Match Report: Barcelona 2 Athletic Bilbao 1

Pep Guardiola and his men endured a nervous evening before eventually breaking down a determined Athletic Bilbao to win 2-1 and move back five points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

With much of the build-up dominated by Barca’s so called crisis after two games without victory both managers successfully pulled the wool over media eyes into their thoughts with surprises in both line-ups.

For Barcelona, Maxwell was selected as the scapegoat for the defeat to Arsenal in midweek and was dropped to the bench with Sergio Busquets a surprise choice at left-back and Javier Mascherano moving into the Spanish international’s position in midfield.

Jaoquin Caparros also defied his own pre-match talk by starting with the 4-5-1 system that met with success against Barcelona in the two Copa Del Rey ties in January. The surprise coming more in the personel selected to deploy this system with Gaizka Toquero, Iker Muniain and Daivd Lopez all dropped to the bench. Igor Gabilondo, Ander Iturraspe and Markel Susaeta supporting Fernando Llorente in attack.

Yet, no sooner had Caparros set out his stall than his side were behind. Danni Alves – who was to prove Barca’s key attacking threat in the final third – receiving a ball over the top from Xavi and laying the ball back first time for David Villa to fire home.

The early goal seemed to settle any nerves that Barca may have been suffering, their natural passing game coming to the fore but on many occasions overplaying in and around the box cost them the chance of a second goal.

However, Athletic also posed a threat on the break. Llorente showing good skill to turn Gerard Pique and send in a cross that Susaeta headed wide at the near post.

Villa nearly had his second when his wonderful chipped effort – a very similar effort to the one he scored with last week against his beloved Sporting Gijon – came crashing off the bar.

Llorente was then denied by a brilliant save from Jose Pinto in the Barca goal, the reserve goalkeeper making the most of his outing in the absence of Victor Valdes through injury. To be fair to the Spanish international striker he could have done little more with his towering header that Pinto beat away with a strong left hand.

At the break Caparros went for a more aggressive approach, replacing Iturraspe with Toquero. And his boldness was immediately rewarded. Slack defending between Eric Abidal and Busquets saw the Frenchman put his colleague in all sorts of problems with a pass into his own area and on the stretch Busquets brought down Llorente for what was a stonewall penalty.

After Llorente’s miss against Atelti a fortnight ago and with David Lopez and Muniain off the pitch, the penalty duties were handed to right-back Andoni Iraola and he dispatched it with ease, sending Pinto the wrong way.

Two minutes later Barca were lucky to still have 11 men on the field, Pique hauling down Toquero when the visitors had a clear two on one on the Barca goal. Pique more than happy to see the referee produce only a yellow card.

The home fans and more obviously their manager were now very much on edge, their mood not improved 10 minutes later when after a mesmorising Leo Messi run past four players he was upended in the box by Javi Martinez. Referee, Ramirez Dominguez, this time waving away the penalty appeals.

Messi looked bemused, Guardiola infuriated, Sandro Rossell, just about maintaining his manners in the palco, looking more disgusted than he did at the thought of minimum wage standards for Nike factory workers.

Yet, the most interesting factor in the match to this point had been the performance of Barca’s two Argentineans. Messi had been far from his best - too often running down blind alleys and trying the through the eye of a needle pass - whilst, in contrast, Javier Mascherano had been having one of his best games in a Barcelona jersey. The Argentine captain breaking up play well without conceding too many fouls and distributing the ball more quickly and effectively than he has in other appearances.

But all that was about to change.

With Barca desperately in search of a winning goal, Guaridiola resorted to his strongest available starting XI. Off went Mascherano and on came Maxwell, Busquests moving back into his more familiar role. More importantly for the outcome of the match it was about to become the Messi show.

Slaloming between desperate Athletic legs time and again la pulga saw an effort fly over before Villa was denied by a quite brilliant save from Gorka Iraizoz.

The pressure was beginning to pay, Athletic were no longer breaking with purpose as the invited waves upon waves of Barca attack and eventually Messi did make his mark. Again the long diagonal ball over the top from Xavi for Alves was the key; the Brazilian then squaring for Messi to stroke home at the near post.

Alves and Messi should have added a third as three times Barca caught the visiting defence exposed in the final minutes but in the end it mattered little as the champions comfortably held on the for the three points.

Three points that meant more than their raw value. The faces of Guardiola, Puyol and Rossell told of their relief at the final whistle. If February is to be the nadir of Guardiola’s Barca then they have successfully negotiated their penultimate hurdle.

Oddly it was also a good weekend for Athletic. Defeat for Espanyol and disappointing draws for Villarreal and Valencia leave them still very much in the hunt for a fourth place finish.

Barcelona 2 (Villa 2, Messi 78) – Athletic Bilbao 1 (Iraola (pen) 50)

Match Preview: Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao

Crisis, tiredness, defeat, pressure; not words Pep Guardiola has become accustomed to hearing in his time as Barcelona manager but ones he has had to rebut in the past week.

A respectable draw away from home (whilst resting some key players) followed by a 2-1 defeat on the road in the last-16 of the Champions League may not be a crisis for most, if any, other clubs in the world right now.

But for Barcelona – Guardiola’s Barcelona in particular – things are different.

With all the superlatives, eulogies and praise also comes the criticism and questioning when the cruise through the season takes the odd bump in what has been to this point a road so smooth that the tarmac should have its own Nivea advert. And so it is that Barcelona must prove the doubters wrong again.

The pressure continues to be imposed by Real Madrid who disposed of Levante 2-0 on Saturday night to cut the gap at the top to two points.

Guardiola is expected to release his full artillery to ease the strain of two games without a win. The 11 that started against Arsenal expected to do so again here, David Villa the only doubt after missing training in the week.

However, even a full strength Barca may find it hard to get back on track against a young side with confidence and ambition very much on the up.

Before Monday night’s disappointing 1-0 defeat to Mallorca, Athletic had strung together four consecutive victories in the league, moving them up to fifth position. And with Villarreal struggling in recent weeks the Basque side still harbour hopes of Champions League qualification for next season.

The question for coach, Jaoquin Caparrós, will be whether to retain Gaizka Toquero alongside Fernando Llorente in attack or opt for an extra midfield player to try and disrupt Barcelona’s rythym. Caparrós has outlined his intention to go with the former option which is surprising given his success in using a 4-5-1 in the 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp in the Copa Del Rey in January.

A run out at the Nou Camp also gives the hugely impressive Iker Muniain the chance to showcase his skills on the big stage.

Probable Line-ups

Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Maxwell, Abidal, Pique, Alves; Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Villa, Messi, Pedro

Athletic Bilbao (4-4-2): Iraizoz; Koikili, Ekiza, Jose, Iraola; Muniain, Martinez, Jose, Lopez; Toquero, Llorente

Match Report: Real Zaragoza 0 Atlético Madrid 1

Real Zaragoza 0 - Atlético Madrid 1 (Aguero 65)

If last weekend’s defeat to Valencia was supposed to be the final nail in the coffin for Quique Sanchez Flores then this was his and his side’s resurrection as Atelti ended a run of four straight defeats with a 1-0 win at Real Zaragoza.

Kun Aguero got the only goal of the game but will also have caused concern for his under fire coach when limping off five minutes from time. But the biggest surprise, away from the result, was that there was only one goal and not more injuries in what was a fiercely contested and entertaining match.

The classic game of two halves saw the visitors control the opening period. The home side’s physical pressing game was enough at times to unsettle Atleti’s technically gifted players – youngster Koke given a starting role ahead of new signing Elias on the left, Reyes on the right with Aguero and forlan up front – but when they got the ball La Real did little with it in the forward areas.

As the half wore on Atelti’s dominance of possession began to pay. Yet, the last thing Atleti fans needed, or more to the point expected, was a solid display from Leo Franco in the Zaragoza goal. Twice the Argentine goalkeeper denied Aguero before home captain Gabi made a fantastic goal line clearance from Thiago.

Ironically it was to be in the second-half – when the home side were much more in control – that Atleti’s winner should arrive. Indeed it came straight from a Zaragoza attack as after a scramble in the Atleti box they ball found its way to Aguero who showed Ponzio a clear pair of heels and fired impressively across Franco and into the net.

Zaragoza had posed much more of a threat in the second period. Coach, Javier Aguirre, had replaced old Atletico ‘favourite’ Florent Sinima Sin-Gol…sorry Pongolle with the lively Nicolas Bertolo who gave Thomas Ujfalusi a torrid time down the Zaragoza left.

However, after the goal with the visitors much happier to sit in and wait for another counter-attack the home side found it difficult to make their possession count until the final two minutes when they came desperately close to an equaliser.

Firstly, Ikechukwu Uche nearly marked his return from a seven month injury lay-off with a goal – his shot rattling the bar. And moments later Bertolo replicated the Nigerian’s effort as his shot clipped the woodwork on the way over.

But there was to be, for once, a feeling of blessed relief for Quique and the Atelti fans who are now back in the race for a Europa League spot only four points off Espanyol in sixth. Zaragoza’s first home defeat in 2011 leaves them just a point above the drop-zone.

Match Report: Arsenal 2 Barcelona 1

Goals from Robin Van Persie and Andrei Arshavin helped Arsenal come from behind to beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Emirates.

In a game that mirrored the first-leg of the tie between these two sides last season, Barcelona dominated the first-half whilst two goals in the final quarter brought Arsenal very much back into the tie.

In contrast to that last encounter at the Emirates though, Arsenal started very much on the front foot. Van Persie with the first chance of the match on six minutes. Cesc Fabregas’ sublime lofted pass finding the Dutchman on the left edge on the area and his first time volley was well parried by Victor Valdes.
Barca’s response was imminent as their midfield began to gain the control many had expected pre-match. And they created their first chance on 15 minutes, Leo Messi played a trademark one-two with David Villa before dinking the ball over Wojciech Szczęsny in the Arsenal goal but agonisingly wide of the post.

The visitors were bossing the game both in territory and in possession but Arsenal were always a threat on the counter-attack. The positioning of Sergio Busquets in the Barcelona midfield, which had been the subject of much pre-match speculation, playing a significant role in this development. Rather than playing very deep between the two centre-backs, as he has done many times this season, Busquets pressed the ball constantly, particularly when Fabregas was in possession. As a result once the Barca midfield was bypassed the Arsenal front three was free to run at the Catalans’ back four.

On one such break the Gunners nearly took the lead. Theo Walcott galloping from the half-way line to release Fabregas and his cross across an open goal was just nicked away from Van Persie by Eric Abidal.

But Arsenal’s high line was now being regularly exposed and it was only a matter of time before the visitors took the lead. When they did it came from more wonderful link-up play between Villa and Messi. This time the Argentine freeing the Spaniard who made no mistake.

Van Persie spurned another opportunity by delaying his shot and skewing wide before Barca ought to have taken a two goal lead. Messi’s diving header after Szczęsny had denied Pedro wrongly ruled out for offside.

The second-half had a far more even and somewhat strange flow to it. Arsenal had much more possession than they enjoyed in the first but without the same level of threat in front of goal – principally because with more possession their counter-attacking opportunities were limited.

Pedro and Messi could have finished the tie when put through on goal but the Canarian dallied and the World Player of the Year uncharacteristically went for goal when he should have squared for Villa.

Barca were beginning to make mistakes all over the field, not retaining possession in the manner we have become accustomed to witnessing. And it wasn’t just on the field they were making mistakes. Pep Guardiola wrongly erring on the side of caution by substituting Villa for Seydou Keita.

In contrast, Arsene Wenger was brave with his changes. Taking off his principal holding midfielder in Alex Song for another forward player in Arshavin.

Van Persie eventually made them pay but in truth the goal owed more to another Barcelona error. The Dutchman’s sweet left-foot volley ghosting in at Valdes’ near post. A fine strike it was but no goalkeeper at this level should be beaten so badly at his near post.

However, if there was an element of fortune about the Gunners’ first goal, their second was absolute quality. After a Messi pass was intercepted on the edge of the Arsenal area; Laurent Koscielny, Nicklas Bendtner and Fabregas combined to send Sami Nasri storming down the right wing. As the Frenchman approached the box he didn’t panic and cooly rolled the ball back to the opposite end of the area for Arshavin to fire home .

Barcelona rallied in the final stages but the closest they came was an angled drive from Dani Alves that Szczęsny parried away.

A rare difficult few days for Barcelona has seen them not win in two consecutive games for the first time in over five months. After their draw in Gijon and Real’s victory at the weekend ‘hay liga’. After a disastrous final 12 minutes this evening ‘hay eliminatoria’.

FT: Arsenal 2 (Van Persie 78, Arshavin 83) – Barcelona 1 (Villa 26)

Match Preview: Arsenal vs Barcelona

Arsenal and Barcelona meet again in the Champions League tonight in what has been undoubtedly billed as the tie of the last-16 round.

At times the repetition of fixtures in the Champions League can lead to boredom; anyone who sat through 10 meetings in five seasons between Liverpool and Chelsea will testify to that.

But this tie is different. It has the magic, the style, the glamour and most importantly justified hype and expectation. There is a reason why, despite now having met three times in six seasons, the anticipation of the next screening of Arselona is greater than the last. It never disappoints.

In 2006 Barcelona edged the final in Paris 2-1, just, despite playing against the 10 men of an inexperienced Arsenal side for over 70 minutes.

Last year’s ties saw the banner raised another level. A scintillating 2-2 draw at the Emirates saw Barca at their best for 45 minutes before a dogged Arsenal fight back in the final quarter brought them back on level terms.

An injury savaged Gunners side then took the lead in the Nou Camp before a certain 5ft 7in figure of genius took over the tie with four goals without reply.

So, what can we expect this time round? Well, last season’s ties offer a number of interesting points of analysis.

1. The first 20 minutes

As strange as it may seem given that of the nine goals scored in the tie only two came in the first 20 minutes of both legs (one apiece in the opening stages at the Nou Camp), the opening quarter on both occasions last year were the key to the tie.

At the Emirates, Barcelona tore into their opponents in a manner rarely ever seen in any match, let alone in a Champions League quarter-final. The Catalans monopolised possession, attacked down the wings with blistering pace and won the ball back instantly with a frightening intensity of pressure on the opponent in possession. It was one of the finest opening passages to a game I’ve ever seen.

In the end Barca didn’t even get on the scoreboard with their dominance in that period. But that didn’t matter as much as the feeling of confidence and superiority it gave them. A feeling that became much more important in the second-leg when remarkably Nicklas Bendtner put Arsenal ahead 3-2 on aggregate.

Moments later Arsenal broke again, had Abou Diaby played the right pass into Theo Walcott rather than looking for Bendtner that tie and this analysis may have looked very different. As it was Messi battered Barca back on level terms a minute later and that sense of confidence and superiority soothed back into the Spanish Champions. This time they made it count.

The key for Arsenal this time is not to let Barca get into their rhythm, not to let themselves be so overawed. If the home side can get through the opening 20 on level terms, both on the scoreline and in the pattern of play, some of that inferiority complex will wear away and the confident free-flowing Arsenal we know may come to the fore.

2. The Walcott Factor

So who do you think will be the key player in the tie? Xavi or Fabregas? Vila or Van Persie? Messi or Nasri? The answer is it could be any one of them but the one who will be the focus of both side’s game plan is possibly a surprising one, Theo Walcott.

I did have a whole spiel prepared on why Walcott is the dangerman but then Leo Messi said this and he knows a thing or two more about this stuff than me:

“I can only speak from experience but Walcott was one of the most dangerous players I have ever played against.

“Barcelona players are not scared easily but I can tell you that when we played Arsenal last season Walcott truly worried us.”

So why does the man who couldn’t make England’s 23-man World Cup squad worry Barca so? Well it’s quite simple; Barca’s pressing game is based on defending from the front. When you do that the midfield must step forward to prevent the easy pass from the opposition defence into midfield and similarly the defensive line must also step forward to ensure there is no easy space for the opponents to play in. The result? A very high, sometime ludicrously high, defensive line that can at times be got at. Witness this against Inter last year and this against Espanyol this (at 6.30).

Walcott’s pace is made to expose this line and he did so for two of Arsenal’s goals last year.

Added to this problem with Carlos Puyol out injured, Eric Abidal will have to play at centre-back and Maxwell at left-back. The Brazilian full-back is excellent on the ball and usually suits Barca’s style but against a flying winger he can be exposed. Again, as Walcott did to him last year.

Pep Guardiola has two obvious solutions to this problem. One, ease off the intensive pressing game and play a deeper defensive line. This would be to go against all that Guardiola has preached since he became manager two and a half years ago and seems highly improbable at best.

The other, more reasonable, solution is to drop Sergio Busquets deeper as Guardiola has done on a number of occasions this year. This allows Busquets to act as an auxiliary third centre-back and consequently would allow Abidal to shift a little further left to cover any space in behind Maxwell that Walcott will look to exploit.

For Arsenal the best way to spring Walcott may be by playing more direct than normal with long diagonals in behind the Barca defence. This may be best achieved by Robin Van Persie operating to the left of centre as the main striker, pulling the defence to one side before releasing the ball into the open space on the other flank.

3. Possession

This may seem obvious with two sides that like to hold the ball but if possession is normally nine tenths of the law then in this case it is probably 99 hundredths.

Last year Barca hustled Arsenal out of their normal game. This time round Arsenal must keep the ball when they get it. To this extent the introduction of Jack Wiltshere to the side over the past 12 months will be a big help. Having another player so comfortable on the ball close to Fabregas is vital if the Spaniard is to dictate play by playing passing triangles around the midfield.

The issue for the home side tomorrow will come in playing the ball out from the back. Last year they struggled with Thomas Vermaelen, William Gallas and Alex Song all playing at centre-back at different times throughout the two ties. This time round Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny are even less likely to provide a stable platform on which to build. They ain’t very good when they don’t have the ball either.

Verdict: Arsenal a bit too Barca like to give them the heave-ho. If someone is to eliminate the Spanish Champions it will be by building a fortress around the 18-yard box, a la Inter last season. The Gunners just don’t have that in their nature. Barca 5-2 on aggregate

Probable Line-ups

Arsenal (4-3-3): Szczesny; Clichy, Djourou, Koscielny, Eboue; Song, Fabregas, Wiltshere; Arshavin, Van Persie, Walcott

Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Maxwell, Abidal, Pique, Alves; Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Villa, Messi, Pedro

Match Report: Espanyol 0 Real Madrid 1

So, at the end of an amazing weekend ‘hay liga’ - but how Real Madrid had to fight to make it so.

1-0 away to a side struggling since the loss of key players in January may not seem that impressive. But given the circumstances this was undoubtedly the biggest result and performance of Jose Mourinho’s time as manager at the Bernabéu.

After Barcelona’s 1-1 draw in Gijon last night the pressure was on Mourinho’s men to cut the gap at the top to five points. After two minutes the pressure had been ratcheted up at least another five points. A long ball through the middle found José María Callejón who poked the ball past Iker Casillas and in traditional Callejón style fell to the ground. Contact was minimal but probably just enough to deserve a foul and a red card for the Spanish captain.

Yet, with 10 men for 91 minutes Real were resilient in defence (protecting their young substitute goalkeeper, Antonio Adán, exceptionally well), broke with vigour and pace and if it hadn’t been for Carlos Kameni in the Espanyol goal (or arguably more accurately Emmanuel Adebayor’s finishing) Real could have had as many goals as they had players.

In the end it was stand-in captain Marcelo who got the only goal as Espanyol struggled to make the extra man count throughout the 90 minutes.

However, they could have been ahead on 13 minutes. Javi Marquez’s volley from the edge of the area deflected just wide, and from the resulting corner the same player’s drive was spooned over his own crossbar by Adebayor.

Real then began to take control. Marcelo and Sami Khedira fired in warning shots that deflected just over and Kameni bundled wide respectively, before the Brazilian full-back made the breakthrough on 24 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo, doing what he so often doesn’t, faking the shot to pull the defence out of position and playing in Marcelo who fired forcefully past Kameni at the near post. The goalkeeper may be slightly disappointed to have conceded given the angle of the shot but it was hit with such ferocity it is hard to be critical.

And within a minute it was nearly two. Adebayor passing up the first of his many chances with a drive that Kameni parried away to safety.

The Togolese was released in behind the Espanyol defence again eight minutes before half-time by a wonderful pass from Xabi Alonso. However, after seeing off the defender and settling himself Adebayor only contrived to spoon the ball up onto the top of the bar.

Kameni had to be on guard again to deny Ronaldo just before the break as Real’s pace on the counter was proving too much for a makeshift Espanyol backline.

In the second-half the pace and intensity of the game remained but without the same level of incident and goalmouth action. Real seemed happier to sit deep and less quick to throw bodies forward on the counter. Meanwhile, despite having more possession Espanyol lacked any sort of cutting edge in the final third. After all the talk about his contract situation in the week, Pepe more than earning his money with a fine display of aggressive defending.

Both Callejón and Ronaldo then fired across goal when a cut back to teammates in better positions might have been the better option.

With 10 minutes to go Mourinho sent on Lassana Diarra for Mesut Ozil. The Portuguese coach obviously hoping that an extra destroyer in the midfield could see the game out. The only problem for Mourinho was that his real destroyer was playing as the frontman as time and again good work by Ronaldo was not capitalised on by Adebayor.

With nine minutes to go the Portuguese winger exchanged passes with the Manchester City loanee before laying the ball across the six-yard box; Kameni getting down well to block Adebayor’s attempt to pass the ball into the net. Judging by Mourinho’s reaction he just wished he had got that number 9 in January…..oh wait.

Two minutes later and it was confirmed that Adebayor was trying to give his Portuguese teammate and coach a coronary. More good work by Ronaldo (maybe this is why he doesn’t normally pass) setting the former Arsenal man free on goal but again he was denied by the body of Kameni.

Joan Verdú then nearly nicked a point for the hosts with their best attempt of the second-half. His fine attempted chip though was well pouched by Adán.

While the plaudits will rightly go to the visitors this was a huge missed opportunity for Espanyol. Villarreal’s defeat earlier in the day had opened the door back into the Champions League race but without Osvaldo in attack and Victor Ruiz in defence they look a pale shadow of the side that did so well through the first 19 games of the season.

Not that Mourinho, Marca or the rest of the Madristas will care about that. Should the 31 times Champions somehow make it 32 come May, this weekend will have been the turning point.

Match Report: Deportivo La Coruña 1 Villarreal 0

Depor eased their relegation worries with a well deserved 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Riazor.

Lopo got the only goal of what was a fairly poor game with Champions League chasing Villarreal especially disappointing.

After a similarly disappointing 1-0 defeat to Levante at home last weekend, Juan Carlos Garrido, had rung the changes both in personel and formation for the visitors.

With Giuseppe Rossi unavailable due a fever and Bruno dropped to the bench in came Mateo Mussachio and Javier Matilla. Garrido also changed from his normal 4-4-2 to a defensive 4-2-3-1.

The consequnce of these changes was that the visitors were even more narrow than normal with Cani and Cazorla the wide players in midfield coming inside into an already crowded midfield area. Up front Nilmar was isolated without his usual partner in Rossi and continued to look very rusty on the ball following his recovery from injury.

In contrast Depor were good on the break, utilised the space the worked well and could have added to their solitary goal.

The home side should have been ahead of the half hour when Adrián got in behind a slow Villarreal backline but was denied by Diego Lopez; Riki firing another chance on the rebound wildly over the bar.

Without their normal fluidity, Villarreal only looked dangerous from set-pieces. Gonzalo’s header saved by Aranzubia their best effort of the first-half.

Depor eventually took the lead on the hour mark. Antonio Tomas’s deep free-kick was won well by Juan Rodriguez but questions must be asked of a static Villarreal defence who allowed Lopo acres to room to slide in ahead of Lopez for the vital touch.

Moments later Carlos Marchena was lucky to stay on the field for a foul more than worthy of a second yellow card. The home crowd’s mood not helped when Garrido immediately subbbed the World Cup winner for the returning Marcos Senna to ensure he didn’t see red.

Rodriguez tested Lopez again with a fierce drive from distance and had a goal marginally ruled out for offside as the home side continued to dominate.

Villarreal’s response was poor and again came closest in the second period via a set-piece. Senna’s wicked delivery found substitute Marco Ruben with a free header but he headed over.

Overall a fine win for Depor who move up to 14th, three points clear of the relegation zone. For Villarreal, two chances from set-pieces says it all, thier creative cogs never got going and they now look under threat from Athletic Bilbao for that fourth Champions League place.

Match Report: Dundee Utd 1 Celtic 3

Another game, another happy Sunday lunch for Neil Lennon as Celtic came through a tricky test at Tannadice to win 3-1.

Anthony Stokes, Mark Wilson and Daniel Majstorovic got the goals for the visitors. David Goodwillie with United’s response.

Lennon made one change from the side that had impressed last weekend in the 2-2 draw at Ibrox. The formidable partnership of Stokes and Gary Hooper restored after the Irishman had missed out last time out; Ki Sung-Yeung made way.

The most striking feature of Lennon’s line-up was the positioning of Hooper. The Englishman playing much deeper than Stokes in a 4-4-1-1 formation and constantly linking the play to good effect.

But it was his strike partner who got the opening goal on 16 minutes. After collecting a loose ball in midfield Stokes surged in the box and saw his shot across goal deflect in off Gary Kenneth.

Deflections were to play a big part in the result and came to Celtic’s aid again for the second goal. More good work from Hooper and Scott Brown in the build-up found Wilson free in the area to fire in his second goal in three games. The final touch this time coming off United’s other centre-back, Shaun Dillon.

The visitors could have extended their lead before half-time. After another wicked delivery in from Hooper, Stokes appeared to be felled before Dusan Pernis parried Joe Ledley’s effort and Stokes’s second attempt was deflected wide.

After the break the home side fought back with Celtic unable to retain possession in the same manner they had in the first period on a deteriorating pitch.

And on 64 minutes they were back in the game. Wilson was lucky not to see a second yellow card for a foul on Craig Conway. But from the resulting free-kick a deflection off Emilio Izaguirre forced Forster into a fine reaction save before Goodwillie fired in the rebound. It was the first time the Rangers target had scored at home since 12th January.

And he nearly had an equaliser minutes later when his powerful low shot was wonderfully saved by Forster. Ki at fault for losing the ball cheaply in midfield.

Hooper nearly restored the two goal advantage when his scuffed shot struck the base of the post before Lennon’s nerves were calmed by the arrival of a third goal.

Charlie Mulgrew’s free-kick bulleted home by Majstorovic’s header.

Celtic should have added to their lead in the final minutes. Firstly, Hooper fell over his own feet with the goal at his mercy and then was unlucky to have a goal disallowed after slick build-up play from substitutes Freddie Ljungberg and Georgios Samaras.

All in all, a satisfactory afternoon for Lennon as his side extended their lead over Rangers to five points with the two to meet next Sunday at Celtic Park.

From Alonso to Adam: the reason Torres had to leave Liverpool

10 days on the dust has just about settled on the ashes of those, once treasured, Fernando Torres jerseys on Merseyside.

The hurt the fans felt was justified. The Spaniard admitted as much himself:

“I am a fan of Atlético and couldn’t understand when some of the top players left. Football is like this: from one day to another, people love you and then hate you.”

He was undoubtedly the most adored adopted son of the Liverpool faithful. Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are their own, Liverpool born and bred, but in Torres they had a foreigner with a similar upbringing.

The comparison between the five time European Champions and Torres’s first love, Atlético de Madrid, aren’t as clear-cut as El Niño often tried to make us believe. After all Liverpool are still, just, England’s most decorated club.

However, in the past 20 years they have taken on the shadow of their Rojiblancos brothers. That shadow being the one they have lived in, dominated by their fiercest rivals. For Atlético it is cast from across the city. For Liverpool, it comes from 33 miles down the M62.

It is the shadow that Torres thought he was stepping out of when he left his homeland for England four years ago.

As a fresh-faced, highly rated 23 year-old, Torres was coveted but not yet proven on the biggest stage. He hadn’t played in the Champions League and his achievements with the national team consisted of defeat in the last-16 of the 2006 World Cup and elimination in the group stages of Euro 2004.

I, for one, questioned whether Liverpool had bought the wrong Spanish striker. In the end I was very wrong but very right – the man I had called for Rafa Benítez to make a move for was David Villa.

Yet, in his first season it seemed as if nothing could go wrong for El Niño – he had finally developed into a man for both club and country.

He scored 33 goals as his new side got to the semi-finals of the Champions League, eventually losing out to his new employers.

He then went on to score the winning goal in the Euro 2008 final. Spain had finally won a major championship and Torres finally had a trophy.

At the beginning of the 2008/09 season he started as he had finished in Vienna. Liverpool started like a train, winning nine of its first 10 matches. A first league title in 20 years looked like a realistic possibility. Most importantly they had a spine capable of challenging for years to come. In Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard and Torres, they had a sextuple capable of beating anyone.

And they did. They beat Manchester United twice, Chelsea twice, most importantly for Torres, they beat Real Madrid twice – a feat he had never managed with Atleti.

Yet, it wasn’t enough. Chelsea had their number again in the Champions League and United had just enough to see them off in the league.

This, as it has turned out, was the crucial moment in Liverpool’s modern history. Instead of building on the so near, they fell back into the so far. The consequences of incompetent ownership, which had been glossed over in the early years of George Gillett and Tom Hicks’ reign, began to unravel.

Unable to strengthen, Liverpool only got weaker. In August 2009 the heartbeat of the side was ripped out. Xabi Alonso was sold to Real Madrid and that impressive spine began to crumble.

Their fall was as sudden as it was dramatic. Last season without Alonso and other key players, notably Gerrard and Torres through long spells with injury, they crashed out of the Champions League at the group stages and finished seventh in the league.

The manager who had guided them to two Champions League finals, another semi-final and to the closest they had come to the title in over a decade had taken them as far as he could.

The final insult for Torres delivered when the club he left to step out of the shadows came back to finish off Liverpool’s season. The man Atelti signed to replace him, Diego Forlan, scoring the two crucial goal to send Atelti past Liverpool and on to their first European trophy in 48 years.

A second member of that spine, Javier Mascherano, moved on to Barcelona. If Torres knew what it was like to lose your best players as an Atleti fan, he was beginning to get a similar feeling as a Liverpool player.

His own departure seemed an almost certainty. Yet, more success on the international stage in the form of World Cup victory, if not personal glory, pacified him slightly and the potential of a takeover at Liverpool blocked any chance of a deal in the summer.

When the opportunity did arrive it was one he felt he had to take. Chelsea, with their team of ageing stars and retched form over the past three months may not seem like an appealing option to many. But, on the fact of it, even after the defeat to Torres’s former employers last weekend, Chelsea are still six points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand. They are still in the Champions League (and Torres is eligible to play having only played in the Europa League this season) with the closest thing to a bye you will get in the Champions League last-16 and have a squad full of players with one burning ambition – to win the European crown.

Some will rightly argue that Torres's planning has been incredibly short-termist. That is fair enough. But as short-termist as blowing £35m on Andy Carroll? As short-termist as spending £20m on a well-known crock, Alberto Aquilani, to replace Alonso? As short-termist as bidding £14m for a midfielder in Charlie Adam who cost £500,000 18 months ago?

Clearly Liverpool fans won’t like it, but, for once, this wasn’t a move motivated by money. The Liverpool Torres left was not the same one he joined. Two years ago they had Alonso. Last week they couldn’t even get Adam.

Colombia looking for inspiration

Following recent heavy defeats to Portugal and Argentina, the pressure will be on Vicente Del Bosque’s World Cup winners to get back to winning ways against Colombia, so what can they expect from their South American opponents?

It is fair to say that La Selección shouldn’t be on the end of a four goal drubbing this time round. Colombia are not as strong as Spain’s recent friendly opponents and have struggled in recent times.

The golden generation of the 1990′s that featured Carlos Valderama, Faustino Asprilla and René Higuita has long gone. Without them so have the results and success on the international stage. Colombia haven’t qualified for the last two World Cups and have slipped considerably down the hierarchy in South American football. In particular, they, along with Bolivia and Peru, have been caught up and in some cases usurped by the one time whipping boys Venezuala and Ecuador.

However, the national side still has a smattering of talent plying their trade around Europe. Indeed a couple of players who will line up at the Bernabéu will be very familiar to fans of La Liga. Hércules’ Abel Aguilar and Atelti’s Luis Perea (warning Atleti fans, they are NOT as bad as this makes them sound) are expected to start for Los Cafeteros.

There are also some signs that Colombian football is beginning to find its feet after a period in the doldrums. The under-20 side have made it thorugh the first group stage at the South American Championships currently being held in Peru and manager, Hernán Darío Gómez, has selected a very young squad for the meeting with the World and European Champions. Perea and veteran Mario Yepes the only members over 30 from an 18-man squad. Indeed, excluding Perea and Yepes, the inexperience of Gómez’s squad is quite staggering with an average age of only 24 and an average of 16 appearances for their country.

Those most likely to make an impact at the Bernabéu - and at the Copa America later in the year - for the Colombians are Porto’s Fredy Guarín and Wigan Athletic’s Hugo Rodallega.

Guarín should start alongisde Aguilar in the centre of midifeld, although slightly deeper in what has become best known as the ‘Xavi role’. He first came to prominence in his native land with Envigado before short spells with Boca Juniors and St. Etienne saw him arrive in Portugal where he has made a real impression this season. Aided by the departure of Raul Meireles to Liverpool, Guarín has had significantly more playing time this season than the previous two as a resurgent Porto side have cruised through the first half of the season unbeaten.

And with Guarín’s Porto colleague, Radamel Falcao, missing out through injury it will be left to Wigan’s Rodallega to lead the line. With eight goals in 35 games for his country, Rodallega’s form at international level mirrors that of his time in England - not always consistent but very good on his day. His pace and strength could cause problems for a Spanish defence missing Carlos Puyol.

With Gómez outlining his intention to keep things tight, Rodallega will probably have to plough a lone furrow up front with Aguilar and Giovanni Moreno expected to support the attack on the rare occasions that the visitors have the ball.

Prediction: With the ageing legs of Yepes and the wobbly legs of Perea at the back, Villa, Torres and Pedro should have a field day. After a string of decent results in friendlies, positive progress towards the Copa America is likely to come to an abrupt halt for Gómez’s men. 3-0 Spain.