Liverpool v. Newcastle United - December 28, 1999

Historical Matches - Liverpool v. Newcastle United
December 28, 1999
Anfield, Liverpool

Pre-game Notes:
Liverpool beat Newcastle United four goals to three in the last two previous meetings.
Paul Ince was out due to suspension.
Steve McManaman returned from injury for Liverpool and was awarded the captaincy in Ince’s absence.
This was only the second time during the season that Shearer had been matched with Ferguson due to injuries.  This Shearer-Ferguson match-up was definitely one of the build-ups prior to the match.

Players:
Liverpool
Manager: Gerard Houllier
David James
Vegard Heggem
Jamie Carragher
Phil Babb
Steve Staunton
Stig Inge Bjornebye
Steve McManaman (Captain)
Jamie Redknapp
Patrik Herber
KarlHeinz Reidle
Michael Owen

Substitutes:
Brad Friedel
Jason McAteer
Steve Harkness
David Thompson
Steven Gerrard

Newcastle United
Manager: Ruud Gullit
Shay Given
Aaron Huges
Steve Howey
Laurent Charvet
Stuart Pearce
Nolberto Solano
Dietmar Hamann
Gary Speed
Stephen Glass
Duncan Ferguson
Alan Shearer (Captain)

Substitutes:
Steve Harper
John Barnes
Georgios Georgiadis
Nikos Dabizas
Andreas Anderson

A blistering pacy start to the cold December match.  Duncan Ferguson and Stuart Pearce had chances for Newcastle United while Michael Owen threatened on the right hand side of the attack in the early minutes of the match.

Shay Given and David James both had big saves to earn their stripes and keep their sides level during the first half of the first half.

Steve McManaman sustained an injury in the twenty-fifth minute and handed the captaincy to Jamie Redknapp.  Steve McManaman was replaced by the up-and-coming, eighteen year old sensation, Steve Gerrard.  This was Gerrard’s second first team match of his career.

Nolberto Solano drove the ball in the back of the net past David James in the twenty-ninth minute at the top of the box.  A free kick from forty yards out of the box was not properly cleared and Solano finished it.  1-0 Newcastle United.

Dietmar Hamann was given a second yellow card and was dismissed with a red card by referee Steven Lodge right before halftime.

1-0 at halftime.

David Thompson substituted for Steven Gerrard at halftime.  The beginning of Gerrard’s illustrious career was definitely rocky.

Andreas Anderson replaced Duncan Ferguson for Newcastle United moments later.

Jamie Carragher, the defensive stalwart for Liverpool, even had a rare shot attempt.  The shot followed a poor clearance by Newcastle United.

Andreas Anderson scored within a few minutes of his entry.  A wonder substitution by Ruud Gullit.  Shay Given drove a long goal kick, Alan Shearer headed the ball on to a running Andreas Anderson who faked past David James and placed it in the back of the old onion bag at the 56th minute.  2-0 Newcastle United.

Just remember, Newcastle United was playing with 10 men at this point in the game.

Michael Owen and David Thompson did not give up without a fight.  Shay Given was definitely the Newcastle United MVP after his performance up to this point in the match.

Michael Owen finally deflected in a goal… Shay Given’s resistance broke by a Jamie Carragher shot that was deflected by Owen in the 57th minute.  This was Owen’s 14th goal of the season.  2-1 Newcastle United.

Liverpool’s second goal was delivered by KarlHeinz Reidle.  KarlHeinz Reidle flicked the ball over his defender as he received a cross and banged the ball in the net.  2-2 tie.

Michael Owen truly demoralized Newcastle United.  Jamie Redknapp shot, Owen deflection saved, rebound finished by Michael Owen in the 80th minute.  3-2 Liverpool.

KarlHeinz Reidle dribbled past a valant Shay Given.  Reidle had two goals in the 84th minute.  4-2 Liverpool.

Final 4-2 Liverpool.  Two goals a piece from Michael Owen and KarlHeinz Riedle.

Liverpool finished 7th in the table and Newcastle United finished 13th that season.  The game did not affect the title race as both teams were in transitional periods.  However, the game was definitely entertaining nonetheless and a historical soccer match.

8th UEFA European Under U-19 Soccer Championship Elite Round

With the qualifying rounds already played from 2 October 2008 to 27 November 2008, the stage is set for the Elite Round to start from Sunday, 1 March 2009 and last till Sunday 31 May 2009. The teams from the qualifying rounds have been divided into 7 groups of 4 teams each, making 28 fierce contestants fighting for the final title.

Matches for group 1 will be held in Serbia on 12, 14 and 17 May 2009. The 4 teams playing in this group include Serbia, who will play as the host soccer team against Hungary, Finland and Austria. Serbia showed a consistent performance in the qualifying rounds scoring 3, 5 and 4 in the 3 matches it played. Hungary only performed well in 1 match against San Marino and scored 6 points, and scoring 1 and 0 in the other 2. Both Finland and Austria stand at almost equal standing with Finland scoring 2, 0 and 3 in the last 3 matches, and Austria scoring 2, 3 and 1 soccer goals. There is a highly likely chance that the host team will be the highest scorer in this group and will qualify to the Final tournament - Group stage.

Group 2 matches will be held in Slovenia, which will also be the host team of this group and play against Russia, Netherlands and Belarus. The matches will be held on 4, 6 and 9 June 2009. So far, the toughest contenders in this group are Netherlands, followed by Slovenia and then Russia. Belarus is the lowest scoring team in this group.
Portugal will be the host for Group 3, and will play against Turkey, Greece and Denmark on 23, 25 and 28 May 2009. Turkey is in the lead among all the 4 soccer clubs in this group, followed by Portugal and then with Greece and Denmark.

Switzerland, Republic of Ireland and Sweden are going to play in Group 4 on 5, 7 and 10 June 2009 along with the host team Belgium. Sweden and Belgium are the stronger teams of this group, with Ireland having the least scores. The game between the host team and Sweden will definitely be an exciting one.

France is the host soccer team for Group 5 matches which will play on 18, 20 and 23 May 2009 against Romania, Norway and Latvia. France is the highest scorer for this group, with a total of 9 scores from the qualifying rounds. Romania follows the lead in the group, with Norway and Latvia with the lowest scores.

Group 6 matches will be hosted by England on 27 and 29 May and 1 June 2009. The other three teams participating in the group include Scotland, Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Although Scotland leads this group with the highest scores, England has shown a stable performance in the qualifying rounds. Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have fewer score compared to the host team and Scotland, so chances are that they might not be playing in the next round.
The Soccer Championship final group will play their matches in Estonia on the 21, 23 and 26 of May 2009. The other participating teams for these matches include Germany, Spain and Czech Republic.

The Elite round will decide the winning teams to play in the Final tournament - Group stage to be held from 21 July to 27 July 2009. The semi-finals for this annual event will take place on 30 July 2009 with the final match taking place on Sunday 2 August 2009.