Blackpool foil Reds again

Blackpool came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Bloomfield Road in the Premier League.

Torres strike not enough for Dalglish's Reds

Blackpool ensured Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool reign continued with another defeat as they came back to win 2-1 at Bloomfield Road in the Premier League. In the returning Dalglish's first league game back in charge of the club where he enjoys divine status, his presence seemed to inspire the away side in the early stages of the game as Fernando Torres fired home emphatically in the third minute to break the deadlock. But defensive problems that have plagued the men from Merseyside this season failed to abate and after squandering possession in the middle of the park, Gary Taylor-Fletcher bustled his way through to slot past Pepe Reina for the equaliser. The pace of the game was frantic with both teams intent on attacking, and after the break Blackpool turned the tie on its head as the unmarked DJ Campbell headed home from inside the box. Liverpool had ample possession in the final third but could not create that clear-cut opportunity meaning the Seasiders managed a league double over them for the first time since 1947. It had all begun so well for the visitors, looking to bounce back from Sunday's FA Cup exit at Manchester United.

Great start

After that game Dalglish had promised to get Torres back to his best after a laboured season and he was true to his word as the Spaniard struck in double-quick time from the kick-off. And the goal came from another of the manager's tactical decisions, which saw the returning Glen Johnson, whose partner gave birth to a boy last night, lined up in an unfamiliar left-back position after Martin Kelly's impressive display against United. Dalglish was rewarded for keeping faith with youngster Kelly as he set up the opening goal. When Dirk Kuyt span the ball out to the defender he advanced over the halfway line before rolling a pass into the inside-right channel. Torres did not need a second invitation, racing into the area and even from a tight angle he was able to fire a ferocious shot past Richard Kingson and into the roof of the net. It was only the Spain international's second goal in his last nine matches and just his seventh of the season. The visitors' joy lasted only until the 12th minute, however, as when Raul Meireles carelessly gave the ball away to David Vaughan in midfield he played in Taylor-Fletcher to exact the ultimate punishment by running through the defence to roll a shot under Reina. All the players then ran to the touchline to hold up a T-shirt with the words '4 Butch you Bluenose RIP' - a reference to Macclesfield player Richard Butcher who died suddenly this week. Blackpool had the better chances in the remainder of the half, with Campbell heading wide from five yards and Taylor-Fletcher almost catching out Reina with a lob from the right wing after the goalkeeper fluffed his kick. The home side stepped up the pressure after the break with Charlie Adam's left-footed drive beaten away by Reina, who then tipped over Vaughan's shot. Liverpool almost produced an eye-catching response when Milan Jovanovic's left-wing cross to the far post saw Torres volley well over, with the Spaniard also forcing a low save from Kingson this time from the left of the area. Meireles then cut in from the right to hit a left-footed shot wide while Kuyt's low effort forced Kingson to save at the expense of a corner.

Killer blow

With 21 minutes remaining the Seasiders struck the killer blow when Ian Evatt beat Martin Skrtel to Eardley's deep cross and Campbell headed home. Meireles' header from Torres' cross at the other end was not as accurate and dropped just over the crossbar. Liverpool could have had a penalty in the 79th minute when the ball hit Craig Cathcart's arm, which was raised well above his head, but referee Michael Oliver blew for a foul by Torres. The Reds have now lost 10 of their 21 league matches and eight out of 11 on the road. If Dalglish wants the job on a permanent basis he will have to find a way of eliminating results such as this.

Blackpool	Team Statistics	Liverpool
2	Goals	1
1	1st Half Goals	1
6	Shots on Target	5
4	Shots off Target	4
2	Blocked Shots	3
3	Corners	3
10	Fouls	15
4	Offsides	2
1	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
74.1	Passing Success	75
21	Tackles	31
71.4	Tackles Success	67.7
46.2	Possession	53.8
46.9	Territorial Advantage	53.1