Hodgson Optimistic After Better Performance By Torres

All the talk was of the free-kick
that never was: Michael Turner's
roll-back to his goalkeeper,
seized on by Fernando Torres,
that provoked a torrent of
debate and a renewed interest in
the laws of the game. However,
for Roy Hodgson perhaps the
most interesting goal was the
one that was disallowed.
When men are surrounded by
darkness they will look to any
point of light but the way Torres
controlled the ball and drove it
into the roof of the net beneath
the Kop suggested that Rafael
Benitez's great legacy to Anfield
is rediscovering the touch that
16 months ago brought
Liverpool close enough to the
Premier League trophy to smell
the Brasso.
It was a second 2-2 draw in the
space of four days but this time
there was no penalty shoot-out
in the downpour and Hodgson,
his club blazer dryer that it was
after the debacle against
Northampton, was able to extend
his conversation beyond a mere
apology to the supporters.
"The Fernando Torres you saw
today was much, much different
to the Fernando Torres you saw
in the opening couple of games,"
the Liverpool manager reflected.
"People wanted to see the very
best of him from the moment he
stepped back on the field after
the World Cup but the point is he
needs time, he needs games. He
was very unlucky with the
disallowed goal because that
would have been one of the
goals of the month with that
magnificent chest control and
volley."