Late goals leave Reds frustrated
A brilliant goal from Sebastian Coates was little consolation as Liverpool surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Queens Park Rangers.
The defender might never forget his first strike in English football, an acrobatic volley to open the scoring at Loftus Road, but after Dirk Kuyt made the score 2-0, the hosts mounted an incredible comeback to boost their chances of Barclays Premier League survival.
Shaun Derry, Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie all fired in the final 14 minutes and the Reds left West London feeling robbed.
The Liverpool team included Luis Suarez and Martin Kelly, both of whom had recovered from knocks that forced them from the pitch against Stoke City. They and the rest of the players donned t-shirts during the warm-up with messages of support for Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba as he continues to recover from a cardiac arrest.
The action then commenced and it was Liverpool who seized the initiative, a mistake from Nedum Onuoha allowing Suarez to charge unobstructed towards Paddy Kenny. But for once a player whose unpredictability is perhaps his greatest asset was outwitted, and the goalkeeper saved.
Anton Ferdinand then had to rescue his teammates, who'd been unlocked by a Kelly throughball that presented Stewart Downing with a chance.
In the opening nine minutes Liverpool were awarded seven corners, the last of which dropped to Kuyt at the back post. A goal looked likely but again Ferdinand was the obstructer with a block which left him winded and requiring treatment.
The hosts could not cope with their opponents' passing, crisp and decisive as it was, and they could not cope with Suarez as he turned, shimmied, dragged and generally caused havoc.
But the goal did not arrive, and from that fact QPR seemed to find hope.
Cisse - witnessed strolling through Shepherd's Bush before the game wearing a silk mac - created half chances here and there, while Pepe Reina was nearly left helpless by a mis-hit clearance from teammate Jose Enrique.
Kenny Dalglish had to reshape his defence, replacing the injured Kelly with Coates. Jamie Carragher shifted to right-back to accommodate the Uruguayan, and he and his colleagues were absorbing increasing pressure as half-time approached.
There was more bad news for Dalglish during the break when it became apparent that Charlie Adam, subject to a heavy tackle immediately prior to the teams coming in, would need to be withdrawn. His adversary, Armand Traore, suffered the same fate, with Taye Taiwo and Jordan Henderson the replacements.
The second half began with another spate of Liverpool corners, and it was number 14 that finally produced a goal on 54 minutes. And what a goal. You will wait a long time to see a better finish by a centre-back than the sharpest of scissor-kicks executed from the penalty spot by Coates after the ball had been ricocheted from the line.
A minute later Downing drove a shot that goalkeeper Kenny could not handle but at least managed to get in the way of. Our England winger would later be played one-on-one by Kuyt only to be denied by Kenny - but Liverpool would not be denied a second for much longer.
Suarez beat two defenders on 72 minutes before hitting the post; Downing pounced but his shot was saved. Finally Kuyt proved clinical with a prod beyond QPR's excellent stopper.
It was a long way back for QPR now but, with nothing to lose, they surged. A back-header from Derry following a corner ensured the final 14 minutes would be frantic.
And so it proved. On Sunday it was former Red Peter Crouch who scored against Liverpool, now it was Cisse's turn, heading a Taiwo cross beyond Reina on 86 minutes.
The winner came in injury time when an Enrique error left substitute Mackie with only Reina to beat and he made no mistake.
Liverpoolfc.tv journalists' man of the match: Luis Suarez
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