Crouch helps Liverpool finish 2005 in style

Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, pictured 15 December 2005. Crouch's fifth goal in five Premiership games earned Liverpool a hard-fought 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Anfield and left Rafael Benitez within touching distance of re-writing the Merseyside club's record books.

Peter Crouch's fifth goal in five Premiership games earned Liverpool a hard-fought 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Anfield and left Rafael Benitez within touching distance of re-writing the Merseyside club's record books.

Crouch's wonderful 52nd minute header ensured Liverpool ended a momentous year in which they were crowned European champions with a 10th successive league victory.

Success at Bolton Wanderers on Monday and at home to Tottenham Hotspur on January 14 will earn Benitez a place in history as the first Liverpool manager to steer the club to 12 straight league wins in one season.

There appears no stopping the Reds. This was their least memorable win on a successful run which started on October 29 yet they still did enough to clock up a seventh successive home victory.

And they have now gone 638 minutes - more than 10 hours - since last conceding a league goal in front of their own fans.

Liverpool had to battle all the way to bank the three points against a workmanlike West Brom side and it looked like it was going to be a frustrating end to the year for the hosts before the 6ft 7in Crouch leapt high above the visitors' defence to head Australia ace Harry Kewell's cross beyond Polish keeper Tomasz Kuszczak.

There had been little urgency in Liverpool's play during a disappointing first-half as they turned in an unusually subdued display compared with recent performances.

The return of Luis Garcia to the right flank allowed Steven Gerrard to play in his favoured central midfield role yet even the Liverpool captain struggled to inspire his team-mates against a West Brom side which had not won a league match away from home since March.

Bryan Robson's team were restricted to a couple of half chances with Geoff Horsfield and Richard Chaplow both failing to hit the target while at the other end Kuszczak produced three fine stops.

Kewell was by far Liverpool's best player before the break but the left winger was denied his first Premiership goal for a year by Kuszczak.

After a scrappy opening, the keeper leapt into action to parry Kewell's 14th minute effort from 25-yards behind his post for a corner before the same player was denied moments later after the West Brom defence had failed to cut out Djibril Cisse's low cross.

Liverpool's luck did not get any better in the 21st minute, a post denying John Arne Riise on his return to the side.

The ball rebounded into Kewell's path but once again the former Leeds United player was left frustrated as Kuszczak made a vital block.

This was Liverpool's third game inside a week and the hectic festive schedule was having a telling effect as Benitez's side struggled to repeat the displays which had brought them a 2-0 victory over Newcastle and a 3-1 away success in the Merseyside derby against Everton.

They emerged for the start of the second half a lot livelier and West Brom's defence was finally breached when Crouch leapt high to place man-of-the-match Kewell's cross beyond the outstretched hands of Kuszczak.

It brought a wave of relief around Anfield and Liverpool ought to have gone on to win by a more handsome margin with Gerrard twice going close to doubling the lead before the end.