More to come from Morientes warns Riise

FERNANDO MORIENTES’ stunning first Premiership goal will be the first of many, says Liverpool match-winner John Arne Riise.

Liverpool maintained their pursuit of Champions League qualification as Riise netted his sixth of the season to secure only the Reds’ fourth away league win of a fluctuating campaign at Charlton, winning 2-1.

But the cracking 20-yard equaliser by Morientes was met with equal relief and delight following the Spanish striker’s struggle for fitness and goals in his first three matches for the club.

Riise said: “There was some pressure on him because of his reputation and all the talk about him before he came. But he is a really nice guy, so easy to talk to and he works well in training.

“He has shown in training what a good finisher he is and he proved that against Charlton with a sweet left-foot shot. There is a lot more to come.”

When Morientes signed for Liverpool in a £6m deal from Real Madrid, he had not played a full match since last season’s Champions League final while on loan at Monaco.

That lack of match practice sparked criticism that he was not the right man to revive Liverpool’s campaign. But Riise believes Morientes can help Liverpool achieve their Champions League ambitions.

The Norwegian said: “His reputation is good and he came here because he wants to score goals and win trophies with Liverpool.

“When he arrived it said to everybody that this team is going upwards and is going to win trophies, and that is why all the players are working together.

“We are in one final (the Carling Cup), but want to do better. The Champions League is starting up again soon, so we are looking forward to that.”

Liverpool’s win at The Valley meant they avoided a third-successive league defeat, and Riise added: “I think the Charlton win was our best performance away from home of the season.

“We knew after playing three or four games not that well lately, it was a must-win for us, especially when Tottenham and Middlesbrough lost as well.”

Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek echoed Riise’s praise for Morientes, adding: “Everyone was pleased for Fernando to score his first goal and it gives him a lot of confidence now.

“It was a fantastic goal and Fernando did a very good job for us. It was a goal that was impossible to stop, a magnificent goal. We needed that win very much because Charlton were on the same number of points as us.”