Revealed: Liverpool FC kits for 2010/11 season

Following on from the Get Shirty post back in July, details of Liverpool's kits for the forthcoming 2010/11 season have been leaked.

A well-connected source on supporters' forum Red and White Kop, who has successfully revealed the designs of all LFC kits for the previous two seasons (2008/09 and 2009/10), appears to have hit the nail on the head once again.

Above are the supposed designs for the home and third/European away shirts, slightly Photoshopped to include the club's new sponsor Standard Chartered. As you can see, adidas have opted for a crew neck collar on these shirts with this season's current black and gold away design replicated whilst the home kit contains white piping on the sleeves and at the bottom of the shirt. The Euro away shirt also sees a change of colour in the club's crest to match the away strip.

The away shirt also has a change of badge colour and is a little more easy on the eye with a retro design. The white base is complimented by a red and black V-neck collar, a red badge and red pin stripes; a hark back to the kits worn by the club during the glory years of the early 1980s. Many are hoping that it will spark a revival from the Dalglish era as Kopites witnessed in the 08/09 season, others aren't holding their breath.

As far as designs of Liverpool kits go, they are pretty horrendous. adidas had it spot on with the current home shirt (2008-10) but this latest line of supposed kits harks back to the dark days of 1993-96 when their flashy over-the-top designs became synonymous with under-achievement and failed title challenges at Anfield. Some would argue that it is befitting of the current predicament the club is facing under the current ownership of George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

Here are computer-generated designs of what the new shirts will look like (click to enlarge):

Home:

Away:

Euro:

Kop 10 Goals of the Noughties

1. Steven Gerrard – Liverpool v Olympiakos, 8th December 2004

"Oh you beauty! What a hit son, what a hit!", screamed ex-Everton player Andy Gray as the Liverpool captain rifled a ball home from the edge of the area. Seconds earlier, the Reds had been staring Champions League elimination in the face as they led Olympiakos 2-1 in their final group game. They needed to win by two clear goals to progress. Jamie Carragher fired a ball into the box which Neil Mellor nodded back to the skipper who hit the ball as dropped to the ground, past a powerless Antonis Nikopolidis to send Liverpool on their way to the knockouts.

2. Luis Garcia – Liverpool v Juventus, 5th April 2005

The Champions League quarter final between these two sides was always going to be explosive and the diminutive Spaniard provided the biggest possible fireworks with a stunning rocket from 25 yards out. Having already taken the lead courtesy of Sami Hyypia's close-range volley, Liverpool mounted another counter attack. Out-of-favour winger Anthony Le Tallec made a rare appearance for the Reds in this game and provided the looping ball into the path of Garcia who hit a looping half-volley into the top right-hand corner of the sprawling Gianluigi Buffon's goal to double the advantage.

3. Steven Gerrard – Liverpool v Middlesbrough, 30th April 2005

In a season when they failed to win every domestic game after a Champion League clash, the visit of Boro to Anfield was no different for Rafael Benitez's side. However his Huyton-born skipper attempted to offer a glimmer of hope with arguably one of his finest efforts in a red shirt. Trailing at the break, Liverpool went on the offensive and not long into the second half, Gerrard struck. Latching on to a cross-field ball by John Arne Riise, making his 200th appearance for the club, Gerrad chested the ball into the path of his favoured right foot and unleashed a curling half-volley that evaded Brad Jones in the Kop net to pull the home side level.

4. Fernando Torres – Marseille v Liverpool, 11th December 2007

After slumping to a shock 1-0 defeat at Anfield in their first meeting, Liverpool were determined to put the French giants to the sword in their own back yard. After Steven Gerrard had given the Reds an early lead, Torres stepped up to the plate. After receiving the ball from Harry Kewell on the edge of the area, he Spaniard danced through the Marseille defence before cooly slotted the ball into the back of the net; demonstrating the ability and technique that has made him a legend amongst the Liverpool supporters.

5. Neil Mellor – Liverpool v Arsenal, 28th November 2004

Having taken an early lead through Xabi Alonso, Liverpool were pegged back by the Gunners thanks to Patrick Viera who appeared to have given his side a deserved point as the clock ran down at Anfield. In the dying seconds of stoppage time, Jerzy Dudek fired a long-range goal kick in a bid to find Harry Kewell. The Australian was sent sprawling after being sandwiched between two Arsenal defenders as the ball fell to Neil Mellor. The 22-year-old had been scoring for fun in the reserves in previous years and vowed to carry on that trend when he evaded Vieira and rifled home a stunning half-volley past Jens Lehmann in the Kop goal. As his team mates mobbed him, Anfield descended into raptures as a crucial win for Rafael Benitez’s side was sealed.

6. John Arne Riise – Liverpool v Manchester United, 4th November 2001

Manchester United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez must have been sick of the sight of a Liverpool shirt by the end of this year after shipping five goals in two meetings between the sides, both at Anfield. The gaffe-prone Frenchman was powerless to stop an effort from the Norwegian. Thirty-three yards from goal, the Reds had a free kick. Dietmar Hamann and Riise both stood over the ball but it was the left-back who shaped to shoot and unleashed a shot after being teed up by his German team mate. The ball flew into the top right-hand corner of Barthez’s net to extend Liverpool’s lead after Michael Owen had opened the scoring to give the Reds an Anfield double over their rivals from down the East Lancs Road.

7. Fernando Torres – Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers, 11th April 2009

There was a very raw atmosphere at Anfield for the Saturday lunchtime game between these two sides. The Kop gave an emotional rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster four days later as players from both teams joined supporters in falling silent for a minute in memory of the 96 Reds supporters who died in Sheffield two decades previous. In the stages of the game Torres received a long ball from Jamie Carragher, chested it down and hit a fantastic curling effort from the far right-hand side of the penalty area into Paul Robinson’s net. Scoring this sublime goal with such skill and technique from a very tight angle earned saw Torres’ nominated for FIFA’s Goal of the Year. El Nino celebrated by pointing both hands up to the sky in tribute of those who died at Hillsborough.

8. Danny Murphy – Manchester United v Liverpool, 17th December 2000

Before the former Red Devils apprentice scored, Liverpool had not won at Old Trafford since 1990. Nick Barmby dummied the dead ball for Murphy who curled it around the United wall, over the heads of crouching Reds duo Michael Owen and Markus Babbel, and into the far left-hand side of Barthez’s goal. The ex-Crewe midfielder would become something of a bogey man for Alex Ferguson’s side during his time at Anfield.

9. Steven Gerrard – Liverpool v Manchester United, 31st March 2001

Another player with a penchant for scoring against the Old Trafford outfit, Gerrard opened the scoring for the Reds in a 2-0 win which gave them a league double over their arch rivals. After receiving the ball from Robbie Fowler, the future Liverpool skipper struck a lightning bolt with his right foot from 35 yards out and went some way to securing Gerrard’s title as PFA Young Player of the Year for that season as Liverpool swept all before them in cup competitions.

10. Steven Gerrard – Liverpool v West Ham United, 13th May 2006

There is a reason that Liverpool’s 2006 FA Cup win has been christened ‘the Gerrard final’ and that is because, as in Istanbul the previous season, the captain led by example and pulled his side level with an inspiring fightback. Trailing 3-2 at the end of normal time, the fourth official indicated that four additional minutes would be played. John Arne Riise fired a ball into the Hammers’ box which was headed away but Mohammed Sissoko failed to meet it. Cue Gerrard stage left to hit home from 35 yards out, through a body of West Ham players and into the bottom corner of the net to send the game into extra time. With no goals during a tense half-hour of extra time, it was left to Pepe Reina to perform heroics and secure Liverpool’s seventh FA Cup triumph but ultimately that day at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium belonged to the skipper.

Liverpool FC's Team of the Noughties

PEPE REINA (goalkeeper): There is an age-old mantra that you have to be mad to be a goalkeeper and Reina appears to be as crazy as they come which is probably why he is considered to be one of the best keepers in the modern game at this moment in time. With three consecutive Golden Glove awards to his name, the Spaniard enjoys legend-like status in his adopted city as well as that of a national treasure in his homeland after leading the celebrations like a man possessed when his country lifted the European Championship in 2008.

STEVE FINNAN (right-back): One of the biggest unsung heroes of the past decade at Anfield. Branded by some as Mr Consistency, Finnan gave six years of loyal service to the Reds before leaving for a failed stint in Spain with RCD Espanyol. Currently with Premiership strugglers Portsmouth after securing a return to England in the summer transfer window.

SAMI HYYPIA (centre-back): A man who epitomised the spirit of Liverpool Football Club both on and off the pitch. The big-hearted Finn was a model pro during his decade at the club and showed the extent of his generosity by pledging £23,000 to rescue a charity appeal by Arrowe Park Hospital. You would be hard pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about the 36-year-old, currently plying his trade with German outfit Bayer Leverkusen; the team he scored against for the Reds in the 2002 Champions League.

JAMIE CARRAGHER (centre-back): The Bootle-born defender has been a veteran of all things defensive during the 12 years he has donned the red shirt. Despite a shaky start to the 2009/10 season, Carra has regained form and continues to gain adulation from the Kop with strong-blooded performances. At the tender age of 31 he still has the measure of the likes of Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney, demonstrating that old dogs can be taught new tricks. A consistent performer any club would love to have in their ranks.

JOHN ARNE RIISE (left-back): Norwegian full-back Riise occupied the Reds’ defensive left side for seven years with 300 appearances to his name. Netting a grand total of 31 goals, he was not scared of demonstrating his ability in front of goal with countless long-range efforts, including the infamous blast against Manchester United in November 2001. Despite bowing out of Anfield on a low note after several defensive lapses in recent times, including an own goal that sealed Liverpool’s Champions League exit in 2008, Riise is still considered one of the best left-backs in the club’s recent history.

STEVEN GERRARD (right midfield): The timeless theory that no player is bigger than the club is in danger of being dispelled thanks in part to the Huyton-born midfielder. To say that Gerrard has been a key factor in Liverpool’s progress over the past decade would be an insult to the 29-year-old. No other player has left such an impression on a team as the captain. Despite coming close to leaving on two occasions, the boyhood Red has stuck with his club and has led them to historic victories such as the FA Cup win of 2006 and the miracle of Istanbul in 2005.

DIETMAR HAMANN (defensive midfield): A German with a Scouse heart. The midfield dynamo was more Wavertree than Waldsassen because of his affiliation to the Kop. A truly old school player whose lifestyle reflected that of the supporters he played for. ‘The Kaiser’ was one of the greatest players to grace the middle of the park in the noughties and showed great courage by taking a penalty in the 2005 Champions League final with a broken foot. Despite a three-year spell at Manchester City, Hamann still hold Liverpool in a high regard and returned to the club briefly earlier this year to help coach the youth team.

XABI ALONSO (centre midfield): The ex-Real Sociedad playmaker gained a reputation for his defence-splitting passes within weeks of making his Liverpool debut. Alonso is a creative midfielder with a fantastic eye for goal. It was this vision that he demonstrated on several occasions in 2006, scoring three spectacular efforts from inside his own half. Now with Real Madrid following a year-long courtship, his presence has been sorely missed by the Reds this season.

GARY MCALLISTER (left midfield): Etched his name into Anfield folklore in the treble-winning season of 2000/01 with a series of pivotal goals; especially a hattrick of winners in the space of a week in April of that campaign. Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona both fell foul of the veteran Scot’s clinical penalty-taking ability but not before he delivered the sweetest of Merseyside derby victories when, aged 36, he curled a 44-yard free kick past helpless Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard in the dying seconds at Goodison Park to give Liverpool an emphatic 3-2 win. The Scot has since had unsuccessful managerial spells with former clubs Coventry City and Leeds United.

JARI LITMANEN (striker): Part of Ajax’s European Cup-winning side of 1995, the Finn moved to Merseyside after being deemed surplus to requirements by Barcelona. Like his spell at the Nou Camp, his time at L4 was plagued by injuries which saw him miss all three finals of the treble-winning season. Despite being vastly underused by Houllier, with only 43 appearances to his name, 30-year-old Litmanen was a fantastic finisher in the box and showed some fantastic ability and vision. His finest hour in a red shirt was a finely-struck goal from outside the area against Tottenham Hotspur in September 2001. Still going strong at the age of 38, Litmanen is back in his homeland with FC Lahti after spells with Ajax, Hansa Rostock, SS Malmo and Fulham.

FERNANDO TORRES (striker): Possibly the only foreign striker to arrive at Liverpool and almost immediately justify his extravagant price tag and endear himself to the Kop at the same time. At £20.2 million, it was money very well spent by Rafael Benitez on his compatriot. Despite failing to lift any silverware, he is already enjoying legendary stature after 61 goals in 100 appearances for the Reds since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2007.

SUBS BENCH:

JERZY DUDEK (goalkeeper): Gained something of a reputation for being a questionable stopper after failing to thwart Manchester United’s Diego Forlan in December 2002 but managed to hold onto the number one spot for a further three years. Enjoyed his finest hour in a red shirt in Istanbul where his Bruce Grobbelaar-like antics during the penalty shootout helped the club to their 2005 Champions League triumph. Moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2007 as cover for Iker Casillas but has made only one appearance for Los Blancos.

STEPHANE HENCHOZ (centre-back): Formed part of the legendary defensive partnership with Sami Hyypia during Houllier’s reign but was replaced by Carragher after Benitez took over. In the 2001 League Cup final, Birmingham City pull level from the penalty spot after the Swiss defender handled the ball, something he did on several occasions during his Liverpool career. After leaving Anfield, Henchoz enjoyed spells with Celtic and Wigan Athletic before hanging up his boots in 2008 following a return to Blackburn Rovers.

MARKUS BABBEL (right-back): A consistent performer who turned down the overtures of Real Madrid to join the Reds from Bayern Munich. Babbel was a key member of the 2001 treble-winning side with the occasional goal and several assists. Unfortunately he was stricken down with Guillain-Barré syndrome at the beginning of the 01-02 season and spent most of the season recovering. Upon returning the German played for Blackburn Rovers before hanging up his boots with VfB Stuttgart, where he became manager until he was sacked at the beginning of December.

LUIS GARCIA (left midfield): Like Litmanen, another arrival from Barcelona who proved to be an instant hit. The diminutive Spaniard was a talismanic figure during the successful run to the Champions League final in 2005 with goals against Bayer Leverkusen, a thunderbolt against Juventus and, more famously, 'that goal' against Chelsea in the semi final. The debate over whether Garcia's hooked shot crossed the line before William Gallas cleared it away but the goal stood and the winger, now with Atletico Madrid, saw his name written into Anfield folklore.

MICHAEL OWEN (striker): A controversial choice given the manner in which he left Liverpool and snubbed a return in favour of moves to Newcastle and Manchester United. Despite prioritising club over country, the Chester-born striker was one of the finest finishers on his day between 2000 and 2003. His two goals in the 2001 FA Cup final should have sealed his Anfield legacy but an acrimonious exit followed by a move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2009 has tarnished his Reds reputation.

50 Years of Shankly - The Final Salute

Karen Gill was born into the greatest footballing dynasty bar none as the granddaughter of the legendary Bill Shankly, who arrived on Merseyside 50 years ago this week.

She spoke exclusively to Click Liverpool about her memories of her famous granddad and about what he would make of modern football:

• As a football-mad man, did Shanks ever play the game with you and the other grandkids in his back garden?

"My granddad always seemed to have a ball attached to the end of his foot. The truth is though that we were all girls and girls simply didn’t play football for him.

"Don’t forget he was born at the beginning of the last century and he was brought up in a mining village where the men went down the mine and played football in their free time. The women were the homemakers and my granddad was quite a traditionalist in that sense.

"So he didn’t play football with us but I know that he spent a lot of his time carrying me and my sister Pauline around in his arms and we loved to rub our hands back and forwards across his shortly cropped hair. We would also sit on his knee at the barber’s while he had a haircut."

• He could control huge crowds of fans with just a simple gesture - could he do the same in the Shankly household?

"My memories of him at home are of him standing in the hallway, on the phone. He was always on the phone talking to somebody or other about football.

"So there he was standing in the hallway with one hand on his hip and the other gesturing wildly …jabbing the air with his finger. You had to be quiet when he was on the phone.

"The rest of the time I remember he was either watching football on the TV (you also had to be quiet then) or filling in his football coupons but when he did pay you some attention, you felt like you’d just scored a goal.

"As you can see then the whole household obviously revolved around him and he was a very imposing figure. I can also tell you that as a child you never wanted to fall over and get injured because he really did used to get annoyed with you if you hurt yourself!"

• Did you ever sense any regrets he had about retiring?

"Most of my real memories of him are of his retirement age. I was born in 1965 so during his really successful years at Liverpool, I was just a baby. I really started to feel his presence when I was about seven or eight.

"I remember Christmas parties at Anfield for the staff and players, I remember we went to London for 'This Is Your Life', and I suppose it was then or a year later that he retired.

"Being just children we were never told details and never really wondered why suddenly we were seeing more of nanny and grandy (which is what we called them.

"I do know that he never stopped living and breathing football and I realize now that he did regret retiring though he never said anything at the time. He wasn’t a man who expressed himself easily as far as his feelings were concerned."

• Do you think Liverpool FC should have made a place for him despite a new manager taking over from him?

"I definitely feel that a place should have been made for him at the club, even if it was just a nominal role as a token gesture to acknowledge the importance of his contribution to LFC.

"The gesture would have been important to him; after all he gave his life to Liverpool Football Club.

"However I’m not sure my granddad would have really embraced any 'nominal' position. It wasn’t in his character."

• A bit of research has thrown up a revelation that your granddad had an idea about groundsharing, with Aintree racecourse in mind as the ideal venue but it failed to materialise. With the current talk of a ground share between LFC and Everton, do you think his vision would or could have worked?

"I don’t really think such a vision could work in practice. Firstly, I’m sure you’ll agree that a ground is the embodiment of any big club…it’s not just a place. It represents the history of the club and ties the fans to it inextricably.

"When you've got two clubs like Liverpool and Everton, with such passionate supporters on both sides, I really think it’s just a recipe for disaster."

• What would he have thought proposed new Anfield?

"I think his bond with Anfield was so great (he kind of regarded it as a faithful old friend) that he would have been extremely sad to move away.

"But on the other hand, let’s not forget that my granddad’s greatest aim was for Liverpool Football Club to be a force to reckon with and if he thought a new ground was the right way forward, he would have made the sacrifice."

• He famously said that he didn't have time for directors as the Holy Trinity consisted of a manager, players and the fans. As the patron of Spirit of Shankly, how do you think he would have responded to headline-grabbing owners like the ones currently at Anfield?

"Let’s not forget that my granddad was a headline grabber too, but it was always for the good of the club he loved. He would not have approved of any negative publicity surrounding LFC.

"He didn’t have time for directors for the simple reason that in his experience he could see that other things, beyond the actual game of football itself, were their priority.

"For my granddad, money was the means it was not the end. For me SOS is an admirable organization for many reasons, first and foremost because one of its main goals is the protection of the fans who made LFC what it is today.

"I have seen them at work first hand and they are committed, organized, articulate and passionate. I believe my granddad would be behind them 100% but would be saddened at the same time that there was a necessity for such a union."

• Would he have relished the money in the game through commercialisation and the like. Or would he have been strongly opposed to it?

"Anything that affected the game negatively, he would not have approved of. I personally believe that money has distorted the game totally beyond recognition and the priorities are all twisted.

"Anybody who knows what it’s like to play with fire in your belly for the game itself and not for the material rewards it brings, strongly opposes the ethics of contemporary football."

• What would he make of the behaviour of today's stars and what do you think would he have done about them?

"I think we all know the answer to that one! Nobody was bigger than the team; he would never have abided the kind of behaviour we see from some of today’s big stars.

"He would have given them a verbal lashing and brought them right down to size. Simply put, football cannot be about individuals."

• What was it in your granddad that made him the great manager that he was?

"Apart from all the qualities I’m sure most of us know about: determination, vision, dedication, motivation etc. I’m going to add, what for me, is the most important ingredient; the thing that set and continues to set him apart from other managers - the mutual adoration and respect of the supporters."

• You knew him as your granddad, what was it like being related to the greatest Liverpool manager of all time?

"I have to confess that at times it was just purely annoying and frustrating. He was like the Pied Piper wherever he went and when you’re trying to vie for someone’s attention with hundreds of adoring fans it can be irritating to say the least.

"I’ll never forget the time I had to be rushed to hospital after putting my arms through a glass door…I was quite scared anyway because I had a fear of hospitals and I needed comforting and reassurance.

"As soon as we got to the hospital my sister and I lost him amidst the adoring crowds who had gathered around him and one boy who had been speared by a railing had forgotten his pain and was getting an autograph."

• What is it about your granddad and the Scottish thread that runs through great managers?

"I think it was the era they lived in. They were mining folk, they were hard workers, and they were definitely working class men.

"I can’t speak for the other great managers, but I think the fact that my granddad was brought up in a small community played an integral role in defining his character and gave him that fiery determination that drove him to success.

"Generally speaking, the Scottish people as a nation have been shaped by their history and their history meant they had to fight for freedom, fight for their country and defend their property and their families: Nothing better than that for character building, great characteristics for any manager to have."

• Did you realise just how much he meant to Liverpool fans when you were younger or has the legacy grown as time has progressed?

"Unfortunately the full realization of what he meant to the fans and the people of Liverpool generally, didn’t really completely dawn on me until the day of his funeral and after that at his memorial service.

"To see the streets lined with people, mainly a sea of red and white but interspersed with blue at fairly regular intervals, was just something I will never ever forget.

"Since then I believe that the legacy just keeps growing stronger and I think the main reason for that is people realize that he really was a one off, the mould was broken, and they look back nostalgically to that era and wish they could have just some of the glory of that time back."

• To finish, what's your favourite personal memory of your granddad?

"There are so many memories that I have of my granddad, and so many people have shared their memories of him with me that I feel doubly blessed.

"However, for me what will always remain are the special times we stayed the night at nanny and grandy’s. We’d be rigorously bathed, grandy would make us toast before bed, then it was bedtime tales about life in Glenbuck and in the morning he would always get up early to make our breakfast.

"I loved those times so much and I will treasure those memories of him forever."

Liverpool 2 Wigan Athletic 1: Torres revives spirit of Shankly's untouchables

Bill Shankly once said: "My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility...I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable".

The club he dragged up from the doldrums of the old Second Division have not been untouchable or even close to a bastion of invincibility this season but they were able to give a credible account of themselves as Anfield marked the 50th anniversary of his arrival with a narrow 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic.

Goals from David Ngog and a touch of class by Fernando Torres were enough to secure maximum points for the Reds despite a late consolation by Charles Nzogbia.

Liverpool went into the game on the back of just three wins in all competitions against a Wigan side that had conceded 15 goals in their previous three games and were intent on going one better than the solitary point earned at L4 in January 2008 with a 1-1 draw during what was a turbulent spell off the field for the Reds. Rafael Benitez was hoping to make the Latics his eighth unbeaten game against a bottom half side this season.

The Spaniard made three changes from the side that slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal three days previous with Martin Skrtel replacing Jamie Carragher in central defence with the veteran covering the right-back role in place of injured Glen Johnson. Lucas Leiva had to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench, bizarrely in favour of Fabio Aurelio in central midfield. Also starting on the bench was Torres who was replaced by David Ngog.

Prior to kick-off, the Kop displayed a mosaic proclaiming 'Shanks The Legend' alongside banners bearing the visionary Scot's image including one which read 'The spirit of Shankly still shines' as legends from those halcyon days of Shankly formed a guard of honour for the two teams.

Daniel Agger tried an ambitious long-range effort on three minutes which floated wide, to the right of Chris Kirkland's goal. Ngog opened the scoring with his sixth goal in eight starts just before the tenth minute when he beat Anfield old boy Kirkland to deftly head home an Aurelio cross. Kirkland was left in a little discomfort not long after that when he landed awkwardly in a clash for the ball with team mate Emmerson Boyce as Ngog bore down on goal again.

At the other end, Wigan attemped to threaten when Paul Scharner latched onto a N'zobia through ball but fired straight into the safe hands of Pepe Reina from close range. N'zogbia went close himself not long after with a cross-cum-shot that narrowly missed Reina's goal.

Kirkland was called into action after Ngog received a quickly taken throw-in to Kuyt who forced England's World Cup hopeful to block from close-range. Liverpool continued to dominate and saw an Ngog effort cleared off the line by Hendry Thomas midway through the half. Hugo Rodallega capitalised on a misplaced pass to free Jordi Gomez who, like Scharner, fired a tame shot into the arms of Reina as the visitors attempted to even things out.

Minutes from the break, Ngog fired wide across the face of the goal after Aurelio's ball deflected off Thomas into the Frenchman's path as the fourth official indicated four minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half but the Reds went into the interval a goal to the good.

On the pitch, members of Shankly's two FA Cup-winning teams of 1965 and 1974 were joined by members of his family as Anfield fell silent as two Scottish pipers played 'Amazing Grace' to which the Kop attempted to accompany with chants of the great man's name as the famous old ground remembered the man who gave birth to a footballing revolution.

At the start of the second half, the Kop chanted "when you hear the noise of the Bill Shankly boys, we'll be coming down the road"; based on a similar chant aired by Scotland supporters when following their national side. He would have no doubt been delighted as his former employers demonstrated some fine one-touch passing which freed Kuyt on 49 minutes but he was thwarted in the box by Kirkland.

Javier Mascherano, who had suffered a brief concussion in the first half after taking Mohamed Diame's attempted long ball square in the face, let fly from distance but saw his effort dip on the wrong side of Kirkland's crossbar in the minutes that followed. Ngog had the perfect opportunity to extend Liverpool's lead ten minutes later but failed to connect with a low Gerrard cross at the far post.

Benitez introduced Lucas and Torres as the Reds attempted to double their advantage with 25 minutes remaining but it was Wigan who went closest to scoring. On 74 minutes, Latics substitute Jason Scotland capitalised on a looping cross into the box which caught out Reina, allowing the Trinidadian a free volley on goal. Unfortunately for him, his effort hit the crossbar and had most of the 41,116 fans inside Anfield breathing a sigh of relief.

A minute later Torres, making his 100th appearance for the club, netted Liverpool's second after rounding Kirkland in a style of which legendary Kop marksmen Kevin Keegan, watching on as a guest of honour, would have approved. Despite sidestepping the Wigan stopper, his tap-in was blocked by Titus Bramble. A goalmouth melee ensued but El Nino scrambled home the rebound from a couple of yards.

Alberto Aquilani was brought on for Benayoun as Roberto Martinez's side piled on the pressure in a desperate bid to stage an audacious late comeback. In the 86th minute the Italian playmaker emulated the overhead kick he attempted during his debut in the Carling Cup defeat to Arsenal but saw it fall into the hands of Kirkland.

In stoppage time, Nzogbia capitalised on poor marking by the home side to dance past several defenders before firing a low shot past a sprawling Reina but Liverpool held on. It wasn't the performance of a bastion of invincibility but, as the old adage says, a win is a win.


Final score: Liverpool 2-1 Wigan Athletic

Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Benayoun (Aquilani), Mascherano, Aurelio (Lucas), Kuyt, Gerrard, Ngog (Torres). Subs not used: Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Darby, Dossena.

Wigan: Kirkland, Thomas, Scharner, N'zogbia, Gomez (Koumas), Boyce, Bramble, Rodallega, Melchiot, Diame (Scotland), Figueroa. Subs not used: Amaya, Cho, Sinclair, De Ridder, Kingson.

Attendance: 41,116