Phil Thompson hailed his Liverpool players last night, after seeing them beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0, and guarantee qualification for the next round of the Champions League. Thompson, standing in for the ill Gerard Houllier, pointed to the performances of Jamie Carragher and Stephen Wright in particular, as being key to the defeat of the tidy German side.
Carragher, who marked Jan Koller during the match, was the subject of a glowing review by his boss. Thompson said: \"Jamie's face lit up when I told him he was captain, and he performed magnificently. People were worried about how we would cope with Koller, but Jamie had the confidence and the ability to do it. Along with Stephane Henchoz and Dietmar Hamann, he was outstanding. I was delighted with them all.\"
Young defender Stephen Wright, who scored the Anfield outfit's second also won rave reviews. Thompson said: \"Stephen has impressed everyone. He has just got into the side, played his first European game last week against Boavista, and popped up with a goal like that. He's only a young boy but he has equipped himself magnificently already and he did it again in this match.\"
Following the match, Thompson revealed the driving force behind Liverpool's string of good performances and dedicated the win to ill boss Gerard Houllier. \"I would have been very hurt if we had gone out. I know just how much Gerard Houllier loves the Champions League. He wants to pit his wits against the very best - he loves Europe. It was also nice to see Liverpool back at the peak. The club has dominated Europe in the past and we staked our claim again to be among the elite by winning the UEFA Cup last season.\"
Houllier called the ground immediately after the match Thompson revealed he had said: \"'I'm proud of you all.' He just said he had seen the game and that he was so proud of the team, and how well they had done. We had a 10-minute chat and I just told him that the result was for him and to help him get fit again.\"
Filed by John Raftery
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