Liverpool Tekuk Tottenham 3-0, Balotelli Gagal `Tebar Pesona`
Balotelli Entertains but Fails to Find the Net on Debut with Liverpool
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
London (B2B) - Semua mata tertuju pada pemain baru Liverpool Mario Balotelli, tetapi Raheem Sterling mencuri perhatian dengan gol cepatnya ketika The Reds menumbangkan Tottenham Hotspurs 3-0 di White Hart Lane, Minggu, (31/8).
Gol Liverpool dicetak oleh Raheem Sterling (8´), penalti Steven Gerrard (49´), dan Alberto Moreno (60´).
Mario Balotelli yang baru saja didatangkan Liverpool ini, langsung menjadi starter di depan. Namun, pahlawan Liverpool ialah Raheem Sterling yang mencetak gol ketika pertandingan baru berjalan delapan menit. Sterling mencetak gol setelah berhasil mengecoh Hugo Lloris karena kerja sama apik dengan Daniel Sturridge dan Jordan Henderson, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Walaupun demikian, Balotelli mendapat dua atau tiga kesempatan untuk memberikan Liverpool peluang. Sementara Spurs juga memberikan perlawanan ketika Simon Mignolet membuatan penyelamatan gemilang untuk gawang Liverpool dari Nacer Chadli sebelum babak pertama selesai.
Tottenham menguasai jalannya pertandingan 60 persen, sedangkan Liverpool hanya 40 persen. Namun untuk urusan tendangan ke arah gawang Liverpool mencoba delapan kali, sementara Tottenham hanya satu kali.
London - Liverpool´s speedy attacking unit ensured Mario Balotelli didn´t shoulder the goal-scoring burden on his Premier League return, with Raheem Sterling dazzling in a 3-0 victory at Tottenham.
While Balotelli´s finishing was wayward, Sterling netted the opener inside eight minutes and was at the heart of Liverpool´s impressive display at White Hart Lane. Once captain Steven Gerrard extended Liverpool´s lead from the penalty spot at the start of the second half, Tottenham had been subdued, and defender Alberto Moreno was able to open his account.
The dismantling of Tottenham was the perfect response by last season´s runners-up to losing at Manchester City in the previous game, reasserting their threat without Luis Suarez.
A Tottenham miss before half time proved costly. A defensive mix-up presented Nacer Chadli with an opening but he stabbed the ball straight at Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Then, four minutes into the second half, Liverpool was further in front after being awarded a soft penalty after Joe Allen was held back by Eric Dier. Despite Balotelli´s presence, Gerrard retained penalty taking duties and sent the spot kick beyond Lloris´ reach.
