Despite the best efforts of certain members of the press, perhaps one in particular, Liverpool’s Peter Crouch has now been officially confirmed as the scorer of his goal against Newcastle. After earlier in the season trying to turn his Wigan goal into an own goal the same thing happened again when Crouch got the ball past Shay Given against the Geordies. The Premier League’s dubious goals panel awarded the Wigan goal to Crouch, and did the same again yesterday over the Newcastle goal. Originally awarded as a Shay Given own goal the panel had no doubt that it really should have been awarded to the Reds striker.

Why this individual sees fit to keep trying (and failing) to take Crouch’s goals away from him is really unclear, but the panel is usually sitting on either goals that should have been awarded as own goals, or goals that went to the wrong team-mate. The other two goals they looked at yesterday were changed from goals to own goals. Park Ji Sung of Manchester United has had his goal against Fulham taken away from him and awarded as a Carlos Bocanegra own goal. Everton’s Leon Osman meanwhile has seen his effort against Portsmouth amended to an own goal by Andy O’Brien.

Other news yesterday saw Liverpool’s planning permission for the new stadium confirmed. Liverpool had to resubmit the plans due to changes in planning laws, but no problems were found and the plans were re-approved. Despite earlier reports, no alterations were needed to the original plans, but with the stadium move subject to such opposition by those in the city who are fans of the bitter blues it was no surprise that “leaks” would come out that later proved to be incorrect.

The cost of building the new 60,000-seater stadium is currently estimated at £160m and Liverpool are still looking for investment. Sunday newspapers tried to make out Liverpool had missed a deadline for £11m of funding, but although the club are cutting it fine the deadline has not actually passed yet.

Liverpool have made it clear on numerous occasions that they will not share with Everton, but Everton still seem to be holding out hopes that they will be able to join in with Liverpool’s plans.

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Harry Kewell is finally in a position to show the Liverpool supporters and Rafa Benitez just what he’s capable of doing. His injury problems are pretty much behind him and he’s enjoying his football again: “I’m loving it at the moment. It’s nice to be able to go out there onto the pitch and know you don’t have to think about your groin all the time. I can concentrate on the football and that’s great. I feel fitter and stronger than I have for a while so things are going well for me. Long may it continue.”

Kewell has won over his critics with a long succession of excellent hard-working performances since he came back from the groin problems, but he knows he’s got to keep working hard to keep those critics off his back: “I’ve got big shoulders and I’ve been in this country long enough to know how it works. You have to take the good with the bad. When you’re doing well then that’s great but when things are bad you have to stay strong and get through it. I had an injury problem which stopped me from playing or performing at my top level. There was nothing I could do until it got sorted.” As for those who claimed Kewell had lost interest in playing the game that made him very wealthy, he wants to meet them: “I wish they would come to me and say it to my face but they won’t. They hide behind others. They didn’t know what they were talking about.” Although the strength of his words suggest otherwise, Kewell says the comments didn’t particularly bother him: “I wouldn’t say I was hurt, honestly. I just laughed them off. They are people who probably want to start a war of words with me so they can get their name recognised. Football is a massive thing in this country and nowadays everyone is looking at every aspect of the game. Everyone criticises every part of the game but we get paid good money so we have to take the good with the bad. You are doing a job you love, you get looked after very well and so you have to accept all the other stuff that comes with it.”

For Kewell it wasn’t so much a worry that he’d never play again, more a worry that he’d not be able to get back to the standards he’d set for himself during his earlier career: “I always knew I’d come back but the question in my mind was whether I could be as good as I had been previously. You go through stages where you think the worst and can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. I had confident and positive people around me though and they were telling me I’d probably be able to come back an even better player.” Those people still couldn’t stop him from having bad days on a regular basis as he fought his way back to fitness: “Out of ten days you work really hard for eight of them and on the other two you think to yourself ‘stuff this, I can’t be bothered anymore’. You get through those negative days though. Everyone has them. It’s normal.”

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With Robbie Fowler’s future still up in the air, the vultures from other clubs are circling with keen interest should his so brief second spell at Anfield be killed off in the summer. Rafael Benitez will not be drawn yet on his decision about a new Fowler contract, and Bolton Wanderers are one of the clubs interested in giving him somewhere to play should Rafa reject him.

Sam Allardyce has already mentioned his interest in taking Fowler, but Robbie won’t listen to any other offers until Liverpool make their decision. Bolton’s former Everton midfielder Gary Speed would love to see Robbie in “fat” Sam’s side next season. Speaking to Sky, Speed said: “He’s a fantastic player and fantastic goalscorer. If the ball falls in box, there’s one player you want it to fall to, or in our case, wouldn’t want it to fall to, and he stuck it away.” Speed was referring to Fowler’s winner against Bolton on Sunday, although Allardyce seemed to think that well-taken shot was actually a mis-ht.

According to Speed, Allardyce would be able to get value out of Fowler: “Sam’s record of getting the best out of his players is second to none. I can personally vouch for that and I’m sure Robbie would be a great addition here, if that was the case. But I’m sure, if you spoke to Robbie about that, he’d be hoping to stay at Liverpool.”

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Liverpool’s winger Mark González is currently out on loan at Real Sociedad, unable to play for the Reds because of red tape. On Sunday he played for his temporary team against the mighty Real Madrid on their own patch - and scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw. His performance impressed the Spanish media, but Rafael Benitez obviously wants him playing in the Red shirt next season. Inconsistent rules in European law mean that Gonzalez will qualify as a Spanish citizen this summer, after living and working in Spain long enough to do so. Meanwhile English rules are different and he can’t play in England because he wasn’t granted a work permit. Once he gets his Spanish citizenship he becomes eligible to live and work in England, but Liverpool will reapply for a work permit too to ensure he’s eligible for next season’s title challenge. Rafa explained why he’s so keen on getting his signing into his team: “We are hopeful he will come in the summer because he can be an important player for us. He has pace, quality and can score, and he works very hard for the team - all qualities which will help him settle in quickly here. He works very hard for the whole 90 minutes for his team-mates. He was the best player on the pitch for Sociedad against Real at the Bernabéu, and that’s three goals he has scored now since he joined the club.”

Rafa was astounded at the decision to refuse Liverpool’s first application for a work permit. One of the reasons the application was refused was because those who make the decisions - probably not even football fans - said he was too inexperienced, not a big enough name. Rafa says Mark has proved them wrong in his recent time in Spain: “I said at the time that I was surprised by the decision not to allow him to join us. When you see the level at which he is playing now, I think it shows we had a good case and what a good player he actually is. You have to remember he was injured for six months and so he is improving with every game he plays, recovering his fitness and raising his level. I think he can make an impact on the Premiership. He will be a good addition to the team and we are all looking forward to him finally joining us.”

To whom Gonzalez will be providing crosses remains to be seen, Rafa is still not going to show his hand in public over Robbie Fowler’s future: “We are really happy with Robbie and he is working really hard, but you need to know exactly how many top-class strikers you need to win trophies or if Robbie is that type of top-class striker. There is no doubt that Robbie is a top-class player, but you also need qualities in the team like pace and stamina if you want to win trophies. If you have a player like Robbie then you know what his qualities are, but you need to know what his performances will be like all season.”

Benitez conceded that Robbie is a player of high quality, but says that improvements are still needed from him: “It is not easy to find better players than Robbie. And it is difficult to find anyone with the passion he has for this club. But maybe you could find three top-class strikers who are 23 years of age and can score goals and have pace, and then you have to think. I have been talking to Robbie and we are not in a hurry, and he knows why. He knows he needs to improve and in which areas.”

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Scott Carson’s loan move to Sheffield Wednesday is due to end in another few weeks, but he says he’d even consider staying with Wednesday into next season. Carson is currently third-choice at Anfield; Jerzy Dudek never did leave the club as expected this season. Carson is likely to become second choice again next season as Dudek seems unlikely to spend another season on the bench, but he says staying with the Owls is still a possibility: “I would never rule out Wednesday next season if I’m not involved at Liverpool.”

Carson has been impressive in his five appearances since his loan move, with an outside chance of an England call-up according to former Reds goalkeeper and legend Ray Clemence. Clem is now involved in the England national set-up, and says that Carson could overtake the current third-choice England keeper Robert Green of Norwich for a place on the plane to Germany this summer. Clemence said: “At international level, possession is nine-tenths or the law so Robert Green is in a strong position, but Scott Carson, our under-21 ‘keeper who gained senior squad experience with us in the States last summer is also doing very well so we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on how he does.”

Liverpool played Bolton yesterday, and before the game their keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen spoke about the situation Carson and other young goalkeepers find themselves in when at a big club: “I don’t know what the problem is but the main thing for young English keepers is they have to play games. If you’re very talented, an 18- or 19-year-old goalkeeper, I don’t think it’s good to go to a big club where all you are going to do is play in the reserves. It’s much better to go abroad and play somewhere because that’s going to give you the experience you need.”

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Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at home to Bolton yesterday means that the Reds need just one more victory from their remaining four games to virtually assure themselves of third place. That one win would leave Tottenham as the only club able to catch them, and only then if they won all of their games and eroded the superior goal-difference the Reds currently possess. Second place is still a possibility for the Reds, although Manchester United would need to slip up much more than they seem likely to given their current form. United would need to lose two and draw one of their last five games to let Liverpool get in with a chance – and again goal difference would be the decider in that case.

With Arsenal’s defeat to United yesterday Liverpool moved another step to being sure of a top-four finish. Two more points would mean Liverpool finishing at least fourth, and in turn qualifying for the Champions League qualifiers next season.

So unless some major slip-ups happen somewhere along the line Liverpool can start to think about the Champions League next season. This time round Liverpool would start in the third qualifying round rather than first, and so the players would at least get a little time off after the World Cup. One player not expecting to be involved in the World Cup but desperate to be involved in the Reds pre-season training is Robbie Fowler.

Fowler was signed in January on what amounted to a six-month trial, the intention being that he would prove his fitness and form were deserving of a new Anfield contract. Yesterday Fowler proved his form was good enough – he got his third goal since joining and his second in two games – but his fitness is something Rafael Benítez will continue to assess. It was Fowler’s 31st birthday yesterday and Benítez was pleased with the performance of the Kop hero, even if the Spaniard won’t be drawn on where Robbie’s future lies: “It’s his birthday and scoring goals is the best thing for a striker, but we are not talking about his new contract. I like to see him scoring goals and playing well, but the most important thing for us is to see him working hard until the end and playing well. To score a goal and the winner is the best thing for a striker and it was nice for Robbie on his birthday. I like to see Robbie scoring goals and it is good for me to see him working so hard and playing really well.”

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Premiership Result: Liverpool 1 Bolton 0

Liverpool: J Reina, S Finnan, S Hyypia, J Carragher, J Riise, D Cisse (S Luis Garcia, 45), X Alonso, S Gerrard, H Kewell (D Traore, 88), R Fowler (D Hamann, 75), P Crouch. Subs: J Dudek, M Sissoko
Goal: R Fowler 45
Booked: S Hyypia 57

Bolton: J Jaaskelainen, N Hunt, B N’Gotty, T Ben Haim, R Gardner, K Nolan, G Speed, A Faye (I Campo, 74), S Giannakopoulos (H Pedersen, 53), K Davies, J Okocha (M Jansen, 61). Subs: I Walker, J Borgetti
Booked: A Faye 20

Referee: R Styles
Attendance: 44,194
Half-time: 1-0

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Premiership Team News:

Steven Gerrard gets his favourite central midfield role back today after missing the last game through suspension. Last week’s scorers against West Brom - Fowler and Cisse - retain their places in the side, with Cisse again set to play wide right. Momo Sissoko is kept on the bench today - a booking today would see him reach 10 bookings and a suspension. After today the count is reset for the player.

Liverpool: J Reina; S Finnan, S Hyypia, J Carragher, J Riise; D Cisse, X Alonso, S Gerrard, H Kewell; R Fowler, P Crouch
Subs: J Dudek, S Luis Garcia, D Hamann, D Traore, M Sissoko

Bolton: J Jaaskelainen; N Hunt, B N’Gotty, T Ben Haim, R Gardner; K Nolan, G Speed, A Faye, S Giannakopoulos; K Davies, J Okocha
Subs: I Walker, I Campo, H Pedersen, M Jansen, J Borgetti

Referee: Rob Styles

Kick-off: 2.00pm BST

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There’s been a slight rumour floating around the club this week that Liverpool are set to make a move for Craig Bellamy in the summer. As unlikely as it seems – the player’s reputation seems a complete contrast to what Liverpool fans would expect from their team’s stars – it does bring a reminder to the existing strikers that their days may be numbered.

Robbie Fowler is trying his hardest to earn a new contract, but it’s not just his performances on the pitch that Rafael Benítez will be looking at before making an offer. Rafa also wants to be sure of Fowler’s fitness, and the player knows all about it. Benítez says there’s no rush to make a decision: “I have been talking with Robbie and I am happy with him. We are not in a hurry and he knows why. We have two clear options, for Robbie to stay or look for another team. We need to decide but he knows our idea and is continuing to work as hard as he can on his fitness. It is not a problem between him and us.”

Rafa says there’s no problem with Robbie’s playing abilities, it’s his fitness more than anything else that is under scrutiny: “He knows that we need to decide in maybe three weeks or a month, and he needs to continue to work hard but we know he is a good finisher and a good player. But we need to know how he will play next season and what level his physical condition will allow him to play at.”

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Congratulations to Liverpool’s young central defender Daniel Agger who has been named Denmark’s Under-21 Player of the Year.  

Agger was recognised predominately for his performances with the Danish under-21 team, his contribution playing a major part in Denmark’s qualification for the UEFA European U21 Championships this summer. He played in six of the qualifiers and scored three times, as well as putting in excellent performances in defence. His form was rewarded with call-ups to the full national squad, including playing a friendly where England were humiliated.

Liverpool signed him in January, and although he’s only yet played a handful of games this is to ensure he’s introduced at the right speed. He’s already been told by Rafael Benitez that he needs to tackle a little less forcefully in training.

The Danish under-21 coach, Flemming Serritslev, was full of praise for Danny: “Daniel is a complete defender. He is extremely quick and also good at going forward which has added a new dimension to our team. He also possesses some fine personal qualities and has remained the same humble young man despite his recent success. He never forgets his team-mates in the Under-21 team.”

Agger himself was delighted both with the award, and the praise from the coach: “First and foremost it’s nice to know that people appreciate my way of playing. It also means a lot to me to hear those kind words from Flemming.”
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