Revenge is Sweet

Right now, things could scarcely be rosier for Peter Crouch. He’s just had a neat nose job of which he is clearly extremely proud. He mercifully escaped the misery of England’s dire displays against Israel and Andorra. And on his return to the Liverpool team he lit up the whole of Anfield and laid the foundation for an emphatic and thoroughly deserved victory against a club that has three times this season embarrassed the Reds with the quality and beauty of its football.

If you’re looking to do justice to Crouch’s performance, Man of the Match doesn’t even come close. From the first whistle, he tormented two centre backs of genuine world class and the result was a stunning hat trick which must have had England supporters wishing he had returned to fitness a week earlier.

It all started as early as the 3rd minute when Arsenal were caught cold by a couple of audacious right flank back heel variations and a flashing low cross that Crouch met at the near post and powered past Lehmann, with Kolo Toure uncharacteristically languishing in his wake. Little more than half an hour later Toure was at fault again, conceding a needless free kick from which Alonso found Aurelio wide on the left and Crouch rose high to direct a perfect header wide of the Arsenal keeper. And in the second half, after Agger had beaten Baptista to Aurelio’s beautifully flighted free kick to make it three, Crouch sealed his splendid hat trick, humiliating both Toure and Gallas with a neat piece of control and giving Lehmann no chance with a clinical finish.

The goals alone would have made Crouch’s performance crucial to Liverpool’s success, but it was more than that. His movement, his control, his hold-up play – almost every aspect of his game was of the highest quality, and you were left wondering what sort of player he would be if he could do all this consistently, and with the added benefit of genuine power and pace.