PHILIPPE Coutinho crowned Jamie Carragher’s final appearance with the winning goal, ensuring that Queens Park Rangers finish bottom of the Premier League.
The curtain call for QPR and the Liverpool stalwart came midway through the first half when the Brazilian midfielder lashed home after an enterprising run from Jordan Ibe.
The visitors were hardly as enthralling, looking to Bobby Zamora’s knock-downs to Loïc Remy, with little success. Chances were sparse, the game was being killed off.
Cue Carragher, stepping forward with a blockbuster drive in the second half, that cannoned back off the upright, to wake up the uninspired Liverpool crowd.
The defender was afforded a good reception on his departure, but Rangers must now contemplate a gruelling Championship season ahead.
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TEAM NEWS |
Three changes for Harry Redknapp and QPR ahead of the test at Anfield. Jose Bosingwa, Jermaine Jenas and Junior Hoilett dropped out with Michael Harriman getting a debut start along with the introduction of Shaun Derry and for some reason, Ji Sung Park.
Rob Green started behind a defence of Harriman, Clint Hill, Nedum Onuoha and Armand Traoré. The midfield trio comprised of Park, Derry and Stephane Mbia while Andros Townsend and Loïc Remy playing wide of Bobby Zamora.
Liverpool themselves made three changes to the side that defeated Fulham – Sebastian Coates, Jonjo Shelvey and Andre Wisdom dropped out with Martin Skrtel, Jose Enrique and Jordan Ibe coming in for the hosts.
They started with Pepe Reina behind a back four of Glen Johnson, Skrtel, Jamie Carragher and Enrique. The midfield three saw Lucas Leiva, Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho, with Ibe and Stewart Downing playing off Daniel Sturridge.
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KICK OFF: LIVERPOOL v QUEENS PARK RANGERS |
Players and management formed a guard of honour to welcome Jamie Carragher to the field in what marked his final appearance for Liverpool – 737 in sum for the Anfield outfit as a one-club career came to an end.
The hosts started far the brighter and debutante Michael Harriman put in some fine challenges and last ditch tackles to deny the rampant Liverpool. Philippe Coutinho’s wayward corner saw Rob Green having deny the Brazilian – tipping over the goal from his line.
A couple of pot shots from Andros Townsend and Ji Sung Park were all that Rangers could muster, ably blocked by the home rearguard as they started to orchestrate proceedings and put the visiting side on the back foot.
By stepping it up one gear Liverpool took the advantage in a drab encounter when wide player Jordan Ibe skipped effortlessly beyond Stephane Mbia, who held his hands in the air outside the area allowing the exuberant youngster to pass.
He laid aside for PHILIPPE COUTINHO, who fairly rocketed a low right-footed drive beyond Rob Green and into the bottom left hand corner. Effortless, intricate and ever so damning for the long-suffering visiting support populating the away end.
Shaun Derry was the subject of handball appeals when he blocked Carragher’s drive – the referee looked unimpressed, while Loïc Remy went down the other end and sent a shot on the spin well wide of the right-hand post.
Clint Hill was cautioned for his cynical block on Strurridge, rather serving to highlight that while the brains were there, the pace was clearly lacking. Green saved a Coutinho effort on the stroke of half time, where no added time was played.
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HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-0 QUEENS PARK RANGERS |
Mbia was hauled off at half time for what seems the next in an endless occasion of sequences. He was replaced by Esteban Granero, seemingly ready to call time on his year’s holiday in England. For a farewell, he hardly showed signs of promise early on.
He joined Derry and Park in the middle, the latter and the Spaniard continually gifting possession to the hosts in bad areas for the side. Liverpool were looking the more creative force in the fixture with Green certainly the harder-worked of the stoppers.
He parried Jose Enrique’s shot from distance straight out into the six yard box, and only the alert Hill could spare his blushes. Meanwhile he made a smarter save from Glen Johnson when the England full back chanced his arm, making a fine reaction save when wrong-footed.
Rangers threw on Jamie Mackie and Junior Hoilett to try and instigate some change, but all the visitors could muster was a ball over the top for Remy, ably fielded by the underworked Reina on the hour mark.
The home supporters only sprang into life to urge Jamie Carragher to strike from distance. Fully 30-yards out he obliged with a rasping right-footed effort that cannoned back off the left-hand upright, agonising for the defender on his final display.
Stewart Downing hared away down the right, with a rather uncharacteristic raw run before wrapping his weaker right foot over the ball and ploughing an errant shot into the side netting. One did expect he’d cut inside and work Green across his goal.
Rangers were offering very little in the way of cheer their supporters, Townsend cut inside on a couple of occasions to put his shots into the upper echelons in the away end. Even Andros for his effervescence was struggling to live up to his hype.
Carragher was withdrawn to a hero’s reception, and was given a good hand by the travelling fans with Sebastian Coates coming on in his stead. Five minutes were played out and the final whistle heralded the end for a QPR side that haven’t got out of second gear all season.
The majority of players came over to applaud the fans that had remained, and many would have been scratching their heads at the adulation they received. The season is at an end with Rangers finishing bottom for the first time since 1969.
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FINAL WHISTLE: LIVERPOOL 1-0 QUEENS PARK RANGERS |