Michael Dawson’s first-half header gave Hull City a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Tuesday that pushed the northeast club closer to English Premier League survival.
The Hull captain timed his move to perfection to power home a cross from Ahmed Elmohamady in the 37th minute.
“In that moment, we didn’t defend well enough,” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said on the club’s Web site. “Where it counts in that final third we just couldn’t make the breakthrough. The players put great energy into the game, they worked very hard, but our struggles tonight were what they have been for a big part of the season in terms of creativity and scoring goals.”
The loss was a further blow to Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for a second successive season. Liverpool are seven points behind Manchester United, who are fourth in the final qualification spot for Europe’s elite competition.
“We wanted to be in that top four, but it was always going to be very, very difficult for us with how the season mapped itself out with the squad, injuries and whatnot,” Rodgers said. “We can’t take away we’re fighting for a great club, and we’re looking now to get the pace and momentum we can take through into next season.”
The win moved Hull four points clear of the relegation zone with four games to play.
Hull were unrecognizable from the side whose run of six games without a win looked to make the team relegation certainties as recently as last week.
Liverpool, without captain Steven Gerrard, who manager Brendan Rodgers indicated was being rested for the increasingly inconsequential run-in, looked rudderless and ill-equipped to cope with the Hull’s attacking intent.
The nervy last few minutes saw Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling shoot straight at Harper, while Tom Huddlestone could have sealed it for Hull with a long-range strike which flashed just wide before the final whistle sparked jubilation.
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