Liverpool Live Blog: Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll Score Second Half Goals, Reds Cruise to 3-0 Victory

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Jan 31, 2012

Liverpool Live Blog: Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll Score Second Half Goals, Reds Cruise to 3-0 Victory

Final, 3-0 Liverpool: The Reds are the emphatic victors over the crisis-stricken Wolverhampton Wanderers. Carroll, Bellamy and Kuyt scored second half goals that stand as the difference in the score-line.

The Reds got off to a slow start, and their patient approach allowed Wolves to gain a measure of confidence. The hosts did a bit of attacking of their own, testing Reina on a few occasions in the first half.

But they lost their composure when LFC dialed up its intensity in the second half. Carroll scored early in the second half, and the Reds only improved after that. Bellamy's strike effectively sealed the result, and ensured Wolves' collapse.

Liverpool overcame its physical disadvantage (two days' rest versus the 10 that Wolves had) by exploding in the second half and crushing any fighting spirit Wolves may have had in reserve. At 2-0, the Reds waited for the right moment, and Enrique, Kuyt and Adam combined for the third.

The Reds move up to fifth in the Premier League, passing Arsenal and Newcastle (both play Wednesday). They trail fourth-place Chelsea by four points. 

That's all for now and thanks for joining us. Let's discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.

92nd minute, 3-0 Liverpool: Henderson went up to contest a ball in the air, and Ebanks-Blake took his legs out from under him. 

He stayed down on the field for a few moments, but seems to have recovered. 

90th minute, 3-0 Liverpool: Aurelio comes on for a rare cameo. Kuyt is removed to a hearty ovation from LFC supporters around the world. 

86th minute, 3-0 Liverpool: Ebanks-Blake hits a shot from distance that rattles the post. Reina was beaten, but the post wasn't. 

Who is keeping count of how many times Wolves have hit the post this season?

84th minute, 3-0 Liverpool: Frimpong's day ends, as he departs to an ovation. He was Wolves' best player for most of this game. 

81st minute, 3-0 Liverpool: Adam and Agger are coming off. They are replaced by Carragher and Shelvey. 

78th minute, 3-0 Liverpool: Kuyt's been promising a goal explosion and he delivers.

Enrique sent a cross field pass from his own half to the Dutchman to create a three-on-two situation.

Kuyt played it back to Adam, who drew two defenders before laying it back to Kuyt on his right. 

Kuyt passed it into the goal past Hennessey.

This goal doesn't happen without Enrique's pin-point pass. 

75th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Kuyt shoots from distance, but Hennessey is equal to it. He parries it over the bar. 

71st minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Agger is booked for a tackle from behind on Fletcher. 

69th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: LFC is threatening to overrun its gracious hosts. 

McCarthy's group has lost its shape, composure and possibly its will.

64th minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Maybe LFC's league campaign will turn around here. Hennessy was one of a long line of goalkeepers whose performances frustrated the Reds and robbed them of points. 

The Wolves goalkeeper's gift is one of the first glaring errors that lead to LFC goals this season. 

61st minute, 2-0 Liverpool: Bellamy doubles the LFC lead, and continues his sparkling run of form. 

He dribbled toward the area on the left, and cut inside onto his right at the top of the area. The Wolves defense continually backed off, and Bellamy slotted his shot low to Hennessey's near post. The Wolves goalkeeper wasn't able to turn Bellamy's shot away, as it seemingly rolled between his hands. 

52nd minute, 1-0 Liverpool: Carroll puts LFC ahead by tapping in Adam's cross at the far post.

Adam was on the left and had time and space to hit a hard, swerving cross to Hennessey's far post. Carroll outraced Ward to put his foot on it first and tap it in. 

It's his third league goal of the season. 

49th minute, 0-0: Carroll is making his presence felt, as Frimpong gets the worst of a collision with the big LFC striker. 

Halftime, 0-0: That concludes the first half. There was nothing breakneck about the speed of play in the first half. Both teams preferred the deliberate approach to building play, which often makes for a stalemate. 

LFC was at its most dangerous when it was able to counter-attack and catch Wolves with men forward. 

The hosts didn't let the Reds completely control the first half. They applied enough pressure to make things difficult for their opponents. They also created three or four decent chances of their own. 

45th minute, 0-0: Adam flights a cross to the far post that Carroll meets with his right foot. But a Wolverhampton defender is there to clear it.

40th minute, 0-0: Wolves remain dangerous, as Fletcher and Kightly combine at the top of the LFC area to test Reina. Kightly's shot goes just wide. 

38th minute, 0-0: Adam returns the favor to Bellamy, sending the LFC star into the area with a through pass down the left.

Bellamy's shot wasn't hit hard enough to beat Hennessey, who saved it easily. 

35th minute, 0-0: There's a shout for a LFC penalty. Bellamy met Adam's run into the area with a pass. Adam and Frimpong arrived at the same time, and Adam went down. The referee didn't think there was enough in it to award the penalty.

30th minute, 0-0: The game is opening up just a bit, as both teams are going end-to-end. 

Kuyt went on a run into the Wolves penalty area, but could not finish it. Moments later, he tried to find Carroll with a reverse pass at the top of the area, but it was intercepted. 

26th minute, 0-0: Bellamy becomes the second LFC player to be cautioned.

23rd minute, 0-0: Bellamy is assuming the responsibility of kick-starting the Reds' attack.

His darting run wins a corner, which Agger heads low. Hennessey turns it away with a fine kick save.

The Wolves goalkeeper was a standout performer when these two teams met in September. He's off to a good start in this one.

20th minute, 0-0: So they take the direct approach. Skrtel sends Bellamy in on goal with a well-placed through ball, but the LFC attacker misses the target with his shot. 

19th minute, 0-0: The Reds are controlling the balance of possession, but are not creating dangerous opportunities with it. 

Their buildup moves slowly to the wide areas, allowing Wolves to drop deep and defend the cross. 

13th minute, 0-0: Adam interrupts another Wolves attack, this one by dragging down a rushing Jarvis from behind. He is shown the first yellow card of the game.

12th minute, 0-0: Edwards gets in behind the defence and tests Reina with Wolves' first shot on goal. 

The LFC keeper easily saved the shot by diving to his right. Wolves took a more direct approach to create the opening. 

Ninth minute, 0-0: It's been a slow start to this one, as both teams are patiently building play through the midfield. 

Third minute, 0-0: Bellamy and Enrique combine on the left to produce an inch-perfect cross to Carroll. The big man headed his shot toward goal, but Hennesey made the stop and Kuyt could not put the rebound shot on target. 

First minute, 0-0: Frimpong was supposed to miss out on this game – and every other game for the next three months — after it was feared he broke his cheekbone in Wolves' last game. But he is in the starting lineup. 

2:30 p.m.: Here are the lineups:

Liverpool

Pepe Reina (25), goalkeeper
Glen Johnson (2), right back 
Martin Skrterl (37), center back
Daniel Agger (5), center back
Jose Enrique (38), left back
Charlie Adam (26), midfielder
Jay Spearing (20), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Dirk Kuyt (18), middfielder
Craig Bellamy (39), forward
Andy Carroll (9), forward

Substitutes

Doni (32), goalkeeper
Martin Kelly (34), defender
Sebastian Coates(16), defender
Jamie Carragher (23), defender
Fabio Aurelio (6), defender
Stewart Downing (19), midfielder
Jonjo Shelvey (33), midfielder

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wayne Hennessey (1), goalkeeper
Kevin Foley (32), right back 
Christophe Berra (16), defender
Roger Johnson (14), center back
Steven Ward (11), left back
David Edwards (4), midfielder
Eggert Jonsson, midfielder
Emmanuel Frimpong (15), midfielder
Michael Kightly (7), midfielder
Matthew Jarvis (17), midfielder
Steven Fletcher (10), forward 

12 a.m. ET: Good feeling has returned to Anfield, after last week's double act over Manchester United and Manchester City. The Reds look to apply the momentum from their cup runs toward their Premier League pursuits Tuesday, when they meet Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Molineux will be the site of the game between two teams whose missions in the second half of the season differ greatly. Premier League survival is the only aim of the hosts. Wolves are in 19th place in the standings, and haven't won a league game in their last eight. They need to improve (and do it soon) if they are to remain in the top flight.

Tuesday's game will not be easy on manager Mick McCarthy. Midfielders Jamie O'Hara and Emmanuel Frimpong are injured, and the industrious Karl Henry is suspended. McCarthy will likely be forced to shuffle his deck in order to compensate for the missing trio. But a 10-day break between games will likely see a rested and focused group take the field against the visitors.

Liverpool is on the other end of the physical spectrum. The Reds were one of (if not the) Premier League's busiest team's in January. Tuesday's game will be their eighth of 2012, as they are competing on three fronts. Kenny Dalglish's team will have the benefit of just 48-hours of rest, but the options from which he can choose should be plentiful enough to compensate.

Jay Spearing could return to the field, after suffering a hamstring injury on Jan. 11. The holding midfielder could join Charlie Adam in a revamped midfield. Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt were impact substitutes on Saturday. The pair could lead the attack from the start Tuesday. Jonjo Shelvey has been an unused substitute in recent weeks. He could make a valuable contribution to the Liverpool effort Tuesday.

Join us at 2:45 p.m. for all the action between Liverpool and Wolves. We'll have it right here.

Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O'Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

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