2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season

Liverpool

2009–10 season
Co-chairmen	Tom Hicks George Gillett
Manager	Rafael Benítez
Premier League	7th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Fourth round
UEFA Champions League	Group stage, 3rd
UEFA Europa League	Round of 32
Top goalscorer	League: Torres (12) All: Torres (12)

The 2009–10 season is the 118th season in Liverpool Football Club's existence, and their 47th consecutive year in the top flight, and covers the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010. Having finished second in the previous season, Liverpool qualified automatically for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

Pre-season

Liverpool confirmed that long-serving centre-back Sami Hyypiä would be leaving the club after 10 years to join German club Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool also confirmed that José Segura, the ex-Olympiacos manager, would be joining the club as Academy technical manager, starting on 1 June.

Liverpool announced their pre-season programme on 6 May 2009, including a tour of Asia, and a friendly against Espanyol, as a clause of the deal that brought Albert Riera to the club. Liverpool started their pre-season campaign against St. Gallen in Switzerland on 15 July, which ended as 0-0 draw. Rafael Benítez gave playing time for most of his players. Young Jay Spearing, Nabil El Zhar, and Krisztián Németh were looking good in the first half. 17-year-old Spaniard Daniel Pacheco's also impressed the team. Glen Johnson made his debut for Liverpool and earned himself the Fans Man of the Match award from Liverpool FC TV. They played their second encounter with Rapid Wien at the Ernst Happel Stadium on 19 July, which Liverpool lost 1–0. The Asian tour began with a match against Thailand on 22 July which ended 1–1, followed by a trip to Kallang to play Singapore, a game which Liverpool won 5–0 with goals by Andriy Voronin, Albert Riera, two by Krisztián Németh, and Fernando Torres. Their remaining pre-season fixtures include matches against Espanyol on 2 August, where they suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat; a win over Lyn Oslo on 5 August; and a 2–1 loss against Atlético Madrid on 8 August.

Team kit

The team kit for the 2009–10 season will be produced by Adidas. The home kit will remain the same as last season. The new away kit is black with gold trim. The third kit is changing in August 2009 to a new white kit. It was announced that long time sponsor Carlsberg would be leaving the club after 18 years. They will be replaced by British bank Standard Chartered, who will commence a four-year £80m deal with the club in May 2010.

Technical staff

Name Role Rafael Benitez Manager Sammy Lee Assistant manager Mauricio Pellegrino First team coach Dave McDonough Head of Technical Analysis Kenny Dalglish Academy Development Officer/Club Ambassador José Segura Academy Techinal Manager Paco de Miguel Fitness Coach Eduardo Parra García Fitness coach Xavi Valero Goalkeeping coach John McMahon Reserve Team Manager Gonzalo Rodríguez Reserve Team Fitness coach John Achterberg Reserve Team Goalkeeping Coach

Name Role Eduardo Macia Chief scout Mike McGlynn Assistant Chief scout Mark Waller Club doctor Rob Price Senior physiotherapist Chris Morgan Physiotherapist Matt Konopinski Physiotherapist Iván Ortega Sports Therapist Félix Fernández Ledesma Assistant Sports Therapist Paul Small Masseur Graham Carter Kit Manager

First-team squad

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date Of Birth (Age)	Signed From	Notes
Goalkeepers
25	Pepe Reina		GK	(1982-08-31) August 31, 1982	Villarreal
1	Diego Cavalieri		GK	(1982-12-01) December 1, 1982	Palmeiras
41	Martin Hansen		GK	(1990-06-15) June 15, 1990	Brøndby	Reserve team player
42	Péter Gulácsi		GK	(1990-05-06) May 6, 1990	MTK Budapest	Reserve team player
43	Dean Bouzanis		GK	(1990-10-02) October 2, 1990	New South Wales Institute of Sport	Reserve team player
44	David Martin		GK	(1986-01-22) January 22, 1986	Milton Keynes Dons	Reserve team player
Defenders
2	Glen Johnson		RB	(1984-08-23) August 23, 1984	Portsmouth
27	Philipp Degen		RB	(1983-02-15) February 15, 1983	Borussia Dortmund
32	Stephen Darby		RB	(1988-10-06) October 6, 1988	The Academy	Reserve team player
36	Steven Irwin		RB	(1990-09-29) September 29, 1990	The Academy	Reserve team player
23	Jamie Carragher		CB	(1978-01-28) January 28, 1978	The Academy	Vice-captain
5	Daniel Agger		CB	(1984-12-12) December 12, 1984	Brøndby
38	Andrea Dossena		LB	(1981-09-11) September 11, 1981	Udinese	To January
16	Sotirios Kyrgiakos		CB	(1979-07-23) July 23, 1979	AEK Athens
37	Martin Škrtel		CB	(1984-12-15) December 15, 1984	Zenit St. Petersburg
34	Martin Kelly		CB	(1990-04-27) April 27, 1990	The Academy	Reserve team player
12	Fábio Aurélio		LB	(1979-09-24) September 24, 1979	Valencia
22	Emiliano Insúa		LB	(1989-01-07) January 7, 1989	Boca Juniors
40	Daniel Sánchez Ayala		CB	(1990-11-07) November 7, 1990	Sevilla	Reserve team player
Midfielders
4	Alberto Aquilani		CM	(1984-07-07) July 7, 1984	Roma
18	Dirk Kuyt		RW	(1980-07-22) July 22, 1980	Feyenoord
15	Yossi Benayoun		RW	(1980-05-05) May 5, 1980	West Ham United
48	Gerardo Bruna		MF	(1991-01-29) January 29, 1991	Real Madrid	Reserve team player
31	Nabil El Zhar		RW	(1986-08-27) August 27, 1986	Saint-Étienne
8	Steven Gerrard		AM	(1980-05-30) May 30, 1980	The Academy	Captain
20	Javier Mascherano		DM	(1984-06-08) June 8, 1984	West Ham United
21	Lucas Leiva		CM	(1987-01-09) January 9, 1987	Grêmio
17	Maxi Rodriguez		W	(1981-01-02) January 2, 1981	Atlético Madrid	From January
26	Jay Spearing		CM	(1988-11-25) November 25, 1988	The Academy	Reserve team player
28	Damien Plessis		DM	(1988-03-05) March 5, 1988	Lyon
11	Albert Riera		LW	(1982-04-15) April 15, 1982	Espanyol
19	Ryan Babel		LW	(1986-12-19) December 19, 1986	Ajax
46	David Amoo		RW	(1991-04-13) April 13, 1991	Millwall	Reserve team player
Strikers
9	Fernando Torres		ST	(1984-03-20) March 20, 1984	Atlético Madrid
24	David N'Gog		ST	(1989-04-01) April 1, 1989	Paris Saint-Germain
39	Nathan Eccleston		ST	(1990-12-30) December 30, 1990	The Academy	Reserve team player
47	Daniel Pacheco		ST	(1991-01-05) January 5, 1991	The Academy	Reserve team player
10	Andriy Voronin		ST	(1979-07-21) July 21, 1979	Bayer Leverkusen	To January

As of 1 July 2009.

Squad stats

				Total			UCL		EPL		FA Cup		FL Cup
No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Sts	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls
25	GK		Reina	26	26		5		20		1
2	DF		Johnson	20	21	2	3		17	2			1
37	DF		Škrtel	15	19	1	4		12	1	1		2
23	DF		Carragher	26	26		5		19		1		1
22	DF		Insúa	26	26	1	6		18		1		1	1
20	MF		Mascherano	20	23		5		17				1
21	MF		Lucas	25	26		5		20		1
18	[[|S]]		Kuyt	27	28	6	6	1	20	5	1		1
15	MF		Benayoun	19	28	7	6	2	20	5	1		1
8	MF		Gerrard	22	24	6	5		17	5	1	1	1
9	[[|S]]		Torres	18	20	12	4		15	12	1
12	DF		Aurélio	10	18		5		11		1		1
24	[[|S]]		N'Gog	9	16	6	3	1	10	4	1		2	1
5	DF		Agger	15	15		4		11
19	MF		Babel	5	15	3	3	1	10	2			2
10	[[|S]]		Voronin	3	12		3		8				1
11	MF		Riera	8	11		1		9				1
4	MF		Aquilani	3	9		2		5		1		1
16	DF		Kyrgiakos	5	6		1		3				2
27	DF		Degen	3	5				3				2
38	DF		Dossena	3	5		2		2				1
26	MF		Spearing	3	5				3				2
40	DF		Ayala	1	3		3
1	GK		Cavalieri	3	3		1						2
32	DF		Darby	2	2		1				1
39	[[|S]]		Eccleston		2		1						1
47	[[|S]]		Pacheco		2		1		1
34	DF		Kelly	1	1		1
28	MF		Plessis	1	1								1
31	MF		El Zhar		1		1

Last updated: 10 January 2010
Source: BBC Sport
Ordered by starting 11, then appearances, then games started
0 shown as blank

Starting 11

These charts below depict the most used starters in the most used start formation. The most recent starters/formations are listed when total starts are equal between two players/formations.

No. Pos. Nat. Name MS Notes 25 GK Reina 26 Cavalieri has three starts 2 RB Johnson 20 37 CB Škrtel 15 Agger has 15 starts 23 CB Carragher 26 22 LB Insúa 26 Aurélio has ten starts 20 DM Mascherano 20 21 DM Lucas 25 18 RW Kuyt 27 N'Gog has nine starts 8 AM Gerrard 22 15 LW Benayoun 19 Babel has five starts and Riera has eight starts 9 FW Torres 18 Voronin has three starts

Reina Johnson Škrtel Carragher Insúa Mascherano Lucas Kuyt Gerrard Benayoun Torres .

Last updated: 10 Jan 2010
Source: Squad stats and Start formations.
Only competitive matches.
Using the most used start formation.
Ordered by position on pitch (from back right to front left).

Top scorers

Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.

Last updated on 10 Nov, Appearances shown in brackets

Position	Nation	Number	Name	Premier League	Champions League	League Cup	FA Cup	Total
1		9	Fernando Torres	12	0	0	0	12
2		15	Yossi Benayoun	5	2	0	0	7
3		18	Dirk Kuyt	5	1	0	0	6
4		8	Steven Gerrard	5	0	0	1	6
5		24	David N'Gog	4	1	1	0	6
6		19	Ryan Babel	2	1	0	0	3
7		2	Glen Johnson	2	0	0	0	2
8		37	Martin Škrtel	1	0	0	0	1
9		16	Sotirios Kyrgiakos	1	0	0	0	1
10		22	Emiliano Insúa	0	0	1	0	1
			TOTALS	37	5	2	1	45

Reserve squad

As of 21 August 2009 Squad Numbers refer to players' first team squad number (for season 2009–10), where applicable. Reserve and youth games are 1-11. See Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
26	MF	ENG	Jay Spearing
32	DF	ENG	Stephen Darby (captain)
34	DF	ENG	Martin Kelly
36	DF	ENG	Steve Irwin
39	FW	ENG	Nathan Eccleston
40	DF	ESP	Daniel Sánchez Ayala
41	GK	DEN	Martin Hansen
42	GK	HUN	Péter Gulácsi
43	GK	AUS	Dean Bouzanis (on loan to Accrington Stanley)
44	GK	ENG	David Martin (on loan to Leeds United)
46	MF	ENG	David Amoo
47	FW	ESP	Daniel Pacheco
48	MF	ARG	Gerardo Bruna
—	GK	EIR	Christopher Oldfield

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	DF	ESP	Emmanuel Mendy
—	DF	GER	Christopher Buchtmann
—	DF	ENG	Robbie Threlfall
—	DF	FRA	Chris Mavinga
—	MF	ESP	Francisco Durán
—	MF	SWE	Alexander Kačaniklić
—	MF	ISL	Guðlaugur Victor Pálsson
—	MF	HUN	Zsolt Pölöskei (on loan from MTK Hungaria)
—	MF	NED	Vincent Weijl
—	FW	NED	Jordy Brouwer
—	FW	FIN	Lauri Dalla Valle
—	FW	BRA	Vitor Flora
—	FW	DEN	Nikola Sarić

Transfers

In

First Team

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
4	MF		Aquilani	25	EU	Roma	Transfer	Summer	2014	£16.9M	BBC
2	RB		Johnson	24	EU	Portsmouth	Transfer	Summer	2013	£17.5M	BBC
16	DF		Kyrgiakos	30	EU	AEK Athens	Transfer	Summer	2011	£2M + Nemeth loan	Liverpool FC Official site
17	MF		Rodriguez	29	EU	Atletico Madrid	Transfer	Winter	2013	Free	Liverpool FC Official Site

Last updated: 13 January

Reserves and Academy

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
	GK		Belford	15	EU	Coventry City	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Compensation	Coventry Telegraph
	MF		Emilsson	16	EU	FH Hafnarfjordur	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Liverpool FC Official site
	MF		King	16	EU	Rushden & Diamonds	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Rushden & Diamonds Official website
	MF		Kohlert	16	EU	Esbjerg fB	Transfer	Summer	2012	Undisclosed	Scandic Managers
	DF		Maloney	16	EU	St Josephs Boys A.F.C.	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
	LB		Mavinga	18	EU	Paris Saint-Germain	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Liverpool FC Official site
			Moli		EU	Luton Town	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Compensation	Luton Town F.C.
	FW		Ngoo	16	EU	Southend United	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	£250,000	Liverpool FC Official site
	DF		Sama	16	EU	Borussia Dortmund	Transfer	Summer	2012	Compensation	Liverpool FC Official site
	MF		Silva	16	EU	Benfica	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Compensation	Liverpool F.C.
	DF		Sokolik	16	EU	Baník Ostrava	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Sky Sports
	MF		Suso	16	EU	Cadiz	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Compensation	Diarodecadiz.es

Last updated: 10 December

Out

First Team

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Moving to	Type	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Source
14	CM		Alonso	27	EU	Real Madrid	Transfer	Summer	£30M	Liverpool Official Site
17	DF		Arbeloa	26	EU	Real Madrid	Transfer	Summer	£3.5M	Liverpool Official Site
38	DF		Dossena	28	EU	Napoli	Transfer	Winter	€4.25M	Liverpool Official Site
35	MF		Flynn	21	EU	Falkirk	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Liverpool Official Site
4	CB		Hyypiä	35	EU	Leverkusen	Contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
33	LM		Leto	22	Non-EU	Panathinaikos	Transfer	Summer	£3M	Liverpool Official Site
38	FW		Lindfield	20	EU	Macclesfield Town	Released	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
16	RM		Pennant	26	EU	Zaragoza	Contract ended	Summer	Free	Sky News
10	FW		Voronin	30	Non-EU	Dynamo Moscow	Transfer	Winter	€2M	Liverpool Official Site

Last updated: 10 January

Reserves and Academy

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Moving to	Type	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Source
	RW		Anderson	20	EU	Nottingham Forest	Transfer	Summer	£250,000	Liverpool Official Site
	DF		Antwi	21	EU	Vejle BK	Contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
	MF		Ajdarević	18	EU	Leicester City	Contract ended	Summer	Free	BBC
	MF		Crowther	20	EU		Contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
	MF		Dawson	16	EU	Bury	Released	Summer	Free	Bury F.C. Official Site
	MF		Duyan	18	EU		Released	Summer	Free
	MF		Hammil	21	EU	Barnsley	Transfer	Summer	Undisclosed	Liverpool Official Site
	CB		Hobbs	20	EU	Leicester City	Transfer	Summer	£400,000	Liverpool Official Site
	DF		Huth	19	EU	Vicenza	Contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
	DF		Kennedy	18	EU		Youth contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
	MF		MacKay-Steven	20	EU	Fulham	Contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
	DF		O'Connor	19	EU	Ipswich Town	Contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site
	DF		Roque	20	EU	Real Betis	Contract ended	Summer	Free	Liverpool Official Site

Last updated: 10 January

Loaned in

#	Pos	Player	From	Start	End
	MF	Zsolt Pölöskei	MTK Hungária	01-07-2009	30-06-2010
	FW	Krisztián Adorján	MTK Hungária	01-08-2009	30-06-2010

Loaned out

#	Pos	Player	To	Start	End
29	FW	Krisztián Németh	AEK Athens	21-08-2009	30-06-2010
30	GK	Charles Itandje	Kavala	31-08-2009	30-06-2010
35	MF	Ryan Flynn	Falkirk	10-07-2009	14-09-2009
43	GK	Dean Bouzanis	Accrington Stanley	26-11-2009	02-01-2010
43	GK	Dean Bouzanis	Accrington Stanley	03-01-2010	30-01-2010
44	GK	David Martin	Tranmere Rovers	16-10-2009	16-11-2009
44	GK	David Martin	Leeds United	26-11-2009	28-12-2009
44	GK	David Martin	Leeds United	29-12-2009	30-01-2010
45	MF	Mikel San José	Athletic Bilbao	15-08-2009	30-06-2010
	GK	Nikolay Mihaylov	Twente	01-07-2008	30-06-2010
	FW	András Simon	Córdoba	21-08-2009	30-06-2010
	DF	Robbie Threlfall	Northampton Town	21-08-2009	19-09-2009

Match results

Pre-season

Friendlies
Kick Off	Opponents	H / A	Result	Scorers	Referee	Attendance	Report
2009-07-15 20:00	St. Gallen	A	0-0	-	Cyril Zimmermann	20,000	MR
2009-07-19 19:15	Rapid Wien	A	0-1	-	Gerhard Grubelnik	50,000	MR
2009-07-22 20:00	Thailand	A	1-1	Babel 6'		55,000	MR
2009-07-26 20:00	Singapore	A	5-0	Voronin 45', Riera 54', Németh 73', 83', Torres 80'	Abdul Malik Bashir	55,000	MR
2009-08-02 21:00	Espanyol	A	0-3	-		40,000	MR
2009-08-05 19:00	Lyn Oslo	A	2-0	Voronin 44', N'Gog 59'			MR
2009-08-08 15:00	Atlético Madrid	H	1-2	Lucas 82'	Phil Dowd	44,102	MR

Premier League

August

The fixtures for the 2009–10 Premier League season were announced on 17 June, with Liverpool being handed a tricky away fixture to Tottenham Hotspur. 'Spurs took the lead a minute before half time when left back Benoît Assou-Ekotto thumped in from 30 yards, after Tom Huddlestone's free kick had been blocked. Liverpool showed more urgency after half time, and were awarded a penalty on 55 minutes when Glen Johnson's rampaging run was ended by keeper Heurelho Gomes' rash challenge. Steven Gerrard converted the penalty to equalise for Liverpool. However, Tottenham, by far the better team throughout the match, regained the lead on 64 minutes when Cameroonian centre-half Sebastien Bassong headed home a Luka Modrić free kick. Liverpool seemed unable to respond, and fashioned few chances. They had a penalty appeal turned down on 84 minutes when Andriy Voronin seemed to be tripped by Assou-Ekotto in the box, but Spurs hung on for a 2–1 win. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez later criticised referee Phil Dowd for his failure to award Liverpool a penalty, and was later charged with improper conduct by the FA.

Liverpool's first home match was against Stoke City four days later. Liverpool took the lead after five minutes when Fernando Torres swept home Steven Gerrard's cross. The lead was doubled moments before half time when Glen Johnson acrobatically finished after Dirk Kuyt's header had been blocked off the line. Good work from Gerrard on the right saw Kuyt make it 3–0 five minutes from time, before Frenchman David N'Gog headed a fourth in stoppage time.

Liverpool suffered their first home league defeat since a 0–1 loss to Manchester United on 16 December 2007 against Aston Villa the following Monday. The away side took the lead when Lucas Leiva inadvertently headed into his own net from an Ashley Young cross on 33 minutes. Villa doubled their lead in first half injury time when Curtis Davies headed home from a corner. Liverpool did manage to pull one back through Fernando Torres, but their misery was compounded when Gerrard's poorly timed tackle on Nigel Reo-Coker led to a penalty, which Ashley Young converted to consign Liverpool to a 3–1 defeat. Manager Rafael Benítez criticised his senior players for the defeat, and demanded a better performance for the next match, away to Bolton Wanderers.

At the Reebok Stadium, Liverpool had to twice come back from behind against a dogged Bolton side. They took the lead on 33 minutes when poor marking from a corner saw Kevin Davies bundle the ball home from close range. Glen Johnson equalised four minutes before the break when a Liverpool corner was not properly cleared, and he stroked home left-footed from twenty yards. Bolton regained the lead two minutes after the break when Davies headed down Jussi Jääskeläinen's long punt for Tamir Cohen to smash home. The turning point of the game was Sean Davis' sending off on 53 minutes for a second bookable offence. Liverpool equalised just a few minutes later when Fernando Torres finished tidily following good work from Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool continued to press and finally got the winner they deserved on 83 minutes, when Torres' knockdown from a Glen Johnson was met by a sweet shot from Gerrard, who had earlier hit the bar. Gerrard later felt he "owed" the performance after poor performances in the defeats to 'Spurs and Villa.

September

Liverpool's next match came after the international break, where they faced newly-promoted Burnley at home. Despite comments made prior to the match by 'keeper Pepe Reina that the league title was 'not a realistic ambition this season', Liverpool comfortably dispatched the East Lancashire club 4–0 to go up to fourth in the table, thanks to an inspired performance from Yossi Benayoun. He opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 27th minute, after he jinked past two Burnley players and placed his shot beyond the reach of Brian Jensen. The lead was doubled four minutes before the break, when the Israeli's shot was parried, and Dirk Kuyt was on hand to tap in the rebound. Jensen was kept busy by the Liverpool frontline, as the Reds strived to make the game safe. They did when Benayoun got his second just after hour. Brilliant work by Steven Gerrard in the Burnley penalty area allowed him to pull the ball back to Benayoun, who could hardly miss from four yards. The fourth goal came with nine minutes to go when intricate play around the 18-yard box culminated in substitute Andriy Voronin's through pass to Benayoun, who just stayed onside to convert his third and Liverpool's fourth of the match. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez later praised Benayoun's work ethic, and stated that he was an 'example to the rest of the squad' Michael Shields, attended this match as a special guest, his first since Istanbul, just three days after being released from prison.

Liverpool travelled to the Boleyn Ground the following week, a ground that they won 3–0 at the previous season. They looked to be heading for a similar result when Fernando Torres' brillian run and finish put the visitors 1–0 up after thirteen minutes. However, Jamie Carragher brought young striker Zavon Hines down on the half hour, and Alessandro Diamanti converted the spot kick, which he appeared to touch twice. However, Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool back in front four minutes before the break, when he got a slight touch on a Steven Gerrard header. West Ham then equalised on half time through Carlton Cole after poor defending from a corner kick. The second half was approached slightly more cautiously by the home side, and substitute Ryan Babel made the desired impact when his ball was headed home by Torres. Liverpool held on for the remaining 15 minutes for their second consecutive 3–2 away win. Benítez praised Torres for his role in the win; Torres had stated earlier in the week that he felt he was not playing to standard this season.

The club's last Premier League match of this month came at home on 26 September, against Hull City. Liverpool took the lead after Fernando Torres, who put in a virtuoso display, showed nimble footwork, and slotted past Boaz Myhill. Hull then equalised four minutes later, when defensive frailties were pounced upon by Geovanni. Liverpool retook the lead when Torres rounded Myhill, and the Spaniard completed his hat-trick with a sublime solo effort on 47 minutes. Steven Gerrard made the game safe when his cross accidentally sailed in on the hour. Substitute Ryan Babel then came off the bench to tap in a fifth, after good work from Dirk Kuyt, and he inadvertently defleced Albert Riera's shot in injury time to make it 6–1.

October

Liverpool lost their first big four game 2–0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match was pretty even, with neither side having any clear-cut chances, until Nicolas Anelka guided the ball over Pepe Reina on the hour mark. With Liverpool pouring forward in search of an equaliser, Liverpool were left stretched at the back. With Chelsea attempting to kill time in the corner, Didier Drogba outmuscled Emiliano Insúa and squared back for Florent Malouda to double Chelsea's lead in added time.

Then, Liverpool lost their next match to Sunderland, falling out 1–0. The solitary, controversial goal was scored by Darren Bent. Andy Reid picked out Bent in the box and he directed it straight to Reina. However, a beach ball, thrown onto the field by a spectator deflected the ball into the net. Liverpool were not able to react to the shock goal, and Sunderland held on for the win.

On 25 October, Liverpool prepared to face down with Manchester United. Manager Rafa Benítez was under pressure following four straight defeats, but he was calm as he spoke to the press. Liverpool started brightly and were on top in the first half. Fábio Aurélio had a chance when his header was saved by Edwin van der Sar. United had very little to offer up front, and Liverpool sustained their pressure throughout the second half. They finally took the lead on 65 minutes when Fernando Torres outmuscled Rio Ferdinand and fired his shot into the top corner of the net. United finally reacted after the goal, but were not able to fashion any clear cut chances. Antonio Valencia hit the crossbar in the 83rd minute, but that was the closest the visitors came to an equaliser. Their plight was not helped by Nemanja Vidić's sending off for a second bookable offence on 90 minutes. Javier Mascherano was also sent off for two bookings on 95 minutes, when he tackled van der Sar. David N'Gog finally secured the three points for Liverpool when he broke away and slotted coolly past van der Sar to secure victory, Liverpool's third consecutive victory over their rivals.

Liverpool's final match of the month came away to Fulham. Liverpool had made several changes from the side that had defeated United the previous week, and fell behind after 24 minutes when Bobby Zamora tapped home. Liverpool started to create chances, and equalised three minutes before half time, when Fernando Torres finished expertly from 20 yards. After the break, Fulham started to put Liverpool under pressure, and when Torres was taken off on the hour, they lost their main attacking threat. Fulham re-took the lead on 73 minutes, when another breakaway resulted in Erik Nevland cheekily finishing off a Paul Konchesky cross. Liverpool were left chasing the game at this point, and they lost two men in three minutes; Philipp Degen was, somewhat harshly, sent off for a tackle on Zamora, and Jamie Carragher was later sent off for a professional foul. This was Liverpool's fifth defeat in 11 matches, and it left them 9 points behind Chelsea at the top.

November

Liverpool's first match of the month was home to Birmingham City. Liverpool started brightly and took the lead on 13 minutes, when David N'Gog finished off after several saves from Joe Hart. Birmingham fought back, however, and equalised on 26 minutes, when a harmless free kick resulted in Christian Benítez heading home. Birmingham took the lead in the third minute of first half stoppage time, when Cameron Jerome netted from 35 yards. Liverpool brought on Steven Gerrard at the break, and though the captain looked tired, he converted Liverpool's equaliser on 71 minutes, from the penalty spot, after N'Gog had adjudged to be fouled by Lee Carsley. TV replays showed that N'Gog had dived. Liverpool could not find the winner, but this would have been harsh on Birmingham, who had defended well throughout.

Liverpool's next match after the international break was another home game, this time to Manchester City. The first half was a turgid affair, with both sides content to exchange passes. Liverpool took the lead five minutes into the second half when Martin Škrtel got the vital touch from a Gerrard free kick. City got back into the game on 69 minutes; poor marking from Craig Bellamy's corner left Emmanuel Adebayor with a free header from six yards. City then silenced Anfield when they took the lead on 76 minutes; Shaun Wright-Phillips turned Sotirios Kyrgiakos and crossed for Stephen Ireland to finish from close range. However, City could not hold on to their lead, and Yossi Benayoun was left to tap home just 72 seconds after Ireland's goal.

Liverpool headed into the Merseyside derby having exited the Champions League, and with just one win in 10. Everton were also in poor form, though they started the brighter of the two teams. Liverpool were content to soak up the pressure, and took the lead on 12 minutes, when Javier Mascherano's 30 yard shot was deflected in by Joseph Yobo. Everton's Jo had two goals correctly ruled out for offside, and though Everton had the possession, they could not convert this into goals. Everton were left chasing the game late into the second half, and Yobo's defensive error allowed Gerrard to tee up Albert Riera, whose powerful shot Tim Howard could not hold, allowing Dirk Kuyt to tap in with ten minutes remaining. Liverpool had further chances to add to their goal tally, but 2–0 flattered Liverpool, who had taken their chances, and defended well.

Results list

Kick Off	Opponents	H / A	Result	Scorers	Referee	Attendance	Pos	Report
2009-08-16 16:00	Tottenham Hotspur	A	1 – 2	Gerrard 56' (pen.)	Phil Dowd	35,935	12th	MR
2009-08-19 20:00	Stoke City	H	4 – 0	Torres 5', Johnson 45', Kuyt 78', N'Gog 90+4'	Peter Walton	44,318	4th	MR
2009-08-24 20:00	Aston Villa	H	1 – 3	Torres 72'	Martin Atkinson	43,667	10th	MR
2009-08-29 15:00	Bolton Wanderers	A	3 – 2	Johnson 41', Torres 57', Gerrard 83'	Alan Wiley	23,284	7th	MR
2009-09-12 15:00	Burnley	H	4 – 0	Benayoun 27', 61', 82', Kuyt 41'	Lee Mason	43,817	4th	MR
2009-09-19 17:15	West Ham United	A	3 – 2	Torres 20', 75', Kuyt 41'	Andre Marriner	34,658	3rd	MR
2009-09-26 15:00	Hull City	H	6 – 1	Torres 12', 28', 47', Gerrard 61', Babel 88', 90'	Peter Walton	44,392	3rd	MR
2009-10-04 16:00	Chelsea	A	0 – 2		Martin Atkinson	41,732	5th	MR
2009-10-17 15:00	Sunderland	A	0 – 1		Michael Jones	47,327	8th	MR
2009-10-25 14:00	Manchester United	H	2 – 0	Torres 65', N'Gog 90+6'	Andre Marriner	44,188	5th	MR
2009-10-31 15:00	Fulham	A	1 – 3	Torres 42'	Lee Mason	25,700	5th	MR
2009-11-09 20:00	Birmingham City	H	2 – 2	N'Gog 13', Gerrard 71' (pen.)	Peter Walton	42,560	7th	MR
2009-11-21 12:45	Manchester City	H	2 – 2	Škrtel 50', Benayoun 77'	Phil Dowd	44,164	7th	MR
2009-11-29 13:30	Everton	A	2 – 0	Yobo 12' (o.g.), Kuyt 80'	Alan Wiley	39,652	5th	MR
2009-12-5 16:00	Blackburn Rovers	A	0 – 0		Martin Atkinson	29,660	7th	MR
2009-12-13 16:00	Arsenal	H	1 – 2	Kuyt 41'	Howard Webb	35,935	7th	MR
2009-12-16 20:00	Wigan Athletic	H	2 – 1	N'Gog 9', Torres 79'	Phil Dowd	41,116	6th	MR
2009-12-19 12:45	Portsmouth	A	0 – 2		Lee Mason	20,534	8th	MR
2009-12-26 17:30	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	2 – 0	Gerrard 62', Benayoun 70'	Andre Marriner	41,956	7th	MR
2009-12-29 19:45	Aston Villa	A	1 – 0	Torres 90+3'	Lee Probert	42,788	7th	MR
2010-1-16 12:45	Stoke City	A	1 – 1	Kyrgiakos 57'	Lee Mason	27,247	7th	MR

Results by round

UEFA Champions League

The draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League was made on 27 August 2009 in Monaco. As Liverpool were seeded in Pot 1, this meant that they could not be drawn with teams from the same pot, such as Barcelona, Milan, or Bayern Munich. However, they faced the possibility of being drawn in the same group as Real Madrid, Internazionale, or Juventus. Liverpool were drawn into Group E with 7-times French champions Lyon, Hungarian champions and Champions League debutants Debrecen, and Italian side Fiorentina. Their first match was at home to Debrecen, on 16 September.

Liverpool's managing director Christian Purslow said that the club was "pretty happy" with the draw.

Liverpool's first game was at Anfield, where they faced Debreceni. Liverpool were well below par, and the Hungarian champions had chances to score in the first half. However, in the last minute of the first half, Fernando Torres' shot was parried by Vukašin Poleksić; however, Dirk Kuyt was on hand to stab home the opener. The second half was a pretty turgid affair, with Liverpool briefly threatening, and the visitors never really having a sustained period of pressure. Rafa Benítez was frustrated by his team's failure to take the many chances they created throughout the match, and was relieved just to get the three points.

Liverpool's next group game was a challenging one, away to Fiorentina. Liverpool had an awful first half, and were deservedly two goals down after Montenegrin wonderkid Stevan Jovetić scored a brace. The Reds raised their game after half time, but ultimately were not able to finish off the chances that they created. Rafa Benítez was irate after the match, vowing that Liverpool will "'never again' be as bad as they were during the first half." Fábio Aurélio, who has played under Benítez for the last nine years, at Valencia and Liverpool, said that he had never seen Benítez so angry as he was at half time at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Liverpool suffered a second consecutive defeat, at home to Lyon. Although the home side took the lead after 41 minutes through Yossi Benayoun, they struggled to maintain the lead, and the visitors deservedly grabbed an equaliser on 72 minutes, when Maxime Gonalons took advantage of awful defending in the Liverpool box. Liverpool's night of misery was compounded when César Delgado swept home from close range in the first minute of injury time.

Liverpool's next group game was away at group leaders Lyon. Although Liverpool were missing several first team players through injury, they managed to carve out several chances, the best of which was spurned by Andriy Voronin. Liverpool dominated the game without ever really posing a potent threat to the host's goal. Substitute Ryan Babel finally opened the scoring for Liverpool with seven minutes to go, with a stunning strike from long range. It looked as if Liverpool were going to hang on to the three points, and keep their hopes alive, but in the 90th minute, Liverpool failed to clear a high ball, and Lisandro López guided the ball past Pepe Reina to break Liverpool's hearts. This left Liverpool relying on Lyon to defeat Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in their next group game to stay in the competition.

With Rafa Benitez’s men needing nothing less than three points to keep their Champions League hopes alive, they got off to the perfect start inside three minutes. Fábio Aurélio swung over a ball from the right, Jamie Carragher headed it back across goal and David Ngog reacted quickest to poke it in from a few yards out. Liverpool did all they could to keep their Champions League hopes alive, but in the end it just wasn’t enough. A solitary goal gave the Reds all three points on the night against Debrecen but thanks to Fiorentina’s win in Lyon, the 2005 champions go crashing out of the competition at the group stages for the very first time under boss Rafael Benitez. Alberto Aquilani made a cameo appearance with seconds to spare but the game finished 1-0 and a win which proved to be the final curtain for Liverpool in this season's Champions League as the Reds crash out of the elusive European competition.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Fiorentina	6	5	0	1	14	7	+7	15
Lyon	6	4	1	1	12	3	+9	13
Liverpool	6	2	1	3	5	7	−2	7
Debrecen	6	0	0	6	5	19	−14	0

Matches

Liverpool v Debrecen

16 September 2009	Liverpool	1 – 0	Debrecen	Anfield, Liverpool
19:45	Kuyt 45+1'	Report		Attendance: 41,591 Referee: Pedro Proença (Portugal)

Fiorentina v Liverpool

29 September 2009	Fiorentina	2 – 0	Liverpool	Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
19:45	Jovetić 28', 37'	Report		Attendance: 33,426 Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Liverpool v Lyon

20 October 2009	Liverpool	1 – 2	Lyon	Anfield, Liverpool
19:45	Benayoun 41'	Report	Gonalons 72' Delgado 90+1'	Attendance: 41,562 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

Lyon v Liverpool

4 November 2009	Lyon	1 – 1	Liverpool	Stade de Gerland, Lyon
20:45	Lisandro 90'	Report	Babel 83'	Attendance: 39,180 Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

Debrecen v Liverpool

24 November 2009	Debrecen	0 – 1	Liverpool	Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest
20:45		Report	Ngog 4'	Attendance: 41,500 Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Netherlands)

Liverpool v Fiorentina

9 December 2009	Liverpool	1 – 2	Fiorentina	Anfield, Liverpool
19:45	Benayoun 43'	Report	Jorgensen 63', Gilardino 90+2'	Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

UEFA Europa League

Round of 32

Being unable to get higher than third in the Champions League group stage Liverpool are to appear in the Europa League for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Leg 1

Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni

18 February 2010

Liverpool

v

Unirea Urziceni

Anfield, Liverpool

Leg 2

Unirea Urziceni v Liverpool

25 February 2010

Unirea Urziceni

v

Liverpool

Stadionul Steaua

League Cup

The draw for the 3rd round was made on 29 August 2009. Liverpool were drawn away to Leeds United. The League One side raised their game for the occasion, and Elland Road saw a bumper 38,168 crowd. Leeds more than matched Liverpool throughout the first half, and had a Luciano Becchio effort ruled out for offside; however, Liverpool showed their defensive mettle. They scored the game's only goal on 66 minutes, when Javier Mascherano's cross-cum-shot was trapped excellently by David N'Gog, who turned and finished expertly past goalkeeper Shane Higgs.

Liverpool received a tricky away fixture to Arsenal for the fourth round. The Reds fielded a weakened side, but still managed to match Arsenal's youngsters. Philipp Degen had an early chance on 14 minutes, which he failed to put away. Arsenal punished this five minutes later. Andriy Voronin failed to clear, and was dispossessed by Mérida, who turned and smacked the ball from 25 yards, which flew past Diego Cavalieri. Liverpool's Emiliano Insúa levelled the scores with an even better strike on 26 minutes. The ball ricocheted off David N'Gog, and the ball sat up for the young Argentinean to smash a dipping shot over Łukasz Fabiański. Both teams were evenly matched for the rest of the first half. Five minutes into the second half, Nicklas Bendtner put Arsenal back into the lead, when he guided the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Liverpool failed to rouse themselves to react, and despite the introduction of Alberto Aquilani with 15 minutes to go, the visitors could not find the equaliser, and thus were eliminated from the competition. This was the fifth consecutive year that Liverpool had been knocked out at this stage in the capital, and completed a North London double over the Merseyside clubs, following Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 victory over Everton the previous night.

Leeds United v Liverpool

22 September 2009 Third Round	Leeds United	0 – 1	Liverpool	Leeds
19:45 BST		Report	N'Gog 66'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 38,168 Referee: Alan Wiley

Arsenal v Liverpool

26 October 2009 Fourth Round	Arsenal	2 – 1	Liverpool	London
	Mérida 19' Bendtner 50'	Report	Insúa 26'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,004 Referee: Alan Wiley

FA Cup

Liverpool were given a bye to the third round of the FA Cup, where they were drawn away to Championship strugglers Reading.

Reading v Liverpool

2 January 2010 Third Round	Reading	1 – 1	Liverpool	Reading
17:15	Church 24'	Report	Gerrard 36'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 23,656 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Liverpool v Reading

13 January 2010 Third Round RP	Liverpool	1 – 2 (a.e.t)	Reading	Liverpool
20:00	Bertrand 45+1' (o.g.)	Report	Sigurðsson 90+4' (pen.) Long 100'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 31,063 Referee: Phil Dowd

References

liverpool vs bunley at anfieldBold text

External links

• Official Site 2009-10 Season
• LFC History 2009-10 Season
• Liverpool F.C. season 2009–10 at ESPN