Reds victory compounds woes for Ince's Blackburn
Yossi Benayoun scored once and set up Steven Gerrard for Liverpool's late third
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Saturday, 06, Dec 2008 05:35
Goals from Xabi Alonso, Yossi Benayoun and Steven Gerrard ensured Liverpool stayed top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 3-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.
Paul Ince's men showed some fight in the second half, with Roque Santa Cruz's goal giving the home fans hope at 2-1 down.
But Gerrard's late finish put the game beyond the hosts and condemned the struggling Lancastrians to a tenth straight match without a win, and increased the pressure on their manager.
Alonso calmly finished past a stranded Paul Robinson from Gerrard's cross-field pass to give the Reds a deserved half-time lead at Ewood Park.
And the game looked like getting beyond the home team when Benayoun's low shot beat the former England shot-stopper.
However, striker Santa Cruz rose highest to an Andre Ooijer cross to halve the visitors' lead soon after as Liverpool were left to rue a rare defensive frailty.
Rovers up in search of what would have been a flattering equaliser, with Santa Cruz again causing problems.
But Gerrard put the game to bed, punishing a late error from Robinson - who rushed out of his area to clear the ball.
His attempted kick fell straight to Benayoun, though, and the winger skipped past a lunging Stephen Warnock to allow Gerrard to tap home into an unguarded net.