A breeze for Liverpool

Already assured of a place in the knock-out phase, Liverpool reshuffled their pack, fell behind and did not exert themselves, but triumphed convincingly on the effort of those with a point to prove, writes Andy Hunter.

The stakes were negligible yet the rewards proved great for Liverpool in Eindhoven on the night of December 9; first place in Group D secured with ease against PSV and their manager, Rafael Benitez, on the cusp of sealing his long-term future at Anfield.

Sources close to Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. have confirmed the American owners have agreed in principle to extend Benitez’s contract until 2013. From the outset the Liverpool manager’s priority has been a significant extension rather than a dramatic increase on his £3.5m-a-year salary, from a deal that has 18 months to run, and so the offer of a new four-and-a-half year contract is unlikely to meet any resistance. Financial bonuses in the package have still to be ironed out, but even without a considerable pay rise the deal will be worth at least £16m to Benitez.

From employers who 13 months ago were touting Jurgen Klinsmann as his successor, and initially wanted to follow the US sports-model of a one-year extension for their manager, the offer represents a significant victory for the Spaniard. It also reflects the Liverpool hierarchy’s determination to prevent off-field issues distracting from the team’s pursuit of the Premier League title. Whether it signals a long-term commitment to Liverpool from Hicks and Gillett themselves remains to be seen.

As for the task of negotiating first place at the expense of Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven were as accommodating to Liverpool’s needs as the Americans have been to Benitez.

Already assured of a place in the knock-out phase, Liverpool reshuffled their pack, fell behind and did not exert themselves, but triumphed convincingly on the effort of those with a point to prove.

Robbie Keane returned to the side following his demotion at Blackburn Rovers and produced another tireless display that was short on chances but notably, playing off another striker, generated plenty of opportunity for those around him. Others with a mandate to impress included Ryan Babel, the former Ajax winger who has asked for — and been denied — a loan move back to Amsterdam given his lack of opportunity this term, the Brazilian midfielder Lucas, jeered by Liverpool supporters during his last start against Fulham, and the French striker David N’Gog. All three impressed against PSV, although the calibre of their opponents was far weaker than they face in the Premier League.

“We spoke about how important it is to have the second leg of the knockout round at Anfield and I’m pleased we’ve managed to secure that,” the Liverpool manager said. “There were also a lot of positives in the game. N’Gog and Lucas are the two who deserve most credit, I think N’Gog has a good future here. He is only young but he is clever and has good movement. Babel and Keane also worked hard. Of course strikers always want to score but Robbie worked extremely hard for us up front.”

A casual, sterile first half got the goal it deserved when PSV took the lead in the 36th minute, Javier Mascherano’s attempted clearance from a corner hitting Dirk Marcellis on the hand and falling to Danko Lazovic to convert from close range beyond Liverpool reserve goalkeeper, Diego Cavalieri. Despite Babel’s prompting down the right, Liverpool rarely stretched the PSV defence before the interval yet equalised with remarkable ease when the Dutchman scored only his second goal of the campaign. Lucas was the provider from a free-kick out on the right, and Babel ensured further invective from the PSV support by ghosting away from Otman Bakkal and glancing a header through the suspect guard of Andreas Isaksson.

Liverpool were comfortable throughout the second period; the goals that secured their progress as group winners exquisite. Albert Riera drove the visitors ahead for the first time when invited to attack a retreating PSV defence and obliged with a stunning strike into the top corner from 25 yards. Again, Isaksson should have done better.

Keane had spent most of a frustrating evening shaking his head at errant passes from his team-mates, selfless play that brought no reward and some harsh treatment from the Russian referee, but finally gained the reward his display deserved with his part in Liverpool’s third. The Republic of Ireland captain volleyed a superb pass through the PSV rearguard for N’Gog to sprint clear and finish expertly under Isaksson, delivering another milestone for Benitez in the process.

This was Benitez’s 40th win in 67 European games as manager, taking him beyond Bob Paisley’s record of 39 continental triumphs. The word from the US is that there will be many more.