8:42PM BST 28 Apr 2015
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HULL CITY 1 LIVERPOOL 0
50 min
Coutinho, the hotstepper, travels 20 yards on a dribble in from the left but the final ball is poor and he doesn't spy Sterling's run round the left-back.
48 min
The ref spots N'Doye's wardrobe error and tells him to go and get it changed, which he does with a smile.
46 min
What I don't understand about the way Liverpool are playing is that they had a perfectly serviceable right-back in Martin Kelly and yet keep using the inadequate Manquillo there or Can, who is a central midfielder. Now Can gives away a corner when Aluko tries to find N'Doye, who is now wearing Hernandez's shirt.
Half time
Entertaining game so far with the defensive frailties of Liverpool at full-back and at tracking runners when the ball is in the air exposed. But with Coutinho, Ibe and Sterling linking up well they look like scoring, too.
Here's Dawson's tungsten-neck header:
Shane O'Leary writes
You're in the loop, so please tell Brendan that if he's serious about bringing silverware to Anfield, he's going to need a stripey jumper and a bag marked 'Swag'.
You're in the loop, so please tell Brendan that if he's serious about bringing silverware to Anfield, he's going to need a stripey jumper and a bag marked 'Swag'.
Me, loop? Touché, Shane.
45+2 min
Tremendous run from Johnson down the left, past Chester and to the byline. He scoots towards the near post and taps the ball through Harper's legs but Balotelli is a split-second behind the ball as it scoots across goal about a foot out. As soon as it goes beyond the far post the referee blows for half-time.
45 min
Going forward Liverpool have looked fine, particularly when Coutinho has the ball but Balotelli has twice gone for the more difficult pass and lost possession.
44 min
Actually, scratch that. Lord knows what system they're playing at the moment.
42 min
Rodgers, the Tinkerman, has changed his system with Ibe as a right wing-back and Can in central midfield.
40 min
Cross from Ibe after good work from Balotelli, driving on a diagonal run and knocking the ball out to the right. Ibe cut it back towards Henderson who met it on the volley and hit it straight to Harper's right and he easily smothered it. The Hull crowd was booing because it came after they were given the advantage following Lovren's foul but the initiative switched in a heartbeat and Liverpool countered.
GOAL!! Hull 1-0 Liverpool (Dawson) Hull win a corner because Can can't play as a right-back in a four and Aluko forces him to concede it. It's taken long from the left, headed out and Elmohamady picks it up 25 yards out and chips a diagonal cross over the top of the defence and Dawson, played onside by Balotelli, nodded a firm header past Mignolet.
GOAL!! Hull 1-0 Liverpool (Dawson) Hull win a corner because Can can't play as a right-back in a four and Aluko forces him to concede it. It's taken long from the left, headed out and Elmohamady picks it up 25 yards out and chips a diagonal cross over the top of the defence and Dawson, played onside by Balotelli, nodded a firm header past Mignolet.35 min
Tenacious defending from Jordan Henderson stops Quinn, who has peeled off to the left, getting past him as Quinn tried to out-lollipop him with a sequence of turns. After the third he just watched the ball and booted it out. Good work from Huddlestone to distribute it after reading Quinn's run.
32 min
Hull have a bank of five and a bank of four when Liverpool have the ball which makes them very difficult to get through though Can almost pulls it off when he spots Ibe's dart between Brady and McShane but overclubs his pass and sends it skipping beyond the sprinting winger and into touch.
29 min
Dawson catches Henderson late and with snide force - though it looked accidental. Altogether now: 'He's not that sort of player.' The ref gives him the benefit of not even whistling it as a foul.
27 min
Managers' disdain for orthodox full-backs is almost shown up again when Brady roasts Can and spins in a terrific cross that Aluko directs towards goal, Mignolet claws away and N'Doye's effort from the rebound.
25 min
Sterling manages to draw Chester out to the right where he exposes his lack of pace with a spurt past him to the by-line. He drags back a low cross to Balotelli who has his back to goal about 12 yards out and he gives it the power back-heel - neat improvisation that almost comes off but Harper gets down to catch it despite the surprise element.
22 min
Liverpool have wrested the upper hand with penetrating runs from Coutinho and Ibe around the back, the latter getting on the end of a long cross from the left, taking it on the volley wide of the far post and hooking it into the box past Brady who failed to block it but McShane whips it away a yard infront of Balotelli.
20 min
Coutinho gets away with a studs-up tackle on Aluko and then gets on the end of a training-ground corner as he peeled to the nearpost and shot on the half-volley. Harper saw it late as it flashed through the box and palmed it away.
18 min
Hull free kick 40 yards out, taken by Brady with his left foot from the right. The ball is over the heads of Dawson and N'Doye but Skrtel either didn't get a call or hear it so decides to backhead it out for a corner, which is well defended.
16 min
That's Coutinho at his best, darting on a diagonal run from the left towards the middle of the park he clips a pass down the side of Chester for Johnson's run into the box. The stand-in left-back shanks his shot as he slips and gives Harper a cricked nec as he looked up to see where it landed at the back of the stand.
14 min
Rather odd pass from Balotelli almost puts his side in danger when he clips it right back to Can instead of Allen and it takes the midfielder's watchfulness to stop Brady when he intercepts.
12 min
Ball up from Can is taken by Ibe 20 yards inside his own half with his back to the Hull goal and Brady leans into him to shove him over. The free kick is worked up the Liverpool left but Sterling cannot find Coutinho because Huddlestone has tracked back to bolster the defence even more.
10 min
Ibe is playing wide right with Can at right-back and Johnson at left-back. Twice he wins the ball back and has a run at Brady but Hull have their defence lined up in a five rather than three at the moment and they squeeze any space very quickly.
8 min
Up come the centre-halfs, Brady takes it and it's headed back out. Hull recycle it out to the left where Aluko beats Can and stands up a cross towards the penalty spot and N'Doye meets it crisply and directs a header to Mignolet's right. The keeper dives across to save.
6 min
Aluko is playing off N'Doye and when a long ball up to the centre-forward was blocked, he won the second ball 30-odd yards out to the left of centre and Allen takes him down.
4 min
Balotelli takes the free kick himself, strikes the wall and the ball is deflected out for a corner that is wasted and easily cleared by Hull.
2 min
Elmohamady again makes a run forward from the throw and squares it but the pass is intercepted and sent out to the left where Ibe takes it 15 yards and plays it inside to Balotelli whose heels are clipped 35 yards out by Huddlestone. Balotelli raises his arm to remonstrate with Huddlestone and touches him.
1 min
Hull begin with an attack up the right, Elmohamady chiping it into the box for Livermore's run past Aluko and N'Doye but Skrtel hets there and whacks it out for a throw.
7.44pm Rodgers and Bruce embrace. It's on.
7.41pm The teams exit the tunnels. Steven Gerrard has been rested so he can play at the weekend, according to Brendan Rodgers.
7.35pm A lifelong Hull fan gets ready for the match.
7.30pm Mario Balotelli warms up. It's always him etc. I like him but think he's in the wrong country and playing for the wrong club.
7.17pm Who do you think dances better? Ahmed Elmohamady or the Liverpool quartet?
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