The fearless tabby became a viral video hit after running onto the hallowed turf at Anfield on Monday night before mooching around the Tottenham goal to the general bemusement of Spurs keeper Brad Friedel.

Liverpool fans chanted "A cat! A cat! A cat! A cat!" to the tune of team battle cry "Attack! Attack!" as the moggy ambled around. The rogue feline was eventually scooped up by stewards and removed from play, failing to inspire the players who went onto a goalless draw.

But within minutes the cat's adventures were being replayed on YouTube and a spoof Twitter account Anfieldcat had sprung up, commenting: "enjoyed my quick run around on the hallowed anfield turf anfieldcat meow".

By yesterday afternoon it had over 23,000 followers and reported interest from a rival Liverpool club, tweeting: "everton rumoured to be interested in signing me, (Everton chairman) bill kenwright too paw to stump up the money."Another tweet lamented the escalating cost of attending football matches. "Milk is so expensive at football stadiums, it's an epic swindle," it read.

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The Barcelona soccer club and Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic were honored Monday at the Laureus Sports Awards as the Best Team and Best Male Athlete of 2011, respectively. At a ceremony held in London, Djokovic won out over Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, who was nominated for the third consecutive year for the prestigious trophy but who was bested in the last two editions of the awards by Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Barcelona had been nominated for the award along with U.S. pro basketball champions Dallas Mavericks, England’s national cricket team and the Red Bull Formula 1 racing team.

Spain’s World Cup-winning national soccer squad won the Laureus top team honors last year.
The Barcelona team won both the Spanish first division and the UEFA Champions League in 2011.
The 47 retired sports greats who voted on the prizes - among them Miguel Indurain, Michael Jordan and Boris Becker - emphasized that one of the “culminating moments” of last year was the “brilliant” Champions League final in Wembley in which Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1 on goals by Messi, Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa.

The judging panel also took into account that Barcelona has won the Champions League crown in three of the last six seasons. The delegation for Barcelona that traveled to London to receive the award was headed by club president Sandro Rossell. The gala also included a tribute to the late Spanish golfer Severiano Ballesteros.

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Tottenham assistant manager Kevin Bond expects Liverpool fans to create a hostile atmosphere at Anfield as the Reds welcome back Luis Suarez from his eight-match ban. Suarez was handed the ban in December after a Football Association board found the Uruguayan guilty of making a racist comment towards Manchester United's Patrice Evra during the meeting between the two clubs in October.

Liverpool's players, management and fans have stood firmly by Suarez throughout the affair, and Spurs assistant manager Bond expects Suarez to be given a rapturous reception when the two teams meet on Monday. "It will give them a lift having Suarez back," Bond said. "The crowd will be rooting for him hugely.

"The introduction of Suarez on a night match at Anfield will make Liverpool a real tough nut to crack. He's a fantastic player and has been a fantastic signing for Liverpool.

"Maybe a couple of results have gone against them in his absence but they've just had three big wins without him and now they've got him back as well."Bond has been taking charge of training at Tottenham for the last two weeks as manager Harry Redknapp has been busy contesting two counts of tax evasion, charges he denies.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are in good form, having knocked Manchester City out of the Carling Cup and disposed of bitter rivals United in the FA Cup. Kenny Dalglish's men have also hauled themselves back in to contention for a top-four place after wins against Wolves and Newcastle, but Tottenham will be buoyed by the fact that they left Anfield with a 2-0 win at the end of last term.

"It was a real big performance from us there last year," Bond said. "I'm sure the lads will reflect on that and think if we go about our job in the same way we can go to Anfield and get a result again. We definitely need to get something there and last year's win will give us a bit of a lift."

Former Everton striker Louis Saha could make his Spurs debut as Jermain Defoe (hamstring), Rafael van der Vaart (calf) and Emmanuel Adebayor (hamstring) are all struggling for fitness.

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Liverpool are likely to welcome back two talismanic figures after Kenny Dalglish confirmed that captain Steven Gerrard will be in the squad to face Harry Redknapp's men, having missed the 3-0 drubbing of Wolves last time out. Forward Luis Suarez is also in line to return for the Reds having now served his nine-game suspension (eight of which were for using racist language toward Manchester United's Patrice Evra, the other for an obscene hand gesture to Fulham fans).

This should see Jordan Henderson drop out of the midfield while Jay Spearing continues to deputise for Lucas, who is out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury, while the Uruguayan striker takes the place of Dirk Kuyt up front, despite the Dutchman scoring at Molineux.

Rafael van der Vaart is a doubt for Tottenham after being forced off the pitch with a calf injury after half an hour of their deadline-day win over Wigan, with Jake Livermore a potential replacement to shore up the midfield in his absence. The Dutchman's participation is touch-and-go with Kyle Walker (groin) and Emmanuel Adebayor (hamstring) also being monitored. Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon (hamstring) are both considered unlikely to be fit. Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen, both signed at the end of the final day of the January transfer window, are available for selection and could make debuts at Anfield.

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JAMIE CARRAGHER admits motivation won’t be in short supply when Liverpool FC entertain high-flying Tottenham at Anfield on Monday night. Liverpool FC were hammered 4-0 at White Hart Lane back in September when both Charlie Adam and Martin Skrtel were sent off. It was Kenny Dalglish’s heaviest ever defeat as Anfield boss.

Spurs, who are just five points adrift of leaders Manchester City, have won the last three league meetings between the clubs and are looking to record successive league doubles over Liverpool FC for the first time in a century.

Centre-back Carragher is an admirer of Harry Redknapp’s in-form side but is desperate to dent their title hopes. “Spurs have probably been the most impressive team in the league for me this season,” he said.

“I know they aren’t top but they’re great to watch. They play great football, very fast paced and they certainly showed that against us at White Hart Lane. That was our biggest defeat of the season and something we want to rectify.

“The game changed a bit towards the end when we were down to nine men and the scoreline flattered them to a certain extent but they played really well that day. We didn’t start well enough and they caught us out.

“They also won at Anfield towards the end of last season. That’s probably in the mind as much as anything. We realise we’re playing against one of the best teams in the league and it’s going to be very difficult. “But we have proved in the last two home games, against the two teams above Tottenham, that we’re more than a match for anyone in the country.”

Carragher’s celebrations at Anfield last Saturday showed just what it meant to follow up reaching the Carling Cup final by knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup. However, the defender took just as much satisfaction from Wednesday night’s emphatic 3-0 league win at Wolves.

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Steven Gerrard has described criticism of Kenny Dalglish following Liverpool's defeat at Bolton as "absolutely ludicrous" and said he harbours no ill-feeling towards Roberto Mancini before Wednesday night's Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City.

Liverpool go into the game with a 1-0 advantage courtesy of Gerrard's penalty but also on the back of their worst performance since Dalglish returned as manager 12 months ago. Saturday's 3-1 defeat at the Reebok prompted an uncharacteristic verbal attack on the team from the manager and questions have been asked of his ability to lead the club back into the Champions League after a run of six points from six league games.

An incredulous Gerrard said: "Change happens at football clubs year in and year out because everyone is desperate for success. Change happens all the time. But the few whispers about a change of manager after one defeat is ludicrous to me. It's absolutely ludicrous and I take no notice of that at all. The thing that needs to change is the people who are here need to try and not put in performances like the one against Bolton and get back to the way we've been 95% of the time under Kenny, which has been very good."

Liverpool's first leg with City, two weeks ago, ended with Gerrard confronting Mancini while the Italian was in the middle of a radio interview. The City manager claimed Glen Johnson should have been sent off for a two-footed challenge on Joleon Lescott and was accused of hypocrisy by the Liverpool captain, having previously condemned Wayne Rooney for calling for Vincent Kompany's dismissal against Manchester United in a Cup tie.

But Gerrard said: "It was more of a heated conversation. It wasn't an argument or a head-to-head duel or anything. I'd read his comments where he was criticising Wayne Rooney for waving cards and he was waving the cards at Glen Johnson. It wasn't an argument, I just thought I'd tell him that he was wrong.

"These things happen but I've got total respect for Mancini for what he achieved as a player and for the job he's doing at Man City. I'm not really interested in myself and Mancini. I'm just interested in getting a result. But there are certainly no hard feelings between me and him."

Despite Liverpool's lead and City's problems in attack, Gerrard admits the home side cannot risk a containment policy against the Premier League leaders. "That is the danger – going into the game thinking that we're 1-0 up and that we need to protect that lead. We need to start at 0-0 in our minds and go out to try and win the game. Against Bolton we probably had one player, Craig Bellamy, who could be satisfied with his performance. Against City we need 11, otherwise we won't be going to Wembley."

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Liverpool may hold the advantage going into the second leg of this Carling Cup semi-final, but their squad come into this match with a very different morale to that of opponents Manchester City following this weekend's results.

The Reds were truly abject in their defeat to Bolton, yet another match in which huge question marks were raised over the purchases manager Kenny Dalglish has made since returning to the club. His furious reaction to the performance of his players was pointed: "If that's the level they expect this football club to play at, they won't be here long," he said.

In contrast, Roberto Mancini's Manchester City side are on a high following their sensational injury-time win over Tottenham on Sunday that bore all the hallmarks of a side destined to win the title. But they still have it all to do in this tie given that they trail 1-0 after the first-leg and winning at Anfield is not something they are accustomed to.

It's been nine years since their last victory there and given how intimidating the Kop can be on a midweek cup night, and Liverpool's desperation to play at Wembley for the first time since 1996, means Mancini's men have it all do.

Head-to-head
This is the 165th meeting between the two clubs. Liverpool have won 81 times, Man City 42 and there have been 41 draws. Their first match was in 1893 with Liverpool winning 1-0 at Hyde Road, Manchester.
Before the first-leg, they had met three times before in the League Cup. City beat Liverpool 3-2 in the third round en route to winning the cup in 1970. They lost 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-final of the 1980-81 season, with Liverpool winning the first leg 1-0 at Maine Road and the Reds went on to lift the Cup. And in the 1995-96 season, Liverpool hammered City 4-0 in the third round.

Liverpool
Liverpool are the most successful club in League Cup history having won it seven times. They have also been runners up on three occasions. This is Liverpool's first home match in this season's Carling Cup, having won all five previous ties on the road. They are participating in their 14th semi-final. Of the previous 13, 10 were won, including the last three. The 2-0 away defeat to Chelsea in the 2007 quarter-finals is the only time they have failed to score in 43 League Cup outings. Liverpool have been beaten only once in 23 games at Anfield since Kenny Dalglish's return as manager a year ago.

Manchester City
Manchester City won the League Cup in 1970 and 1976. On the most recent of those finals, City trailed 1-0 to Middlesbrough after the first leg of the semi-final, played on Teesside. They won the tie 4-1 on aggregate, and went on to beat Newcastle in the final. This is the fourth time they have taken a deficit into the second leg of a semi-final, and on two of the previous three they were unable to overturn it. The 1-0 defeat in the opening leg, was the first time City had failed to score in 12 League Cup matches, since Tottenham's 2-0 victory in the fifth round in December 2007.

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LIVERPOOL FC'S bid to secure Champions League football next season took a major blow as an inept display saw them comfortably beaten, 3-1 by relegation-threatened Bolton Wanderers.

Goals from Mark Davies, Nigel Reo-Coker and Gretar Steinsson did the damage for Owen Coyle's strugglers, who were full value for their victory. Indeed, Liverpool FC could head back for Merseyside grateful that the margin of defeat was not greater. A first-half strike from Craig Bellamy, by far the Reds' best player on the day, was the only bright spot on a gloomy afternoon for Kenny Dalglish's men.

Dalglish raged afterwards that his players had not treated this game with the respect it deserved, suggesting their approach to the fixture had lacked professionalism, and accusing his men of being “disrespectful” to the club.

They were strong words, but it is no surprise to see the Scot so angered. With Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final second leg showdown against Manchester City looming, and followed swiftly by a powderkeg FA Cup date with Manchester United, this was the worst possible preparation.

Having watched Chelsea drop points at Norwich earlier in the day, and then seen Newcastle suffer a shellacking at Fulham, the chance was there for Liverpool to make inroads into the six-point deficit which exists between themselves and that coveted fourth spot.

They failed. Starting slackly, Liverpool FC were two down inside half an hour, with Davies and Reo-Coker both given the freedom of the Reebok to punish alarmingly hesitant defending.

And though Bellamy, the visitors' only threat throughout, pulled one back before the break, more defensive uncertainty allowed Steinsson to wrap up the game early in the second period. Liverpool rarely looked like mounting a comeback.

Dalglish's team selection, questioned after last weekend's pallid goalless draw with Stoke City at Anfield, paid little respect to this week's looming cup clashes.

Gone was the three-man defence which had caused such consternation a week ago, while Dalglish gave recalls to both Bellamy and Andy Carroll in attack, and Daniel Agger in defence. Steven Gerrard, still working his way back to optimum match-fitness, continued in midfield, alongside Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam.

Coyle admitted afterwards that Bolton had been fired up as they watched results drop them to the foot of the table earlier in the day, and it showed as they tore into their vaunted visitors from the word go.

Former Liverpool forward David Ngog, given a generous reception by the travelling support, led the line for the home side, and within four minutes he had laid on the game's opening goal.

His neat touch allowed Mark Davies to break beyond a flat-footed Martin Skrtel, and the Bolton midfielder kept his calm to steer a left-footed shot into Pepe Reina's bottom left hand corner from 16 yards.

It was a sluggish start from Liverpool, and they were almost further behind soon after as Chris Eagles got the better of a hesitant Jose Enrique down the right, and surged into the area. His finish from a tight angle, however, lacked conviction as it flashed across the face of goal.

It took nearly 20 minutes for Liverpool to muster an effort on goal, with Henderson's 25-yard strike easily gathered by Adam Bogdan in the Wanderers goal.

But with passes wayward – Adam in particular had a nightmare first-half – it was difficult for Dalglish's men to gain any kind of foothold in proceedings, and just before the half-hour mark, their slackness was punished further.

The livewire Eagles exchanged passes with Ngog on the right before clipping a deft pass into home skipper Nigel Reo-Coker, who took the ball on his chest before slipping it past an exposed Reina from close range, as four Liverpool defenders stood still.

That Reo-Coker is nominally Bolton's holding midfielder, a destroyer rather than a creator, spoke volumes for the space which was afforded by Liverpool in central areas.

The goal did, at least, prompt a brief response from the visitors. As Reina punted the ball long, Carroll outjumped David Wheater to release Bellamy with a flicked header, and the Welshman raced clear to slip the ball past Bogdan and give Liverpool a lifeline they barely merited.

And with Dalglish certain to have issued a stinging half-time appraisal, the stage looked set for a second-half revival.

Not so. Having seen Adam waste a presentable chance immediately after the restart, Liverpool were put out of their misery in the 50th minute.

Martin Petrov swung in a corner from the left, David Wheater climbed above the flagging Skrtel at the back post, and Gretar Steinsson applied to finishing touch with a well-controlled volley into the bottom right-hand corner of Reina's net.

It removed what little fight Liverpool still had left, and in truth it was Bolton who looked the more likely to add to the scoreline.

The impressive Davies, assisted ably by Reo-Coker and Fabrice Muamba, bossed the midfield area, while Ngog's strength and movement gave Skrtel a torrid time.

Eagles, arguably the game's best player, had three late chances to net a fourth, while Carroll's mis-kick from substitute Stewart Downing's pull-back summed up Liverpool's day in a nutshell.

Dalglish would have faced a selection dilemma ahead of Wednesday in any case, but having admitted that some players “will not be wearing a red shirt much longer if they carry on like that”, it will be interesting to see how many changes he makes for Manchester City's visit to Anfield.

Because with their Champions League charge running worryingly off course since the turn of the year, it could well be cup competitions which come to define Liverpool's season.

BOLTON (4-5-1): Bogdan, Steinsson, Knight, Wheater, Ricketts, Eagles (Tuncay 90), M Davies, Muamba, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Ngog (K Davies 88)Substitutes: Lynch, Riley, O'Halloran, Boyata, Pratley

Goals: M Davies (4), Reo-Coker (29), Steinsson (50)

LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Adam (Downing 64), Gerrard, Maxi (Kuyt 64), Henderson, Bellamy, Carroll Substitutes: Doni, Carragher, Coates, Kelly, Shelvey

Booked: Jose Enrique, Kuyt

Goals: Bellamy (36)

Referee: Kevin Friend

Attendance: 26,854

STAR MAN – CRAIG BELLAMY: Only he and Pepe Reina can emerge from this game with their heads held high. His running never ceased, and his quality put several of his team-mates to shame.

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Kenny Dalglish has defended Stewart Downing, describing him as a better player than he envisaged when paying £20m to sign the England international from Aston Villa, despite the winger's subdued start to his Liverpool career.

Downing has yet to score or create one league goal for Liverpool since his big money move from the Midlands, although he did register his first goal for the club in the FA Cup third-round win over Oldham Athletic, and growing criticism of the 27-year-old's performances has prompted Dalglish to defend his summer signing. The Liverpool manager, who has been offered the Serbian striker Milos Krasic by Juventus, believes Downing is still adjusting to life at a higher-profile club and that it has been unfair to play the former Middlesbrough winger in several positions during his debut season at Anfield.

"Stewart is a better player than I thought he was going to be," the Liverpool manager claimed. "I don't think it has been too comfortable for him either because we have played him in three or four positions, so maybe we need to look at ourselves and say we have to be fair to him as well. He is better than what I thought he was. He is quicker than what I thought he was and he is quicker than Carra [Jamie Carragher] thought he was as well."

Downing was replaced by Andy Carroll during Liverpool's dour goalless draw against Stoke City last weekend as Dalglish persisted with three central defenders against Peter Crouch and withdrew a supply line to the £35m forward. The pair have started only 11 games together for Liverpool this season. Dalglish added: "You have to be patient with every new player who comes in. You have to be patient with the older ones at times as well, like we did with Stevie [Gerrard] coming back. Patience is important but the most important thing is having the ability to play and everyone in our squad has the ability to play."

The woodwork has denied Downing a first league goal for Liverpool on four occasions this season while poor finishing from team-mates also accounts for his lack of assists. Dalglish does admit the £20m midfielder has still to adapt to the transition from Villa Park to Anfield.

"Stewart is a fantastic footballer," he added. "He is an England international, he made a big move in the summer to come here, as a few of them did, and with all due respect to the other clubs that he's been at, it is a massive club. He is going to need a little bit of time to get used to his new surroundings, which is only natural. He's put more crosses in than anybody else according to the stats and it is part of his job to put crosses in. It is another part of his job to put them in somewhere where we are going to score goals and it is another job for the team to get in there and put them in the back of the net."

Liverpool face Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok on Saturday evening and Dalglish has questioned the wisdom of Bolton's decision to sell Gary Cahill for £7m to Chelsea as they fight to stay in the Premier League. The Liverpool manager said: "It has been difficult for Owen Coyle and Bolton this year but I am sure they will buckle down and get themselves out of the mire. Although financially it might have been a good deal for Gary Cahill, I don't know whether it was the best one as a football decision for Owen, unless he has got someone lined up to replace him."

By the same token Dalglish does accept that Cahill's contractual position, with only six months remaining on his deal at the Reebok before he moved to Stamford Bridge, left Bolton in an unenviable situation. He added: "It is pretty obvious that the players are the ones with the strength nowadays, far more so than the clubs, but then there was a long time when the clubs had all the strength. I think it would be better for everyone if it was shared out more evenly.

"Everybody knows what the position is though if a player is running out of contract and if you cannot afford to keep them, you cannot afford to keep them. I think you would be more in the wrong if you tried to keep a player who you couldn't afford. A football club does not belong to any one individual, it is for the people and the community and no one wants to see it go to the wall. If you dig your heels in and don't allow a player to leave until his contract is up then, for me, I don't think that's the right approach."

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The five-time European champions will receive £150m over six years from Boston-based Warrior following the agreement, which sees Liverpool stand second only to Barcelona - who have a £26.3m deal with Nike - in the lucrative kit sponsorship market. Liverpool have ended a relationship with German sportswear giant Adidas stretching back to 1985 by linking up with Warrior.

And Ayre has hit back at claims by Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer that Liverpool’s absence from European competition has diminished the club’s appeal by pointing to the size of the Warrior deal as proof of the Anfield outfit’s global popularity.

Ayre said: “We are disappointed that Adidas seem to point to a lack of European football as reason not to agree a new deal and cannot see that we are on par with the biggest football brands in the world.”Although Manchester United are expected to secure a world record £600m-plus kit deal before their current £23.5m agreement with Nike expires in 2015, Liverpool’s success in clinching such a lucrative deal with Warrior highlights the untapped commercial value of the Merseyside club, whose earnings from Adidas were just £12m-a-year.

Liverpool’s new deal outstrips Bayern Munich’s £22m-a-year package with Bayern Munich, while Arsenal, who have the third most lucrative deal in the Premier League, trail behind with a £13m deal with Nike.
Ayre added: “This is another landmark deal for Liverpool and once again shows the value of the club’s brand globally.

“Warrior Sports will bring its own unique brand and ideas to the partnership, ensuring that they can assist us at the Club both on and off the field of play. “I believe that Warrior have some outstanding people we can work closely with to continue to deliver quality products to our fans around the world.”Liverpool’s deal with Warrior will begin with the release of their home, away and third kit in June.

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