CROUCH TREBLE PUTS RAFA ON SPOT
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has a dilemma ahead of next week's Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven following a hat-trick by Peter Crouch in the 4-1 Premiership demolition of Arsenal.
Crouch's goals - on his return from an operation on a broken nose - took his tally to the season to 16.
Now Benitez must decide whether to play the England striker next Tuesday.
"We have a very important Champions League game and I have a good selection problem after what Peter has done," he said.
"But the tactics [today] were chosen specifically to play against Arsenal. They may well be very different in Eindhoven, we will have to wait and see."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insisted Liverpool were "very, very big favourites" to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
He said: "Defensively our performance was horrendous. The difference was Crouch, we just did not handle him at all.
"He was the big difference. We could not cope with him in the air and his three goals all came from crosses from wide areas. He made fine runs and we never got close enough to him, and with Steven Gerrard also finding gaps between our defenders, Liverpool more than deserved to win.
"They were more mobile, sharper and determined. If we want to finish third now we will have to produce better performances than that between now and the end of the season."
Wenger's own concerns are whether his misfiring side can stay in the top four and clinch a Champions League spot.
He said: "We are not certain of being in the top four. There is not a big enough gap even if maybe my players felt they had done enough.
"That is not the case. We will have to give our best in every game now, we must win all our home matches and pick up some away wins, too."
The Frenchman added: "My players are now concerned about the situation. They did not produce what was expected."
That cannot be the case for Benitez. Crouch scored on the near post early on and then sent in a thumping header before the break.
Daniel Agger saw a glancing header from a free-kick beat Jens Lehmann - more trouble there for Arsenal in the air - before William Gallas scrambled home a consolation.
But the stage was still Crouch's. Missing from both England matches in midweek, he left England boss Steve McClaren in little doubt of the damage he can do.
His third in front of the Kop came after fine play from Dirk Kuyt and Jermaine Pennant, with the gangling striker producing clever footwork to beat Lehmann again. More
Crouch's goals - on his return from an operation on a broken nose - took his tally to the season to 16.
Now Benitez must decide whether to play the England striker next Tuesday.
"We have a very important Champions League game and I have a good selection problem after what Peter has done," he said.
"But the tactics [today] were chosen specifically to play against Arsenal. They may well be very different in Eindhoven, we will have to wait and see."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insisted Liverpool were "very, very big favourites" to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
He said: "Defensively our performance was horrendous. The difference was Crouch, we just did not handle him at all.
"He was the big difference. We could not cope with him in the air and his three goals all came from crosses from wide areas. He made fine runs and we never got close enough to him, and with Steven Gerrard also finding gaps between our defenders, Liverpool more than deserved to win.
"They were more mobile, sharper and determined. If we want to finish third now we will have to produce better performances than that between now and the end of the season."
Wenger's own concerns are whether his misfiring side can stay in the top four and clinch a Champions League spot.
He said: "We are not certain of being in the top four. There is not a big enough gap even if maybe my players felt they had done enough.
"That is not the case. We will have to give our best in every game now, we must win all our home matches and pick up some away wins, too."
The Frenchman added: "My players are now concerned about the situation. They did not produce what was expected."
That cannot be the case for Benitez. Crouch scored on the near post early on and then sent in a thumping header before the break.
Daniel Agger saw a glancing header from a free-kick beat Jens Lehmann - more trouble there for Arsenal in the air - before William Gallas scrambled home a consolation.
But the stage was still Crouch's. Missing from both England matches in midweek, he left England boss Steve McClaren in little doubt of the damage he can do.
His third in front of the Kop came after fine play from Dirk Kuyt and Jermaine Pennant, with the gangling striker producing clever footwork to beat Lehmann again. More
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