Gerrard Cetak Dua Gol Antar Liverpool Pimpin Klasemen
Gerrard Converts Two Penalties to Send Reds Top Again
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
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London (B2B) - Liverpool langsung meloncat dua tingkat ke puncak klasemen Liga Premier setelah membungkan tuan rumah West Ham United malam ini dengan skor 2-1 berkat dua gol Steven Gerrard.
Mendominasi baik penguasaan bola maupun penciptaan peluang gol, Liverpool agak sedikit kesulitan menaklukan West Ham yang berperingkat 11.
Luis Suarez langsung mengirimkan ancaman pada menit-menit awal dan setidaknya tiga kali pada menit-menit berikutnya, selain juga dari para pemain seperti Andy Carroll dan Daniel Sturridge. Sebaliknya Stewart Downing dan Mohamed Diame menjadi diantara sedikit pemain West Ham yang turut menebar ancaman, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Namun baru pada menit 44 sebuah gol tercipta untuk Livepool setelah Steven Gerrard sukses mengeksekusi tendangan penalti menyusul hand ball James Tomkins di kotak penalti West Ham.
Namun tiga menit menit dari gol itu, West Ham menyamakan kedudukan lewat Guy Demel dari sebuah tendangan jarak dekat usai memanfaatkan sepak pojook.
Wasit sempat berunding sejenak sebelum memutuskan bahwa gol Demel ini sah. Kedudukan menjadi 1-1 untuk kedua tim.
Dipacu untuk meraih poin penuh demi mengamankan posisi di jalur puncak klasemen Liga Premier, Brendan Rodgers memasukkan Lucas Lieva untuk menggantikan Philippe Coutinho.
Liverpool terus menekan dan nyaris unggul lebih dini jika saja sundulan Andy Carroll tidak membentur tiang gawang, sedangkan dua upaya Sturridge hanya melewati mistar gawang.
Akhirnya pada menit 71, Liverpool merestorasi keunggulannya dan uniknya juga dari tendangan penalti yang dihadiahkan wasit setelah Jon Flanagan dilanggar Adrian.
Gerrard kembali menjadi eksekutor tendangan penalti dan untuk kedua kalinya sukses mengeksekusinya sehingga kedudukan berubah 2-1 untuk Liverpool.
Kedua tim semakin gencar bertransaksi serangan setelah gol kedua Gerrard ini namun tidak satu pun gol tercipta lagi sampai pertandingan berakhir.
Liverpool pun naik ke puncak klasemen dengan 74 poin atau dua poin di atas Chelsea dan empat poin di atas City yang menempati urutan tiga.
London - Liverpool moved a step closer to the Premier League title in controversial fashion as Steven Gerrard's penalty sealed a 2-1 victory at West Ham and capped a miserable afternoon for referee Anthony Taylor on Sunday.
Gerrard fired Liverpool back to the top of the table after Brendan Rodgers' side were given a dubious second half spot-kick by Taylor, who had earlier allowed Guy Demel's equaliser for West Ham despite a clear foul on Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Liverpool captain Gerrard had given his side the lead in the first half with another penalty which was far less debatable and his second spot-kick took him past Kenny Dalglish on the all-time list of Liverpool goal-scorers.
A far more significant Dalglish-related milestone is now in sight as Gerrard's double means Liverpool are just five wins away from being crowned English champions for the first time since the Scot led them to the title in 1990.
The Reds are two points clear of second placed Chelsea and four ahead of third placed Manchester City, who have two games in hand but face Rodgers' team at Anfield next Sunday.
Liverpool are in red-hot form, winning their last nine matches to prove their title credentials, and they held their nerve impressively after West Ham's contentious equaliser.
"There were bad decisions both for and against us but we were clearly the better team," Rodgers said.
"In fairness the referee came out after the game and said he got it wrong for their goal. I thought the second penalty was possibly a penalty."
While it was the officials who eventually stole the spotlight, all the focus before kick-off was on Liverpool's in-form forwards.
Luis Suarez has been unstoppable in recent weeks and the Uruguayan was quickly into his stride once again.
He curled a free-kick just over the crossbar from 30 yards in the third minute and went even closer 16 minutes later.
