Pool star out for rest of season
"He is now more confident about the situation, and we must wait a week for him to have rest and then he will see another specialist," said Benitez. "It is the first time I have seen such a bad eye injury, he needs to rest now. I expect him to play again, but this season will be difficult.
"He is back in Liverpool, he cannot travel so he will stay here for rest. He has heard all the things people have been saying about the injury but for now it is better that he rests and keeps calm. "He is a big loss, but the most important thing is the health of a player. "You have players injured, but when it is this serious you must be more concerned about his health first.
"I do not expect Momo to play again this season, maybe we will see him working again within a few months." In Sissoko's absence Steven Gerrard is expected to revert to his preferred role in central midfield after playing most of the season on the right.
"He (Gerrard) can change matches, and he can do that better from the centre," added Benitez. "Losing Sissoko means the option for central midfield does involve Gerrard. "(Xabi) Alonso and (Dietmar) Hamann can play in the middle, but maybe it is time to start using someone else on the right side.
"Momo was working for everyone, a fantastic player with so much energy right across midfield. "Gerrard is a different type of player but he has more quality and he can change games. "Luis Garcia, too, can play in three different positions, but if we need to use Gerrard in the middle then Luis can play on the right."
This is obviously a big blow for Liverpool football club because losing one of your top performers for your team sure isn't easy. Sissoko has done very very well this season and he was probably hoping to keep up his consistancy for the rest of the season but unfortunatly this has happened. Get well soon Momo!
FA Cup 5th Round Review + 6th Round Draw
Here is a full round-up of this weekends FA Cup 5th round ties which saw only Premiership sides progress in the tournament. The best of the matches came at the Valley were Premiership side Charlton hosted an in-form League 1 side Brentford. Charlton went ahead early through there top goalscorer Darren Bent and they never looked backed from there because they went on to score two more goals in the shape of Jay Boythroyd and Bryan Hughes. Brentford did grab a consalation goal late on from Isiah Rankin but it was to little to late.
The worst match of Saturday afternoon saw a bore 0-0 draw between Bolton and West Ham and the two sides will now play a replay at Upton Park in two weeks time. Bolton probably overall had the best chances of the game but failed to take them. Another boring match on Saturday was the tie that looked the most glamorous, Liverpool against Manchester United at Anfield but it failed to live up to expectation and it was won by a Peter Crouch goal early during the first half. The game will be remembered mainly by the whole Alan Smith injury and we all wish him well!
The final game on Saturday was Newcastle against Southampton at St. James' Park. The game was decided only by one goal which came in the shape of out of sorts English man Kieron Dyer. Near the end of the game Southampton's inexperienced goalkeeper was stretchered off with a jarred knee and The Saints had already used all of their subs so substitue Dexter Blackstock went in and did very well, but Southampton just couldn't get that all important equaliser and they crash out in the fifth round.
Sunday's action was very tasty indeed with some lovely goals. Preston took on an in form Middlesbrough side for a place in the next round but Premiership experience was shown during the game by Boro. Yakubu bagged two lovely goals to ensure Steve McClaren's men went on into the next round. The worst game of the day was seen at the Brittania stadium where Stoke City tried to beat out of form Birmingham to qualify for the 6th round but they failed to do that. Birmingham running out 1-0 winners thank to a goal from Finnish striker Mikeal Forrsell.
Chelsea were hoping to avoid a cup upset when they entertained in form League 1 side Colchester United. Colchester started off the better and were rewarded half way throught the first half when Garcia placed a lovely ball into the box and the ball was turned in by Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho. But Chelsea came storming back and got an equaliser ten minutes later through Paulo Ferriera. Chelsea sealed the win with two late goals from substitue Joe Cole.
Aston Villa entertained Man City in the most awkward to predict 5th round matches. City started the better and only for a bad touch by former Villa man Darius Vassell they would of been in front. But City didn't take there chances and Villa counter attacked and scored through former Liverpool man Milan Baros. It looked as though that's the way it would finish but in virtually the last touch of the game, City's 17 year old defender Micah Richards grabbed an equaliser from a lovely corner from Joey Barton. The two sides will now play a replay in two weeks.
Here is the draw for the sixed round of the FA Cup :
Charlton v Middlesbrough (I predict: draw)
Aston Villa or Manchester City v Bolton or West Ham (Don't know yet)
Chelsea v Newcastle United (I predict: Chelsea 2-3 Newcastle)
Birmingham v Liverpool (I predict: Birmingham 1-2 Liverpool)
Smith in horror incident
A grim-faced Ferguson said: "It's one of the worst I've seen. He's broken his leg and there's a dislocation of the ankle joint. "It's a very long-term injury - we're all behind him as he's a brave lad." The game was delayed by five minutes as Smith received treatment and was given oxygen as he was stretchered off. United's medical team were given help by Liverpool club doctor Mark Waller as the midfielder waited to be carried off.
Ferguson added: "I wasn't aware of what had happened because I was following the path of the ball, but you saw the reaction of the players round about Alan and you knew it was a bad one. "It is another bad blow for us and it sums up our season." Ferguson's counterpart, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, was quick to offer his sympathy to Smith. "We're all so sorry and we can only wish him all the best for the future," he said.
This is obviously very very bad news for Man United and Alan Smith himself because he had only just returned from a ankle injury today and was brought on during the second half. Smith has been one of United's better players this season and for him to be out for what could be a whole season and a bit would be a devastating blow for the Red Devils. It was a very nice touch to see the Liverpool fans clap him off the Anfield turf. Get well soon Smithy!
Larsson to go back home
The striker joined Barcelona from Celtic in 2004 but missed most of last season with a knee injury. Larsson also came out of international retirement in order to help his country qualify for this year's World Cup finals.
I think that this is the best thing for Larsson because I'm sure he thaught at the start of his carrer that he would love to finish back home in Sweden. He has had a torrid time at Barcelona with injuries but in fairness to him he has never given up. I hope he has a great last few years to his carrer.