Sunday 28th September 2003 (2pm)
The Valley, Charlton
CHARLTON 3-2 LIVERPOOL
 


As good as it got - Michael Owen equalised with a penalty

» Goals
» Match Report
» Teams
» Audio/Video Reaction

» Other Media Reports

After this game: Pos 8th Pl 7 Pts 11
MATCH REPORT - Charlton Athletic 3-2 Liverpool

» Goals

Smicer 15
Lisbie 31
Lisbie 43
Owen 52 pen
Lisbie 83

» Match Report

Kevin Lisbie completed a memorable hat-trick with one of the goals of the season to give Charlton their first home win of the campaign.

It was poetic justice for the Addicks, who felt they were hard done by when referee Rob Styles awarded a 52nd-minute penalty against them for a foul by Chris Perry on Emile Heskey.

The pen-pics in the programme warned that Charlton's strikers would have to be at their best to outwit Jerzy Dudek as the Liverpool goalkeeper had conceded just four league goals before this game, including just one away from Anfield.

How those words and statistics came back to haunt the Pole as he had one of his famous nightmare games and gifted Charlton their goals.

Liverpool were coasting after a flash of genius from Harry Kewell set up Vladimir Smicer to score the opening goal after 15 minutes.

However, the game was turned on its head by Dudek's blunders which allowed Lisbie to first of all equalise after 30 minutes and then put Charlton ahead three minutes before the break.

Charlton must have sensed that a much-needed first home win of the season was on the cards but those hopes were dashed by Styles' harsh penalty decision.

It came early in the second half when the ball was chipped into the area and Perry, on loan from Tottenham, tussled with Heskey. It looked a case of six-of-one and half-a-dozen of the other, but a penalty was awarded and Michael Owen gratefully accepted the chance to equalise with his seventh league goal of the season.

Kewell was making his 250th club appearance in English football and the Australian produced a brilliant pass to set up the opener goal for Liverpool in the 15th minute.

Steve Finnan switched play to the left flank and John Arne Riise tapped it inside to Kewell. His 40-yard pass opened up the Charlton defence and fell perfectly for Smicer to slip the ball past advancing goalkeeper Dean Kiely.

There was a subdued atmosphere at The Valley but that changed after 30 minutes when Dudek had one of his famous rushes of blood to help gift the home side the equaliser.

Graham Stuart played a neat through-ball to Lisbie, but the fact that Dudek had raced out of his area and into no-man's land meant the Charlton striker had the easiest of tasks in slotting the ball into an empty net.

Dudek at least went some way towards making amends after 34 minutes when he saved Lisbie's close-range effort with his legs after the striker had slipped Sami Hyypia and cut in from the right.

Dudek's afternoon got worse, however, when his error led to Charlton taking the lead three minutes before the break as he fumbled a harmless cross to concede a corner.

Claus Jensen's ball in eventually dropped for Shaun Bartlett and his shot hit Dudek's body before falling at the feet of Lisbie, who scored his and Charlton's second goal.

Owen restored parity with that penalty before Kiely produced a brilliant flying save after 63 minutes to deny Kewell, diving to his left to push away the midfielder's curling side-foot shot from the edge of the box.

It needed a moment of magic to seal the points and it came courtesy of Lisbie after 83 minutes.

Collecting a throw-out from Kiely on the left touchline just inside his own half, the young striker evaded Steve Finnan's tackle and then ran unchallenged the rest of the way to the edge of the Liverpool box before curling the ball into the bottom far corner.

There was injury-time drama as Kewell struck a post, but Charlton held on to claim that first home win of the season.

Press Association

» Teams

Charlton Kiely, Young, Perry, Fish (Fortune 74), Powell, Stuart (Kishishev 71), Parker, Holland, Jensen, Lisbie (Johansson 90), Bartlett.

Subs Not Used: Royce, Di Canio.

Booked: Young, Kishishev.

Liverpool Dudek, Finnan, Hyypia, Biscan, Riise, Diouf (Le Tallec 84), Gerrard, Smicer (Murphy 67), Kewell, Heskey, Owen.

Subs Not Used: Luzi Bernardi, Diao, Traore.

Booked: Diouf.

Att: 26,508

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).

(Back to top)

» Audio/Video Reaction

Charlton's Kevin Lisbie on his greatest career moment
The BBC's Steve Wilson

All audio and video requires RealPlayer and is from the BBC unless otherwise stated.

(Back to top)

» Other Media Reports

BBC Sport 'Lisbie treble stuns Liverpool'

(Back to top)

 

Match Report filed: 15th August 2003