Last updated: 13th April 2008
Full-time: It is all over with Liverpool running out 3-1 winners. Thank you for all your comments. Stay with skysports.com for post-match reaction and commentary from United v Arsenal.
90 - GOAL!!! Santa Cruz nets a late consolation for Rovers with a sweet turn and volley. Too little, too late really.
90 - GOAL!!! 3-0, Sub Andriy Voronin taps home from Riise's pass. He appears to pick up a knock in the process, but he does not mind in the slightest.
88 - Sub: Riise replaces Alonso.
84 - Wiley, once more: Gerrard collides with Samba again. No penalty given. Meanwhile, Voronin come on for Torres.
82 - GOAL!!! It is all over, Torres scores! The Spaniard nods home Gerrard's cross in expert fashion - that will be 30 goals in his first season then.
79 - Bentley effort: The England man's free-kick dips just wide. A fine effort.
77 - Gung-ho: Rovers are really going for it now, with three strikers on the pitch. But Liverpool are keen to hit them on the counter. The next goal, if there is one, will prove decisive.
74 - Rovers sub: Vogel and Pedersen are replaced by Dunn and McCarthy.
72 - Yellow: Skrtel is booked after he tugs down the surging Roberts. Some may have handed out a red...
71 - Roberts fury: The powerful striker appeals for a foul after Skrtel makes contact, but Wiley denies him. He appeared to lose his footing.
67 - Hughes' options: Should the Rovers boss throw on McCarthy in an attempt to break down Liverpool? Right now, the home side are comfortable.
Contact info: You can get in touch at james.dall@bskyb.com or via the feedback button on the scorecentre.
Gerrard: He has been full of running today and covered pretty much every blade of grass. An impressive captain's display. A second goal would surely kill the game off.
60 -GOAL!!! Gerrard puts Liverpool in front! Sloppy work from Santa Cruz hands The Red possession. Gerrard plays a tight one-two before bursting into the box and coolly slotting home.
59 - Reds sub: Babel is replaced by Benayoun.
A pin drop: The atmosphere is pretty tame to say the least. Nothing compared to Tuesday's outrageously, fierce cauldron of noise.
Response: Thomas Evans believes Gerrard's 'dive' and Roberts' offside call cancels out the Samba non-red.
Sofa action: It seems most of you are at work, cheekily tuning in. I am, however, envious of those perched in front of the TV on their comfy sofa relaxing as they watch the first part of Super Sunday unfold. Apologies for my wordy nonsense, but the game has gone a tad flat.
52 - Tame: Pedersen and Bentley bicker over who should take a free-kick, with the Norwegian winning the war of words. His eventual effort is easy for Reina though.
Pushing: Liverpool are still battling for that elusive opener but Blackburn are just about standing firm.
Aghast: Patrik from Sweden is still reeling after Samba's challenge earlier. He clearly feels he should have seen red.
48 - Waste: Alonso is robbed in midfield and Rovers counter, but Santa gets his pass all wrong and the move breaks down.
Second period: Liverpool get us underway with Torres attempting to lob Friedel from the kick-off - it drop several yards wide.
Climax: With much tension surrounding the next few weeks, there have been plenty of emails about what might unfold a long with what may happen in the second period of this game. Some are backing an Arsenal win a bit later - Chris Burton will be providing you with commentary for that one - others believe Bentley will bag to win it for Rovers at Anfield ands some believe Everton will steal fourth off Liverpool come the end of the campaign.
Contact info: You can get in touch at james.dall@bskyb.com or via the feedback button on the scorecentre.
Half-time: It is level at the break with Liverpool bossing much of the first 45. There have been a number of talking points though: Roberts ruled offside early on and Gerrard through on goal twice but then challenged contrversially. Anyway, I am off for a refreshing beverage and then I shall add some action-based photo to the commentary - you lucky people.
Added time: One minute of added time will be played.
Strikers: A few Rovers supporters have been full of praise for Santa Cruz, who has enjoyed an excellent season. Meanwhile, there has been some flack directed at Voronin (Triple H from wrestling).
43 - Over: Liverpool attack in numbers with Gerrard passing out to Babel. The Dutchman cuts inside on his right but then blazes well over.
Rivalry: A number of Reds fans have begrudgingly admitted that United man Ronaldo deserves to win the PFA Player of the Year award.
40 - Close shave: Kuyt is there at the back post to head downwards from Gerrard's free-kick. He gets there, however his effort drops wide.
37 - Capello: The England boss is in the crowd casting his eye of the encounter. If only Torres was English, eh? Meanwhile, Alex Joakim has voiced his support for Skrtel (see 16 minutes).
35 - Parried: Santa Cruz calls Reina into action as his shot is saved at the near post. Better from the visitors.
34 - Lull: A small lull in the action as both sides enjoy a bit of keep ball. Many of the Rovers fans have a strong belief that they might nick this game in the second half.
31 - In the thick of it: Referee Wiley is at the centre of attention following the previous two key calls. Liverpool are not happy bunnys, they clearly feel Samba should be off.
Contact info: You can get in touch at james.dall@bskyb.com or via the feedback button on the scorecentre.
27 - Wayward: Gerrard is teed up by Kuyt and winds up to spank home, but his effort - from around 10 yards out - zooms wide.
26 - Surely? Gerrard extends his right leg to latch onto a through ball but is barged boisterously by Samba. Looked like a clear foul to me. It was outside the box, but had it been given, Samba would have been off.
25 Crouch info: Barry Yates is scratching his head at the exclusion of Peter. He is apparently injured.
24 - Stolen: Kuyt battles down the right and bends in a cross. Friedel is out quickly though and clasps the ball before Torres can get there. Liverpool are enjoying the better of the early stages.
21 - Some noise: An oddly quiet Anfield has finally woken up following the Gerrard incident and then an appeal for a free-kick on Babel. Seconds later, Kuyt tries his luck from 25 yards but Friedel stops comfortably.
18 - Penalty? Apparently not, according to Wiley. Cheeky Gerrard appears to attempt to con the ref. Friedel bursts out of his goal with Gerrard chasing a long pass. Friedel is committed but is set to make no contact with Gerrard until the England man dangles out a leg. Wiley is having none of it. Play on.
16 - Criticism: Sebastian Cerami has laid into Skrtel branding him as the 'worst top four side centre-back'. A bit harsh, I think, after he had a sound game against The Gunners on Tuesday. Oh, and sorry Lee. Saying 'Liverpool have the ball at present...' when little is going on is rather tedious. It is best for us to express our thoughts than bore you with a move that came to nothing.
14 - Thoughts: Adam White is backing Ronaldo for this season's PFA Player of Year prize, while Anthony Desmond has an inkling that Rovers might pull off a shock win today.
Controversy: In the openning minutes Roberts found himself through only to be flagged offside. Having just seen the replay, he appeared to be well on.
11 - Lucky boy: Reid breathes a huge sigh of relief as he blindly plays a backpass to Friedel. Torres is sniffing around for the interception but the American shot-stopper is quick to clear.
10 - Anticipation: There is such a buzz when Torres picks up the ball. On the Spaniard, do you think he should pip Ronaldo to the PFA Player of Year award?
9 - Just wide: Torres meets a corner with a flicked header but the ball drops just wide of Friedel's left-hand post.
8 - Optimistic: Just received the following comment from Anthony Clare: "Liverpool to lose please and arsenal to score six!!!!!" Terrifically entertaining stuff.
5 - Central role: Bentley is playing centrally today with Reid on the right wing. Will he play a key role in the fixture or be overrun in midfield? In other news, Brandon believes Rovers will go in front but then be victims of a Liverpool comeback.
3 - Early foray: Skrtel hits a long ball down the right-hand channel with Kuyt chasing. But the Dutchman is unable to hook a cross into a dangerous area. James.dall@bskyb.com or via the feedback button on the scorecentre to get things off your chest.
2 - Parry etc: Just a sidenote, I think it is for the best that we do not comment on the happenings behind the scenes at Anfield. These are not football match related matters and took a horrid shine off what was a wonderful evening on football on Tuesday. Anyway, back to the game.
Kick-off: Blackburn get us underway. Here we go ladies and gentlemen.
Respect: A minute's silence is observed to mark the approaching 19th year since the Hillsborough Disaster.
Trio: Mark Kinsella believes Torres will grab a hat-trick. There has been plenty of hearty feedback from Reds fans but a rather poor effort from the Ewood Park faithful. Delia-esque: "Where are you?!"
Contact info: You can get in touch at james.dall@bskyb.com or via the feedback button on the scorecentre.
Immature chuckle: Not sure if you saw it, but Sky Sports just flashed up Liverpool warming up with Jamie Carragher comically decking it. Oh, how the office sniggered.
Early contact: Liam Wilton is firmly backing a Liverpool triumph and believes Torres and Gerrard will get the goals. The Spaniard, who has been in frightening form this season, hit a stunner in the last game that I covered - against Arsenal - so I am looking forward to seeing him come up against the power of Samba.
Ponderings: So then, off the back of a marvellous European duel during midweek, Liverpool return to domestic action looking to cement their position in fourth following Everton's stalemate on Saturday. Rovers, meanwhile, need to keep their faint hopes of European qualification alive as they sit 10 points behind the fifth-placed Toffees. What are your musings on today's clash then? The match poll is firmly in favour of the home side. Do you concur? Drop me a line at james.dall@bskyb.com or through the feedback button on the scorecentre.
Liverpool team: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Lucas, Alonso, Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel, Torres. Subs: Itandje, Hyypia, Riise, Voronin, Benayoun.
Blackburn team: Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Bentley, Vogel, Reid, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, Roberts. Subs: Brown, Ooijer, McCarthy, Mokoena, Dunn.
Welcome to skysports.com's live commentary from Anfield. This encounter is the first of two - the second the small matter of Man Utd v Arsenal - Premier League encounters that we will be bringing you live chatter from. I more than encourage you to drop me a line at james.dall@bskyb.com or through the feedback button on the scorecentre. Expect an extensive introduction in the next few moments. Until then...
Andy Gray fears for Fulham and Bolton, but says Reading and Birmingham aren't out of the woods yet.
Kammy is full of praise for Hull City as the Championship race reaches a gripping climax.
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Blackburn Rovers | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Hull City | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Manchester City | 2 | 3 |
| 9 | Bolton Wanderers | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | Everton | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Fulham | 2 | 3 |
| 13 | Sunderland | 2 | 3 |
| 14 | Arsenal | 2 | 3 |
| 15 | Stoke City | 2 | 3 |
| 16 | West Ham United | 2 | 3 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | West Bromwich Albion | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | Wigan Athletic | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 2 | 0 |