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摘要：
11月30日晚，利物浦队将在客场挑战目前仅积5分、排名垫底的桑德兰队。如果本轮“红军”能够净胜对手两个球，那么他们将积25分并以净胜球的优势暂时跻身联赛第4，排在切尔西、曼联和阿森纳队之后。虽然，上赛季埃弗顿队的迅速崛起以及本赛季维冈竞技和博尔顿队的“昙花一现”给人们以耳目一新的感觉，但随着联赛的深入，人们在联赛排名上重新看到了久违的“老秩序”。
What fleeting romance the Premiership has offered this season is on the verge of ebbing away. Liverpool travel to Wearside tonight pepped in the knowledge that victory by two clear goals over Sunderland, floundering at the foot, will propel them into fourth place behind Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. It may have been refreshing to sight Wigan, Bolton and, last season, Everton near the pinnacle but reality suggests the long-established order is about to be reimposed.
11月30日晚，利物浦队将在客场挑战目前仅积5分、排名垫底的桑德兰队。如果本轮“红军”能够净胜对手两个球，那么他们将积25分并以净胜球的优势暂时跻身联赛第4，排在切尔西、曼联和阿森纳队之后。虽然，上赛季埃弗顿队的迅速崛起以及本赛季维冈竞技和博尔顿队的“昙花一现”给人们以耳目一新的感觉，但随着联赛的深入，人们在联赛排名上重新看到了久违的“老秩序”。
据《卫报》11月30日报道，虽然利物浦队的迅速反弹多少有些令人惊讶，因为就在一个多星期前，人们还很难在联赛前几名的位置上看到他们的身影，但随着近几轮出色的表现，利物浦队已经迅速赶了上来。如果他们本轮获胜并在本周六的联赛中再取得一场胜利，那么利物浦队很有可能将飙升至联赛的第2名。这样的前景不禁让人们对“红军”刮目相看。
当记者询问利物浦队主教练贝尼特斯，利物浦队为何有如此出色的表现时，这位西班牙人毫不迟疑回答说，前锋克劳奇就是问题的关键。“克劳奇是全队获胜的关键，”贝尼特斯表示：“在拿球和控球方面，他给了全队以极大的帮助。虽然没有直接进球，但在他周围的队友都因他的在场而受益不少。为此我曾多次对他讲，不要为没有进球而烦恼，因为那只是一个时间问题。”
谈到近日伤愈复出的澳大利亚前锋哈里·基维尔时，贝尼特斯表示：“如果他能连续2到3个月每周都能上场比赛的话，那么他将给全队带来变化。哈里是一名非常有天赋的球员。虽然他比从前康复了很多，但要想完全复原，还必须多打比赛。哈里在训练中很努力，我想本赛季，特别是随着世界杯的日益临近，我们会看到一个逐渐恢复最佳状态的基维尔。”
据报道，在30日晚对阵桑德兰队的比赛中，克劳奇和基维尔都希望能够得到首发出场的机会，帮助球队获得联赛连续第5场胜利。11月26日战胜曼城队的比赛是本赛季利物浦队连续第6次不被对手攻破球门的比赛，这样的成绩“红军”此前只在87-88赛季曾经有过。因此，30日晚的比赛对于桑德兰队来说，要想获得本队3年来在英超的首场主场胜利，恐怕将困难重重。
What fleeting romance the Premiership has offered this season is on the verge of ebbing away. Liverpool travel to Wearside tonight pepped in the knowledge that victory by two clear goals over Sunderland, floundering at the foot, will propel them into fourth place behind Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. It may have been refreshing to sight Wigan, Bolton and, last season, Everton near the pinnacle but reality suggests the long-established order is about to be reimposed.
For some, Liverpool's potential leap back into the limelight will be a shock given that they only broke into the top half a little over a week ago. By the time the bulk of games kick-off on Saturday, they could be second. The European champions' progress has been masked, their fixture backlog a legacy of the Istanbul triumph in May which took them into the Super Cup in Monaco in August and marooned them in the lower reaches. Yet, after being humbled at Fulham and humiliated by Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup in four days last month, the revival kicked in.
That it went almost unnoticed owes much to the sub-plots at Anfield this season, principally featuring beanpole strikers, stretch marks and reputations in danger of being damaged beyond repair. For Peter Crouch and Harry Kewell the chance to find form with places at next summer's World Cup finals at stake looms large.
The England striker could edge beyond 24 hours of football without a goal tonight yet, when asked how Liverpool had stumbled upon consistency, Rafael Benítez offered a simple response. "Peter Crouch," said the Spaniard. "He has been the key, keeping the ball for us and giving us so much. Maybe he's not scoring, but the players around him have benefited from opportunities because of him. I've spoken to him and told him not to worry. It's only a matter of time."
For Kewell, time might normally have run out. Whereas Crouch has been barracked by opposing fans, the Australian has endured playful taunts from his team-mates this week after his wife Sheree Murphy blabbed about the stretch marks he apparently has "on his bum and on his hips", as well as his apparent desire to go to Spain or Italy. To be playing at all represents progress. Groin and achilles injuries have limited him to one full club game this calendar year. The manager's patience must now be rewarded.
"If he plays every week for two or three months then he could make the difference for us," said Benitez. "I have seen a lot of very good players who have had similar injury problems. Harry is very talented and he is definitely fitter now, but you need to play games to get there totally. In training he is very focused; you can see he is enjoying his situation again. I think we will see the best of Harry Kewell this year, particularly with the World Cup to come.
"He needs to play well because national managers will be watching. Harry is a professional and you have to do your job for the thousands who watch us, as much as for yourself. The World Cup will be a distraction at the end of the season. At the moment, it should prove a positive for us."
Both players will hope to start on Wearside as Liverpool attempt to stretch their winning league sequence to five games. Their early-season form had actually been no stodgier than that of United or Arsenal. Indeed, where Benítez has lacked a Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney or Thierry Henry, his side have arguably made amends by proving more solid.
Saturday's clean sheet at Manchester City was Liverpool's sixth in succession, a sequence they have not matched since 1987-88. Piercing that rearguard is the task awaiting Sunderland. It is almost three years since the Wearsiders won a Premiership game at the Stadium of Light, the current Hartlepool striker Michael Proctor condemning Gérard Houllier's Liverpool to defeat in December 2002.
This is the 19th top-flight home game since, with Sunderland already appearing condemned. "The saying goes, the longer you have clean sheets, the closer you are to conceding a goal," added Benitez, "and it's the same with losing sequences." Like Sunderland, Crouch and Kewell will hope their luck is about to turn.
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