Cautious Kuyt hails bold Gerrard
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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Dirk Kuyt said he was eager to play for a clean sheet after giving Liverpool FC the lead against FC Internazionale Milano until Steven Gerrard intervened.
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Liverpool FC hero Dirk Kuyt revealed he tried to persuade fellow scorer Steven Gerrard not to press on for a second goal as he helped his side to a 2-0 win against FC Internazionale Milano in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.
Opening goal
Kuyt broke the deadlock at Anfield against ten-man Inter in the 85th minute after the visitors battled on for almost an hour following Marco Materazzi's red card, and the Dutchman wanted team captain Gerrard to protect their slender lead. "It was funny because I said to Stevie that maybe we have to keep hold of the ball and keep the clean sheet but he said we want to get another goal and he was right," said Kuyt. "He got a great goal and 2-0 is a great result, though we have one game to go in Milan, so it will be a tough night again."
'Magic of football'
The Netherlands striker has, like his club, struggled for form this season and the first leg victory against Inter was the perfect tonic for Liverpool after they were surprisingly knocked out of the FA Cup by lower-league side Barnsley FC at the weekend. "I think that's the magic of football," said Kuyt. "You lose three days ago against Barnsley, where everybody is expecting you to beat them easily, and then tonight you see a whole different team but with a lot of the same players.
Difficult period
"I'm happy to score but the most important thing is that we won and beat Inter in the first match, though we still have a game to play so we'll keep focused," Kuyt added. "We didn't play well in the last few matches but we know how we have to play in the big games, especially in the Champions League. All the players worked really hard as a team and we had confidence in ourselves because we know we have a lot of quality. I think we showed that tonight."
History lesson
The only time Liverpool have ever lost a two-goal first-leg lead in Europe was, coincidentally enough, against Inter in the 1964/65 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-final, but the 27-year-old was in no mood for a history lesson as he savoured the moment of victory. When told of Inter's 4-3 aggregate win more than 40 years ago, Kuyt simply replied: "We just want to keep looking forward and not too much in the past."
