So
ccer Extreme : During his time at Tottenham Hotspur ‘balloon’ was just one of the kinder insults the White Hart Lane supporters used to hurl at Darren Bent.
Pilloried by Harry Redknapp for a missed header against Portsmouth last season – the Spurs manager claimed his wife Sandra would have scored the chance – the England striker knew his days in north London were numbered in the summer and made haste his exit as quick as he could.
Bent’s eight goals and excellent start to the
season have vindicated his decision to leave Tottenham and he remains a live outsider to travel to the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer.
The fact that his latest goal came via a deflection of a stray balloon, thrown from the Liverpool end, will mean little to the lethal striker. The balloon will grab all the headlines, Bent will just be content with another goal to his tally in an increasingly productive campaign.
Steve Bruce’s decision to gamble £10m on Bent is looking mightily judicious, too, even though he admitted that he had been told the goal should have been disallowed and a drop ball awarded, but while a little hot and bothered about the suggestion that it might have been chalked off he was not allowing that to spoil his night.
“Listen, I thought it was a deflection off a player. I have to say when I have just seen it there, if anybody knew that rule – that it is supposed to be a drop ball – then you are a saddo. They have got it on telly with the guy who threw it on and it’s got Liverpool crests all over it. What a shame.”
Rafael Benitez, Bruce’s opposite number was phlegmatic when asked about the incident.
“It’s a very technical question. It could be a goal, it’s difficult to say. In this case, it has to be a goal. These things can happen in a lot of games. It was a bad situation for us – it was in the middle [of the goal] and it was very influential. But we didn’t play well, that is the main thing for me.”
There was, however, plenty of bluster when Bruce, who lost Kenwyne Jones and Lee Cattermole to injury during the game, became embroiled in a furious touchline debate with Benitez after the Spaniard complained about the length of time for which Jones was treated on the pitch.
However, Bruce had calmed down by the time he conducted his post-match press conference.
He said: “It was handbags. It’s all over, it’s done. You do things in the heat of the moment which, when you look back at it, you think, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have done that’, but there you go.”
Benitez gave his point of view, and suggested Bruce had inflamed the situation.
The Liverpool manager said: “I didn’t have any argument with him [Bruce]. I was just asking for time because three or four times they were on the ground – in 10 minutes, three or four times, the game was stopped.
“I was talking with the fourth official and he [Bruce] was coming and he wanted to argue with me.
“I was surprised because I was talking with the fourth official about the time.”
The pivotal moment in the match came when Bent met Andy Reid’s fifth-minute cross and fired towards goal.
Reina looked to have it covered, until the ball hit the beach ball, and to the goalkeeper’s horror, span past him and into the net.
Liverpool protested, but while they could consider themselves unfortunate, there was little doubt Sunderland deserved to win.
On another day, Bent might have claimed at least a hat trick after repeatedly finding space and time inside the box, and it was mainly thanks to Reina and the woodwork that he did not.
By contrast, Liverpool, without the injured Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, offered little as an attacking force until deep into seven minutes of added time when Craig Gordon had to make an excellent double save from Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog and now sit eighth in the table.
Benitez said: “It’s bad, but crucial? It depends on the next games.” (heraldscotland)
ccer Extreme : During his time at Tottenham Hotspur ‘balloon’ was just one of the kinder insults the White Hart Lane supporters used to hurl at Darren Bent.Pilloried by Harry Redknapp for a missed header against Portsmouth last season – the Spurs manager claimed his wife Sandra would have scored the chance – the England striker knew his days in north London were numbered in the summer and made haste his exit as quick as he could.
Bent’s eight goals and excellent start to the
season have vindicated his decision to leave Tottenham and he remains a live outsider to travel to the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer.The fact that his latest goal came via a deflection of a stray balloon, thrown from the Liverpool end, will mean little to the lethal striker. The balloon will grab all the headlines, Bent will just be content with another goal to his tally in an increasingly productive campaign.
Steve Bruce’s decision to gamble £10m on Bent is looking mightily judicious, too, even though he admitted that he had been told the goal should have been disallowed and a drop ball awarded, but while a little hot and bothered about the suggestion that it might have been chalked off he was not allowing that to spoil his night.“Listen, I thought it was a deflection off a player. I have to say when I have just seen it there, if anybody knew that rule – that it is supposed to be a drop ball – then you are a saddo. They have got it on telly with the guy who threw it on and it’s got Liverpool crests all over it. What a shame.”
Rafael Benitez, Bruce’s opposite number was phlegmatic when asked about the incident.
“It’s a very technical question. It could be a goal, it’s difficult to say. In this case, it has to be a goal. These things can happen in a lot of games. It was a bad situation for us – it was in the middle [of the goal] and it was very influential. But we didn’t play well, that is the main thing for me.”
There was, however, plenty of bluster when Bruce, who lost Kenwyne Jones and Lee Cattermole to injury during the game, became embroiled in a furious touchline debate with Benitez after the Spaniard complained about the length of time for which Jones was treated on the pitch.
However, Bruce had calmed down by the time he conducted his post-match press conference.
He said: “It was handbags. It’s all over, it’s done. You do things in the heat of the moment which, when you look back at it, you think, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have done that’, but there you go.”
Benitez gave his point of view, and suggested Bruce had inflamed the situation.
The Liverpool manager said: “I didn’t have any argument with him [Bruce]. I was just asking for time because three or four times they were on the ground – in 10 minutes, three or four times, the game was stopped.
“I was talking with the fourth official and he [Bruce] was coming and he wanted to argue with me.
“I was surprised because I was talking with the fourth official about the time.”
The pivotal moment in the match came when Bent met Andy Reid’s fifth-minute cross and fired towards goal.
Reina looked to have it covered, until the ball hit the beach ball, and to the goalkeeper’s horror, span past him and into the net.
Liverpool protested, but while they could consider themselves unfortunate, there was little doubt Sunderland deserved to win.
On another day, Bent might have claimed at least a hat trick after repeatedly finding space and time inside the box, and it was mainly thanks to Reina and the woodwork that he did not.
By contrast, Liverpool, without the injured Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, offered little as an attacking force until deep into seven minutes of added time when Craig Gordon had to make an excellent double save from Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog and now sit eighth in the table.
Benitez said: “It’s bad, but crucial? It depends on the next games.” (heraldscotland)