Star trio give rampant Reds the joy of six
LIVERPOOL (6) vs BRIGHTON (1)
LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish hailed his attacking triumvirate of Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll after romping into the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The Reds’ star trio started a match together for the very first time and the result was the club’s biggest win since September 2009.
They were aided by three Brighton own goals of varying hilarity, culminating in Lewis Dunk’s misguided ball juggling that ended in the net.
But Carroll and Suarez both netted – the latter shortly after missing a penalty – while Gerrard forced the fourth in off double own-goal culprit Liam Bridcutt.
“The three of them are fantastic footballers and they played really well,” said Dalglish. “The more any team gets iconic players like they are on the pitch the better chance they have of being successful.”
Victory handed Liverpool a quarter-final against Stoke and will fill them with confidence for Sunday’s Carling Cup final against more Championship opposition in Cardiff.
Martin Skrtel’s glancing header put them in front after five minutes, but Kazenga LuaLua’s superb drilled free-kick equalised and suggested Brighton would trade blows with their illustrious opponents. That idea lasted until the 44th minute, when Glen Johnson’s header was cleared off the line but onto Bridcutt, who haplessly nudged into his own net.
Carroll finished Stewart Downing’s cut-back first time just ahead of the hour and Gerrard squeezed in another via Bridcutt before Dunk’s comical fifth. Dalglish decreed Suarez should take the spot kick when Dirk Kuyt was felled, only for the controversial Uruguayan to miss, but he atoned five minutes from time when he nodded in Carroll’s header across goal.
Brighton boss Gus Poyet attempted gallows humour as he explained the drubbing. “They were comic goals,” Poyet said. “I haven’t spoken to the players. There were so many individual mistakes it would take all day.”