- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:07 05:29 12:18 15:42 19:01 20:24
Liverpool's Andy Carroll (C) is challenged by Cardiff City's Mark Hudson during their English League Cup final soccer match at Wembley Stadium in London February 26, 2012. (REUTERS)
There are a few claimants to the title of ‘pantomime villain’ every time Liverpool football club play Sunderland.
Pepe Reina is one. Think Darren Bent's infamous beachball goal and yesterday, he was floored by another crazy strike.
However, for the season, it’s hard to look past Andy Carroll.
Not least because Kenny Dalglish keeps bringing him on when the chips are down, the clock is ticking and, often enough, the game is lost.
Carroll dutifully obliges, playing the part to perfection. Never scoring. Never making the winning difference, or in this case, even the drawing difference.
As Liverpool’s season peters out, their Carling Cup title and FA Cup charge notwithstanding, there is the Luis Suarez candidature for panto villain as well.
Spitting, diving, racial abuse… all the allegations make him a much-maligned figure, albeit one who Anfield chose to rally behind. However, the allegation about a prolific goal scorer is one that just does not add up.
There is a fourth panto villain emerging as well, which will worry King Kenny no end.
Charlie Adam, after a pathetic display against Arsenal, put on an even worse show yesterday.
The midfielder, who once moved Sir Alex Ferguson to say “just his corners are worth 10 million”, is now on an ice cold run.
As Sunderland’s Fraizer Campbell's 56th-minute effort hit a post then bounced on to keeper Reina and back on to the post — straight into the path of Nicklas Bendtner, who scored, Liverpool watched their hopes of Champion’s League football all but disappear.
Kenny Dalglish thinks it is still possible.
He said: "It wasn't much of a game. A bit of good fortune won it. It was a day when no one was going to produce a bit of brilliance.”
Liverpool have the Premier League’s second-best defensive record. Only Manchester City's is better.
Luis Suarez, Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt all started, but then, with 69 minutes on the clock, Kenny threw on Andy Carroll and Steven Gerrard for Adam and Bellamy.
More panto villains in the making at Merseyside, then.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.