REDS DUMPED BY DAWSON
Lethargic Liverpool punished as Hull pull clear of danger zone
STEVE BRUCE knew it was a pointless task. Walking into a euphoric dressing room, his first instinct was to express caution. Then, as he surveyed the scene, he decided his message could wait.
‘I didn’t want to bring them down,’ said Hull’s manager, who would not have looked more shattered had he spent the preceding 90 minutes trying to charge down Liverpool’s strikers. ‘The job isn’t done but we’ve given ourselves a chance. A real chance.’
A first Hull goal for captain Michael Dawson might not have secured safety for his side but this felt like a decisive night in their battle for survival and the celebrations at the final whistle — players and staff embracing as if a Cup had been won — proved the point. This was a richly-deserved success.
Committed, organised and resilient, Hull were everything Liverpool were not during 90 absorbing minutes; it was not a contest for the purists but Bruce, nor anyone else in the East Riding, was not complaining. This win ensures destiny is back their own hands.
Hull’s season remains alive and kicking but what can be said of Liverpool? No matter how angry mounting ticket prices have made some fans, nothing will enrage them more than the way their team is currently collapsing.
The wheels have come off in alarming fashion during the past month, with a sequence of defeats ensuring that ‘the light’ Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said had started shining on Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League has now been switched off.
They were, in a word, wretched. For all that Liverpool had a lot of the ball, manager Brendan Rodgers never looked convinced the huffing and puffing would blow Hull away and he had no option but to accept this defeat. His challenge is now preventing a miserable year fizzling out completely.
‘Usually after the game I never like to say too much to players because there is always emotion,’ said Rodgers. ‘We lost 3-1 here last season and I didn’t say too much. We went and won the next game 5-1 against Norwich. We have an obligation to fight to the end. We want momentum for next season.’
Easier said than done. At the peak of their powers last season, Liverpool would blast out of the blocks and demolish opponents with fast and furious starts; it was irresistible, thrilling to watch, and it made them such a potent force. How Rodgers must wish the same could be true now.
Once again, lethargy compromised Liverpool’s early ambitions. Slovenly in the 0-0 draw with West Bromwich on Saturday, they were just as sluggish here.
The first 20 minutes, frankly, were turgid and charmless, with neither side looking like they had the wit or wisdom to grab hold of the contest. Ironically, it was Liverpool’s best moment — a corner from Jordan Henderson to Philippe Coutinho — that galvanised Hull; the Brazilian’s fierce drive was beaten away by Steve Harper and it sparked defiance among the home ranks.
With Bruce a figure of perpetual motion on the touchline, pacing his technical area and unable to keep a lid on his emotions, suddenly Hull began to raise their levels and in the 27th minute they were unlucky not to take the lead.
As had been the case in the sixth minute, when Sone Aluko had zipped past Emre Can, playing in an unfamiliar role at right-back, to set up Dame N’Doye, the left flank was profitable for Hull. This time Robbie Brady whizzed past Can and his cross picked out Jake Livermore but goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was able to scramble his header away and then alert enough to thwart Aluko’s follow-up.
As Rodgers referenced, Liverpool were wretched at this stadium in December 2013 and this performance was proving to be equally as dire and it came as no surprise when they fell behind after 37 minutes. They may well have complained that three Hull players were in offside positions when Ahmed Elmohamady hoisted a cross in but, crucially, Dawson had timed his run perfectly and had all the space in the world to plant a header beyond Mignolet. It was his first goal since scoring for Tottenham on New Year’s Day 2013.
For their industry and effort, it was no more than Hull deserved. Liverpool, on the other hand, were witless and their performance was summed up when Glen Johnson put an opportunity on a plate for his team-mates in first-half added time but nobody attacked it.
Rodgers was left bewildered, clasping his hands on his head in frustration, actions that would be often repeated as they toiled miserably in the second period.
Bruce, by contrast, willed his side over the line. They need him to keep doing so in their remaining four games. They are almost there.