouth action Curtis Davies cut out a cross and narrowly missed his own goal with his header.
Little changed after the break as the tempo remained pedestrian and quality continued to be in short supply.
Neither goalkeeper had much to do and their biggest challenge must have been how to stay warm on a bitterly cold night.
Barmby should have at least made Friedel work when he got on the end of Bernard Mendy's cross but he headed the ball straight at Nigel Reo-Coker.
But there was harsh twist of fate to come, when two minutes from time Zayatte poked the ball home at the near post as he tried to clear Ashley Young's cross.
If that was not tough enough on Hull, they will feel even more frustrated after it seemed they had been awarded a penalty shortly after only to have it taken away.
The result leaves Villa level on points with third-placed Manchester United - and three points ahead of Arsenal, who they leapfrogged.
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill on the late penalty drama:
"It wasn't a penalty.
"I'm delighted the right decision has been made and pleased we've won.
"We didn't play well, we struggled to create things but we just keep putting pressure on the sides around us."
Hull boss Phil Brown on the same incident:
"It's a tough one. The referee got it wrong because he gave it originally.
"The linesman took up a position that he was giving the penalty but for some reason they've changed their mind between them.
"The referee is 15 yards away but he consults a linesman who was 40 yards away from the incident."
Hull: Myhill, McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Ricketts, Mendy, Garcia (Fagan 89), Ashbee, Halmosi, Barmby (Hughes 85), Cousin (King 69).
Subs Not Used: Duke, Doyle, Geovanni, Giannakopoulos.
Booked: Zayatte.
Aston Villa: Friedel, Reo-Coker, Knight, Davies, Luke Young, Milner, Sidwell (Gardner 86), Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor.
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Delfouneso, Salifou, Shorey, Osbourne.
Booked: Barry, Petrov.
Goals: Zayatte 88 og.
Att: 24,727
Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).
Man Utd 1-0 Middlesbrough
 Berbatov was relatively quiet until his 69th-minute volleyed winner |
Manchester United kept up the pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea as Dimitar Berbatov's third league goal for the club saw off a spirited Middlesbrough.
Though United had better chances, the brave visitors defended manfully and could have taken the lead when Tuncay headed just wide in the 61st minute.
But substitute Paul Scholes steadied the ship and Dimitar Berbatov blasted in from close range six minutes later.
United move seven points behind leaders Liverpool with two games in hand.
Though Middlesbrough looked nothing like a side sat just above the Premier League relegation zone, that is where they remain after a run of eight games without a win.
United, meanwhile, look to be gelling and have dismissed any notion of a hangover from their exploits in the Club World Cup on the other side of the world just before Christmas.
Despite having to wait to break the deadlock, they pushed forward constantly and maintained an exciting tempo throughout the match.
Middlesbrough's Jeremie Aliadiere, under pressure from Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea, had a second-minute penalty appeal turned down before Michael Carrick - in outstanding form of late - began probing with his simple but effective range of passing.
United set about creating a series of early openings but could fashion nothing clear-cut.
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Rooney, full of wit and invention, had a decent shot pushed aside by Boro keeper Ross Turnbull but European Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo badly miscued after being set up by Ji-Sung Park.
United did most of the pressing, but they had to be alert to block an Afonso Alves shot after good work from Stewart Downing.
Instinctive link-up play between Berbatov and Rooney after 22 minutes saw the latter cut the ball back across the penalty area for Ronaldo to screw a left-foot shot just wide of the post when he should have scored.
Downing then flashed a vicious 30th-minute shot just wide before Ronaldo tested Turnbull with a low shot from 12 yards.
As the action intensified, Turnbull had to push Rooney's clever floated cross-shot away from his goal before young Brazilian right-back Rafael crashed the rebound into the side-netting.
United were partly guilty of trying to walk the ball into the net but Boro were impressive when they had possession and defended in numbers brilliantly when other teams could have crumbled.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team went closest to taking the lead when they chose to go direct just before half-time.
Darren Fletcher pumped a long ball forward for Ronaldo to glance a header into the path of Rooney - who fired a brilliant first-time half-volley with the outside of his left boot, forcing Turnbull to tip acrobatically over his bar.
Ronaldo's increasing frustration with Middlesbrough's aggression and, perhaps, his own stuttering form, became increasingly obvious when he clashed with Emanuel Pogatetz before and after half-time.
No personnel changes were made at the break after which United defender Vidic soon had to be at full stretch to deflect a decent Alves effort behind for a corner after the visitors had broken well.
The need for the hosts to break the deadlock became more evident as Middlesbrough embarked on a dominant spell of possession.
They nearly took the lead in the 61st minute when Matthew Bates, an influential presence all evening, pinged a bouncing cross in from the right for Tuncay to nod just past Edwin Van der Sar's post.
 Veteran Scholes (left) had an instant effect upon United when he came on |
But when Paul Scholes replaced Darren Fletcher in United's midfield, the flow of play swung back into United's favour almost immediately.
And they duly broke the deadlock in the 68th minute when, from a swift, swarming attack, Carrick whipped in a cross that David Wheater could only deflect into the path of Berbatov, who volleyed home from eight yards.
From that point on it was one-way traffic as a flurry of decent attempts from the lung-busting Park and determined Ronaldo threatened to seal the three points for United, now relaxed and rampant.
The reigning champions managed to hold out when Boro rallied late on and they now turn their attention to the domestic cup competitions with a trip to Southampton in the FA Cup on Sunday followed by the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final with Derby on 7 January.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"We missed a lot of chances and that is the big concern. If we can't take those chances we will suffer from it.
"But I think you have to see how well Middlesbrough played tonight. For a team in their position it belies their ability.
"Berbatov is a marvellous player and I thought he was absolutely superb for us. He took his goal well."
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate:
"I thought there were a lot of good things about that performance.
"I thought we were quite bright in a lot of our play, we were very resilient and our keeper has made some good saves, but generally our discipline in terms of tactics was good.
"Our quality in the final third was what let us down. We got in some good positions and made some good breaks but didn't make the most of the situations we were in and didn't really test the keeper."
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (Neville 62), Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Park, Fletcher (Scholes 62), Carrick, Ronaldo (Giggs 84), Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Welbeck, Gibson, Possebon.
Booked: Park, Scholes.
Goals: Berbatov 69.
Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Bates, Riggott, Wheater, Pogatetz, Aliadiere (Emnes 76), O'Neil, Arca, Downing, Sanli, Alves.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Taylor, Huth, Shawky, Porritt, Walker.
Att: 75,294
Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
Gerrard arrested in assault probe
 Gerrard scored twice in his team's 5-1 win on Sunday |
England and Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard has been arrested following an alleged assault.
Police were called at about 0230 GMT following a disturbance at a restaurant in Southport, Merseyside. Six men were detained later in a nearby street.
The men, four from Huyton, one from Formby and one from Litherland, remain in police custody.
A 34-year-old man from Southport was taken to hospital with facial injuries, not thought to be life-threatening.
The incident is alleged to have taken place at the Lounge Inn, on Bold Street, a restaurant and late night music venue.
Four men aged 33, 31, 29 and 19, all from Huyton, a 28-year-old from Formby and an 18-year-old from Litherland were arrested a short time later on nearby Lord Street.
 The incident is alleged to have taken place at the Lounge Inn |
Midfielder Gerrard, 28, is Liverpool captain and scored twice in his team's 5-1 victory over Newcastle on Sunday.
A police spokesman said: "Merseyside Police is investigating an assault that took place in the early hours of Monday December 29 on Bold Street in Southport.
"At around 2.30am this morning officers attended a disturbance at a licensed premises on Bold Street.
"Six men were arrested on suspicion of section 20 assault, on Lord Street."
The spokesman added all six currently remained in custody. It is believed no other Liverpool footballers are among those being held.
Gerrard was born and grew up on Huyton's Bluebell Estate.
Last month the Premier League star was given the freedom of his home borough of Knowsley in recognition of his contribution to football.
Liverpool FC said it would not be commenting.
Newcastle 1-5 Liverpool
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 Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard celebrates the opener at Newcastle |
Liverpool cemented their place at the Premier League summit with a ruthless demolition of Newcastle United.
Newcastle keeper Shay Given denied Liverpool before Steven Gerrard stroked home from 12 yards after 31 minutes.
Sami Hyypia headed a second five minutes later, but David Edgar pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.
Ryan Babel scrambled home Liverpool's third five minutes after the break. Gerrard raced clear for a fourth and Xabi Alonso made it five from the spot.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez surprisingly left Robbie Keane, a two-goal hero in the Boxing Day win against Bolton, on the bench - and how the Republic of Ireland striker must have wished he had been on the pitch in an encounter that was embarrassingly one-sided from start to finish.
We wanted more - Gerrard
Benitez was in the directors' box recovering from surgery for kidney stones as Liverpool exposed Newcastle's every flaw throughout 90 minutes of torture for the home fans - providing further confirmation that the Merseysiders' are in this title race for the long haul.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley took the "For Sale" signs down from the club prior to kick-off - and their players then produced the sort of performance that would have sent potential purchasers heading for the hills.
Liverpool created chances at will, and only a combination of brilliant goalkeeping from Given and poor finishing from Liverpool stopped Newcastle from shipping at least six goals in the first half alone.
Liverpool's best is yet to come - Lee
Given set the tone for his one-man show of defiance by blocking Dirk Kuyt and saving brilliantly twice from Gerrard inside the first 13 minutes.
Hyypia then headed wide of an open goal from Gerrard's free-kick before Lucas somehow failed to turn in from a yard following a goalmouth scramble. The Brazilian then had a header turned away by Given before Charles N'Zogbia cleared another Hyypia header off the line.
Newcastle's survival for the first 31 minutes had been almost miraculous - but it could not last and to say Liverpool deserved the lead Gerrard gave them was a massive under-statement.
Javier Mascherano carved Newcastle open down the right flank, and when Yossi Benayoun pulled back a cross for Gerrard the Liverpool captain obliged with a thumping finish high past Given.
Newcastle's defending from set-pieces would have shamed a Sunday league side, and they paid the price again six minutes later when Hyypia rose to head Gerrard's corner beyond Given.
Hyypia had another header saved by Given before Newcastle astonishingly gave themselves a lifeline seconds before the interval.
This time Liverpool's defending was slack as Edgar got in front of Jamie Carragher to head past the previously unemployed Pepe Reina.
If Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear had ordered his side to improve their defending after the break, his plea had clearly fallen on deaf ears as they conceded another cheap goal after 50 minutes.
Gerrard's unremarkable corner created an outbreak of mass confusion in the six-yard area, and as a variety of Newcastle defenders stood motionless, Babel jabbed home the simplest of goals.
Substitute Geremi almost gave Newcastle slim hopes of a revival when his 25-yard free-kick clipped the bar, but in reality Newcastle had been outclassed.
Kinnear hopes for cash boost
Newcastle had been appalling, but credit must also go to Liverpool for a hugely impressive destruction and Gerrard underscored their superiority with their fourth goal after 66 minutes.
Lucas slipped an inviting through ball into Gerrard's path, and he was in no mood to let Given deny him again as he chipped a clever right-foot finish over the advancing keeper.
Gerrard was then withdrawn, even drawing applause from Newcastle fans in the season's best 52,114 crowd, but there was no let up in the pressure on Newcastle.
Liverpool's fifth goal came with 13 minutes left, substitute Alonso scoring from the spot after another replacement, David Ngog, had been hauled down by Edgar.
The game ended as it began, with Given saving brilliantly from Lucas' header and Liverpool remaining at the head of the race for the Premier League title.
Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear:
"When you've six or seven key players missing it's always going to be difficult.
"We've had to put young kids in there and ask them to do a man's job against Liverpool, but we didn't do ourselves any favours in the way we defended.
"Shay Given proved that, without a shadow of a doubt, he's the best keeper in the Premiership. He made some magnificent saves."
Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee:
"This is a strong, focused and determined bunch of players.
"We are improving with every game and that is all we can look for but you haven't seen the best of Liverpool yet.
"You win nothing in December but you can lose a lot and we're pleased to be going into the New Year at the top, however we cannot rest on our laurels."
Newcastle: Given, Edgar, Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique (Ameobi 46), Gutierrez, Guthrie, Butt (Geremi 56), N'Zogbia, Duff, Owen (LuaLua 79).
Subs Not Used: Harper, Xisco, Kadar, Carroll.
Booked: Taylor, Given.
Goals: Edgar 45.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Hyypia, Agger, Insua, Benayoun (Alonso 60), Mascherano, Leiva Lucas, Babel, Gerrard (Ngog 70), Kuyt (Skrtel 79).
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Keane, Riera, El Zhar.
Booked: Mascherano.
Goals: Gerrard 31, Hyypia 36, Babel 50, Gerrard 66, Alonso 77 pen.
Att: 52,114
Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).
England striker's £10 million move to Spurs now appears nailed on
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is keen to bring Defoe back to North London once the transfer window opens next month as he bids to strengthen his attacking options. The 26-year old only left Spurs last January when then Pompey boss Redknapp signed him for a fee believed to be in the region of £7 million - £9 million.
When asked why he left Defoe on the bench for today's Premier League encounter with Arsenal, Adams claimed it was for tactical reasons. He went on to say : "Jermain was was annoyed and angry - he's had the hump with me ever since and I wouldn't want it any other way to be honest."
I would be very surprised to see Defoe still at Fratton Park when the transfer window closes on February 2nd. I have always been a massive fan of Defoe's and I think, when he is fit, you should start him. Obviously Adams doesn't feel the same way and I feel he will look to cash in on the former West Ham man when the window opens on Thursday.
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