Liberty Professionals and Cecil Jones Attuquayefio got their revenge over Accra Hearts of Oak last Saturday. It was a deserved 1-0 victory over the champion club at the Accra Stadium and Liberty's second straight win in the ongoing LG Top Four tournament which also gave Liberty a mathematical chance of winning the contest.

Coach Attuquayefio's charges not only did what no other Ghanaian club had achieved over Hearts in any competitive game in the nation's capital, but took Hearts to the cleaners and eventually stamped their authority over them, having won three of the last four games between them.

The defeat drove most Hearts fans wild as they swore at the club officials for leading the club to two straight losses in the competition.

It was a different spectacle last Saturday as a proud Attuquayefio walked freely without police escort, and basking in his club's achievement. Only two weeks earlier he was subjected to verbal abuse by some irate Hearts fans after Liberty?s 2-0 loss to Hearts on 23 February.

Even though he did not avenge the 2-0 loss, Attuquayefio supplied the right dosage of retaliatory medicine through his talented young lads. In fact, they could have humiliated Hearts further if the referee had not disallowed a 66th minute own goal which assistant referee M.D. Arthur judged to be offside positioning on the part of George Yamoah whose measured cross to William Tierro was pushed into the Hearts net by Hearts? defender Princeton Owusu-Ansah.

Hearts paid a bad price for failing to capitalise on two early chances that fell to Massawudu Mumuni and Bernard Dong-Bortey in the 13th and 25th minutes respectively. In both instances, goalkeeper Kotei Blankson was the high hurdle the Hearts strikers could not scale over.

Liberty players looked fitter and stronger and enjoyed better ball possession. Despite missing the services of Charles Taylor, Hearts put a lot of pressure on their opponents whose defence was rock-solid to repulse the danger.

With time Liberty took control of the game in midfield where skipper Addoquaye Pappoe and diminutive Alex Nii Aryee played the role of the team's engine. The Phobians eventually lost the midfield battle and allowed Liberty to put pressure on them.

Athletic Gyan, strong Alfred Nii Larbi and Tierro were always a threat, but skipper Amankwah Mireku and centre-back Kwabena Boafo proved unyielding in defence.

Eventually in the 41st minute, Larbi managed to slip past his markers and fired what could have been the opening goal, but the ball's flight towards the Hearts goal was deflected to corner. Thereafter, Hearts had their backs to the wall.

Thus far in the competition, Liberty had earned a reputation as masters of the second half. This character they exhibited soon after recess last Saturday when Gyan exhibited astronaut-style weightlessness by out-jumping his markers to head home a perfect Tierro cross during a fast break.

Hearts brought on experienced Emmanuel Osei Kuffour to complement the attack and introduced Joe Ansah who helped restore some stability in midfield. Kuffour's presence gave them a sharper cutting edge as they mounted pressure on the Liberty defence.

However, defender Sammy Addo and goalkeeper Blankson, in a man-of-the-match performance, kept Kuffour and his striking partners at bay.

As time wore on, Liberty began running the show, especially with the introduction of David Boateng in midfield and speedsters Yamoah and Hanson on the wings to wear out the tired Hearts full backs Amankwaah Mireku and Dan Quaye. That tactic proved a success as it resulted in the disallowed own goal.

From the 73rd minute onwards the Hearts' agile, goalie Sammy Adjei, was called to duty to save the Phobians from further humiliation. Adjei saved two goal-bound shots by Tierro and another chance by Yamoah. Between them Kuffour came close to rescuing his side in the 82nd minute but his shot curled away from the crossbar narrowly

After the match, an elated Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, Technical Director of Dansoman-based Liberty Professionals whose boys deepened the woes of Accra Hearts of Oak with a lone goal victory on Saturday said the feat was not a revenge over his former club.

It was a sweet victory for the former Hearts helmsman whose side crumbled before a determined Phobians side with a 2-0 bashing in the opening of match of the LG Top Four Tournament a fortnight ago; But he told a post match conference that Saturday's victory was not extra ordinary.

"I'm happy I have been able as it were to help Hearts seen their mistakes, it was obvious that they made too many mistakes, though they played some good football", coach Attuquayefio said.

The coach, who was verbally abused and humiliated by fans of his former club after his side's lost to them in the first game said "Liberty has now find its bearing and tempo it lost weeks ago".

"Over the weeks, as you would have noticed, we played well in all our games and only failed to score. The difference now is that, we have worked on the scoring problems, hence the current results", the former African Coach of year said.

Asked whether he had his eyes on the trophy, the coach answered in the affirmative adding, "why not, now that we are on the same points with the Phobians, any thing can happen".

On his part, Herbert Addo, Head Coach of Accra Hearts of Oak, said the defeat has exposed the weaknesses of the team which he promised to tackled before the next match. He said although his boys played well in the first half, they could not maintain the tempo in the second half, which caused them dearly.

Coach Addo, however, said that Liberty played better and deserved the victory. He said the focus of the team is Africa, which kicks off next month adding that there is the need to build a winsome team for the competition.

Hearts: Sammy Adjei, Amankwah Mireku Dan Quaye, Dan Oppong, Princeton Owusu-Ansah, Masawudu Mumuni/Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Edmund Copson/Joe Ansah, Adjah Tetteh, Eric Nyarko, Don Bortey, Wisdom Abbey