Sport - Football

Keane puts Liverpool atop

— PHOTO: REUTERS

HAVING A FIELD DAY: Liverpool’s Robbie Keane (right) slots in his second goal against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

LONDON: Liverpool striker Robbie Keane scored twice in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion as the Reds moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

After losing to Tottenham in its last league outing and requiring a hugely generous penalty decision to scrape a late draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, Liverpool was under pressure to return to its early season dominance.

Keane, in particular, was under the spotlight, without a league goal since his £20.3 million move from Tottenham and with critics pointing to the absence of Fernando Torres as a major obstacle in Liverpool’s attempts to land silverware.

How the Irish international striker answered those critics with his first league goals for Liverpool before Alvaro Arbeloa added a third, curling in from a Javier Mascherano pass in the 93rd minute.

Yet Torres, out for a month since injuring his hamstring playing for Spain at the start of October, was brought on as a 72nd-minute replacement for Keane. It had been a patient opening from Liverpool in which it dominated possession, establishing a pattern of play it would quickly turn to its advantage.

Steven Gerrard and Keane both tested Scott Carson with early long shots and Jonas Olsson made a superb covering tackle on Albert Riera.

In the 29th minute, the England midfielder’s pass played in Yossi Benayoun who advanced, had his shot well blocked by Carson and was then denied a clear penalty as the ball struck the arm of Jonas Olsson.

It was an injustice but, as events transpired, not a costly one.

In the 34th minute, Gerrard took up exactly the same position and passed at an angle to his left for Keane to sprint through and lift a superb finish over the advancing Carson.

In other matches, Bolton saw off Hull 1-0 courtesy of Matt Taylor’s 50th-minute goal, while Portsmouth won for the first time since Tony Adams replaced Harry Redknapp two weeks ago.

Jermain Defoe converted a 90th-minute penalty to beat Sunderland 2-1.

Everton rallied with three goals in the last seven minutes to beat West Ham 3-1.

The results: Hull 0 lost to Bolton 1 (Taylor 50); Liverpool 3 (Keane 34, 43, Arbeloa 90+3) bt West Bromwich 0; Sunderland 1 (Cisse 4) lost to Portsmouth 2 (Belhadj 51, Defoe 90-pen); West Ham 1 (Collison 63) lost to Everton 3 (Lescott 83, Saha 85, 87). — Agencies

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu