The keeper's guild: Hart, Reina play saviours again

On a day when British football was left numb by the shocking suicide of Wales manager Gary Speed, Liverpool and Manchester City were still able to serve up a rollicking spectacle of quality football. And there were two breathtaking, and contrasting goalkeeping performances to savour. In the visitors’ net, Joe Hart pounced and dived here and there in an impeccable display of shot stopping. For Liverpool, Pepe Reina had to make frequent excursions out of the sanctuary of his penalty area as the home team’s marauding full-backs, Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson, became a little bit too excitable. Reina did such a good job cleaning up at the back that it was tempting to suggest he bin his gloves and become a third central defender. It’s a measure of the level of self-belief that Kenny Dalglish has instilled on his players that they had the confidence to attack a team who had won 11 and drawn just one of their previous Premier League games this season. [caption id=“attachment_141608” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Joe Hart was brilliant for Manchester City. Reuters”]  [/caption] Vincent Kompany’s terrific header into the top corner gave City the lead, but Liverpool hit back almost immediately when Joleon Lescott tried to deflect Charlie Adam’s long-range drive wide of the goalmouth. It was a bad decision. Hart was poised to comfortably save Adam’s shot; instead he was horribly wrong-footed by Lescott’s touch. With one goal banked by each side at half-time, all 22 players bristled with intent in the second half – though it was Liverpool, with Lucas initiating many of the attacks, who looked more potent. Without the strains of a European campaign to distract them this time, it’s about this stage in the season that Liverpool should be able to demonstrate better stamina than the other leading sides. They did not let their fans down, but found Hart in irritatingly brilliant form. He tipped Stewart Downing’s drive over the bar, and made strong saves from both Luis Suarez and substitute Andy Carroll late on. By this stage, City were hanging on for a draw. A point was enough to maintain their five-point lead at the top, given that Manchester United had been denied victory by a determined Newcastle and an errant assistant referee the day before. But we’ll never know if Liverpool could have been an even more incisive threat with Craig Bellamy, a vital part of their win at Chelsea, in the side. Bellamy was particularly close to Speed, and it was no surprise when he was pulled out the squad late in the build-up. There was debate as to whether the early Sunday kick-off at Swansea should have taken place at all, given the Welsh connection there, and the fact that the tragic news concerning Speed was only beginning to filter through as the first spectators arrived at Liberty Stadium. A hastily-arranged minute’s silence was punctuated by chants and applause, as fans reacted spontaneously, and in no way disrespectfully to an event that was both devastating and disorientating for so many. A tightly-bunched top seven has emerged this season, and for those involved at three of those teams there will be tears come May when only four gain Champions League places. This weekend, five of them drew, with Tottenham and Chelsea the two to emerge with valuable victories. Chelsea’s win, in which they beat Wolves 3-0, was orchestrated by Oriol Romeu. The 20-year-old Spaniard was a brave selection by Andre Villas-Boas in a defensive midfield role, and did his manager proud. As for Spurs, it was a continuation of the Emmanuel Adebayor show. Five days after scoring twice at home to Villa, he went to West Brom and grabbed two more goals. This was not a vintage Tottenham performance by any means. It is to be hoped the hamstring injury that forced the influential Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart out of this game is a brief one, because he’ll be needed against stronger sides. The problem for Spurs is the Europa League, an unloved competition within England as its Thursday kick-offs play havoc with weekend preparations. They’ve started uncertainly in what looked a weak group, but if they fail to go further Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp won’t mind unduly. And so, the circus moves on – to next weekend, and a couple of very appealing fixtures: Newcastle v Chelsea and Aston Villa v Manchester United. At the other end, if bottom club Blackburn can’t beat Swansea at home on Saturday then it could be a bleak Christmas for Rovers fans.