SOCCER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:DIRK KUYT yesterday dismissed the conspiracy theory about his Champions League penalty reprieve when he insisted the referee, his fellow Dutchman Pieter Vink, had done Liverpool no favours at Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Liverpool's goalscorer escaped punishment after tangling with Alexander Hleb inside the area, a decision which has given Arsenal an uphill task in the second leg. In 17 previous European Cup campaigns Liverpool have never failed to progress after avoiding an away defeat in the first leg.
That statistic might not have entered the equation had Vink, who is from Noordwijkerhout, a town five miles from Kuyt's home town of Katwijk aan Zee, awarded the 66th-minute penalty.
"I do know the referee," the Liverpool forward said. "I played in Holland lots of times where he was the referee, and he was the referee when we played Feyenoord earlier this season. We both come from the same area . . . but it would be wrong to say he did me a favour because he knows me.
"He made a good decision against Arsenal with the penalty. There were no favours. The referee called it right. To be honest I did touch Hleb but I never pulled his shirt or held him. He didn't deserve a penalty for that."
Kuyt was tireless at the Emirates Stadium, not only in scoring the away goal but also in impressing defensively. Yet his name was daubed on a training-ground wall when Liverpool's season reached its nadir against Barnsley in the FA Cup, as protestors urged Rafael Benitez to cast aside a player tormented on and off the pitch. The death of his father last summer deeply affected him and his reinvention in a supporting role has come at the expense of time in the penalty area, a loss of confidence in front of goal and fierce criticism.
However, the 27-year-old has still to convince the critics he can flourish as a creator rather than predator. "I had a few problems at the start (of the season) and everyone knows why, and I have just tried to get over it," he said. "In the second half of the season I have had to play in a different position and I have given everything I can. It is going well now."
Kuyt denies his sixth Champions League goal this season has put Liverpool in sight of a third semi-final under Benitez. "I wouldn't say we are favourites. It is still really close and that is why Champions League games are so special. Milan must have thought they had a great result here with a nil-nil but they got beat 2-0 at the San Siro, so that shows us you cannot take anything for granted."
Defiance is tinged with realism among the Arsenal squad for next week's visit to Anfield, with William Gallas suggesting it would take a better performance than that against Milan at San Siro to reach the last four in Europe.
The 2-0 success in Italy offers hope a repeat may be possible on Tuesday. "But it will be different because, against AC Milan, they did not have the same style of football as Liverpool," said Gallas. "We played them at a very high tempo, very quick, but against Liverpool it will be difficult because they play a game like that every weekend. We'll have to show the same spirit we did in Milan, and maybe more.
"It's difficult to play at Anfield, but we have to be strong and we will see what happens. We have to enjoy the atmosphere, play our football and try to beat them. All the boys are ready for the big fight, because that is what it will be."
Arsenal lost 4-1 in the Premiership at Anfield last season, but will draw encouragement from the 3-1 FA Cup win in January 2007 and a more youthful side's 6-3 win in the League Cup a few days later.
Emmanuel Adebayor should be fit for Liverpool's league visit to the Emirates tomorrow, having recovered from a minor ankle problem, but Robin van Persie is less likely to feature due to a thigh muscle injury.
