Liverpool v QPR – Well Done Michael Harriman

Team: Green, Traore, Hill, Onuoha, Harriman, Derry, Park (Hoilett), Townsend, Mbia, Remy (Granero), Zamora (Mackie)

Subs Not Used: Murphy, Fabio, Ehmer, Bothroyd

Attendance: 44,792

I was pleased to see 20-year-old Michael Harriman start and relieved that Jose Bosingwa didn’t. Max Ehmer was named as one of the substitutes and I would of liked to have seen him involved at some stage. Michael Harriman had a good game as did Rob Green who made a string of fine saves.

From a Liverpool perspective it was all about Jamie Carragher of course. He was given a guard of honour by both sides and R’s fans joined in with the applause. The Kop displayed a mosaic of his initials and squad number. He almost scored in the second-half when his volley rattled the post from at least 30 yards.

Another lack lustre performance from the R’s and I don’t remember anything of note on target ? What looked like a good shout for a penalty at the Kop End was turned down after Loic Remy was tripped in the box, but we had more chance of being struck by lightning. Remy went close with a shot that wizzed just wide.

There was a good turnout from the R’s faithful. Unfortunately it was the usual behaviour from the stewards. They are a law unto themselves, chucking out R’s fans at will.

I enjoyed the meet-up in the pub before the game and my thanks to Johnny for getting us there and back in record time.

I’mso relieved that this bloody awful season is finally over. Most of the players should hang their heads in shame and hopefully they will be offloaded as soon as possible.

Steve Russell

No one is bigger than Liverpool Football Club, but there are those whose presence have elevated and preserved their stature. Jamie Carragher waved goodbye to the Kop having become part of such an elite. Once a successor in the central defensive bloodline of Ron Yeats, Emlyn Hughes, Tommy Smith, Phil Thompson and Alan Hansen, this was the afternoon he became their peer in the ex-player lounge.

There were no Carragher tears to water the Anfield turf here, just the lingering stains of 16 years of blood and sweat on every blade of grass and the final throaty instructions to team-mates bellowed out as if his last appearance was his first. He was the width of a post from the most memorable of goals in the 1-0 win over Queen’s Park Rangers too, a 35-yard volley re-bounding to safety with the stadium ready to erupt. How Liverpool will miss him.

The game seemed an afterthought. Already down, QPR were here for little more than the ceremony and there was a testimonial pace to proceedings from the first whistle which rarely quickened.

Rodgers handed a debut to 17-year-old Jordan Ibe, a much-needed nod to the future on the day Liverpool sent another icon into the realms of nostalgia. Ibe grew in confidence as the game progressed, but more immediate promise comes in the form of Brazilian Philippe Coutinho, whose sale by Inter Milan for such a reasonable fee of £8.5 million looks more perplexing by the week

Coutinho would have had two in the first-half if he could have convinced the Premier League to introduce goal-line technology a game early. The Brazilian’s second-minute header from Stewart Downing’s corner crossed the line before Armand Traore’s clearance, but the officials did not see it. Coutinho made amends on 23 minutes, accepting Ibe’s pass 25 yards from goal and firing low to Robert Green’s right.

For QPR, the clear-out can now begin in haste. “I wouldn’t want to come back if I couldn’t get some good lads in,” Redknapp said. “I don’t need to come to work every day and have aggravation. One player got fined more this month than he did in wages and he earns plenty of money.”

This was all about Carragher, however, subbed to a prolonged standing ovation five minutes from the end. “I’ve had lots of great times and have lots of great memories and that is down to Liverpool Football Club and the supporters who have dragged us over the line many times. Istanbul, Cardiff, you’ve played your part,” he said in an on-pitch interview.

Chris Bascombe – The Telegraph (extract)