Nemeth strikes as Bolton beat 10-man Reds

The Hungarian striker marked his third appearance since returning from injury in style, when he drilled in the opening goal of the contest, only to see a second-half brace from Ebi Smolarek condemn the Reds to another defeat after Daniel Ayala was sent-off.

It was a bitter pill for Ablett and co to swallow after they produced arguably the best 45 minutes of their season in a one-sided first period.

A pre-match huddle gave a signal of Liverpool's intent and they almost made the perfect start on four minutes, but Nemeth miscued after finding space in the home side's penalty area.

The chance to play on an impressive Barclays Premier League stage like the Reebok Stadium seemed to be bringing the best out of an inexperienced Reds side and both Nemeth and Mikel San Jose went close, forcing Ali Al-Habsi to pull off two superb saves within a minute of each other.

It was very much a one-sided opening and on 20 minutes Gary Ablett's side finally got the goal their inventive play deserved when Nemeth got on the scoresheet.

The Reds boss admitted earlier in the campaign that his team were missing the clinical finishing of the Hungarian and he showed just what he can offer when he exchanged a one-two with Gerardo Bruna before lashing the ball home at the near post.

The pattern of play continued for the remainder of the half with Al-Habsi reacting smartly to keep out Bruna's drive while Plessis should have done better when he headed a corner just over the top at the near post.

The home side seemed to lack the creativity to seriously trouble the Reds rearguard and their main threat came from a flurry of set pieces just past the half hour mark.

Indeed, few could have argued if the Reds had gone in leading by a two or three goal margin and Ablett's major concern at the interval would have been that they would be made to pay for their profligacy.

It was a fear that almost became reality on 52 minutes when Temitope Obadeyi powered a free header from a corner onto the crossbar.

There was still much to play for in this contest and Martin Hansen had to dive full-stretch to deny a long range strike from Michael Burns while Obadeyi shot straight at the Reds stopper after turning well inside the box.

With the hosts pressing, Liverpool needed all the defensive know-how they could muster, but things took a turn for the worse on 62 minutes when Daniel Ayala was given a straight red card after appearing to leave his studs in following a challenge with Chris Basham.

It was a huge blow for Ablett's side and Wanderers made their one-man advantage count within two minutes of the red card when Polish forward Ebi Smolarek crashed home a first-time volley after a good run and cross from Riga down the right.

At this point Liverpool needed to regroup and stay together, but they couldn't hold firm and the Pole doubled his tally 20 minutes from time when he bundled in Obadeyi's low centre.

The 10-men fought hard to try and secure a point, but when Nemeth was denied a blatant penalty after being brought down by Al-Habsi, they were left to rue a series of missed opportunities after losing a game they should have won.

Bolton Reserves: Ali Al-Habsi, James Sinclair, Chris Basham, Sam Sheridan, Jaroslaw Fojut, Danny Shittu, Michael Burns (Danny Ward 85), Aaron Mooy, Temitope Obadeyi, Ebi Smolarek, Riga. Unused subs: Rob Lainton, Zoltan Harsanyi, Javlon Campbell, Tom Eckersley.

Liverpool: Martin Hansen, Emmanuel Gomis Mendy (Alex Kacaniklic 87), Michael Scott, Mikel San Jose Dominguez, Ronald Huth, Damien Plessis, Ryan Crowther (Andras Simon 83), Daniel Ayala, Krisztian Nemeth, Gerardo Bruna, Vincent Weijl (Jordy Brouwer 77). Unused subs: Dean Bouzanis, Adam Pepper.

Liverpoolfc.tv man of the match: Krisztian Nemeth. A lively show from the frontman who gave a cameo of his finishing prowess with a fine opening goal.

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