Liverpool Football Club are making the headlines - for both the right and the wrong reasons, says Eugene YS Han.

Heroes
Rafael Benitez
Liverpool maintained their perch at the top of the league thanks to yet another inspirational performance by their captain Steven Gerrard. But credit should also go to Rafael Benitez who again had the foresight to give Gerrard another free role behind the lone striker. The Reds captain’s two goals and two assists against Newcastle helped Liverpool on their way to a handsome 5-1 win at St James’ Park. Newcastle paid the price for not marking him and gave Benitez another tactical victory. Gerrard’s display again proved his best position is not in the centre of the park but in the attacking third where he has been most effective. The intensely-focused Benitez was so relaxed at St James’ Park that he agreed to a fan’s request for a picture during the game!

Shay Given
Even though his team conceded five at home to Liverpool, Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given still emerged as the man-of-the-match at St James' Park. As always, Given was called upon to make heroic save after save and kept Liverpool at bay for the first thirty minutes of the game. Rather than fret over the fading Michael Owen, Newcastle should do more to ensure Given stays put on Tyneside.

Mikel Arteta
Everton's number ten delivered goals when the Toffees needed them badly. Mikel Arteta was undergoing a mini goal-drought after not scoring in 12 league games. His breakthrough came against in-form Sunderland as he scored two goals – one of them a well-taken free-kick which reminded everyone of his deadliness from set-pieces.

Clint Dempsey
Chelsea have the meanest defence in the league and many teams have found it hard to score against Petr Cech and co. Not Fulham. The Cottagers scored not one but two goals against the Blues thanks to Clint Dempsey. The American midfielder took advantage of some uncharacteristicly lax defending by Chelsea to plunder a deserved draw. The result meant Liverpool went four points clear of the Blues while Manchester United gained ground on them as well. There will be no doubt that Dempsey will get free drinks at bars around Liverpool and Manchester on New Years’ Day.

Zeroes
Ricardo Fuller
One of the worst sins for a footballer is hitting your own teammate – during a game. Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller was rightly sent off for slapping his captain Andy Griffin in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham. Apparently he was not happy with Griffins for indirectly causing Stoke to concede a goal. Potters gaffer Tony Pulis was as bemused as anyone and attempted to play down the incident by saying Fuller ‘cared too much’ for the team. Well, if Fuller cared so much, maybe he should have helped Stoke by staying on the pitch and helping his team win the game. It was utterly disgraceful for him to take matters – pardon the pun – into his own hands.

Steven Gerrard
The proverbial ‘from hero to zero’ saying applies here for Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool captain had led his team to their most emphatic win of the season to pull clear in the league. But he let all the glory diminish by getting arrested for a ‘bar incident’ the next day. Stevie G now faces a court trial and maybe five years in jail after being charged for assault and affray. With Liverpool looking to break their 19-year duck, Gerrard’s actions couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Reds.

Chelsea
Chelsea were the only team out of the ‘Big Four’ to drop points when they were held by plucky Fulham to a 2-2 draw. To complete a miserable afternoon, Luiz Felipe Scorlari was booed by his own fans after he replaced crowd favourite Joe Cole with Salomon Kalou when Deco seemed the more logical choice. The Brazilian-born Portuguese playmaker was anonymous in the game and could not even get his corners past Fulham’s Andy Johnson! The Chelsea defence was a shambles without the leadership of John Terry casting doubt over the Blues’ ability to defend properly without their captain.

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