Liverpool 2 Middlesbrough 1

Aug 24 2008 by Steve Brown, Sunday Sun

SO now Middlesbrough know how Sunderland felt.

For eight days after underwhelming yet ultimately beating the Black Cats, Liverpool repeated the feat against the Teessiders.

Again, death struck late and though it came quickly, it left Gareth Southgate’s players nursing heartbreak, and that sickening feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

Between the game itself, Match of the Day and this morning’s papers, they still won’t quite comprehend how they didn’t win this encounter, let alone lose it.

Leading through Mido — and, with two goals in two games, Wigan can forget it — if Boro weren’t exactly cruising they at least looked comfortable in the face of only intermittent pressure.

So explain how they then succumbed, to late goals by Jamie Carragher via a deflection off Emanuel Pogatetz and, then, deep into added time, Steven Gerrard. And Rafa Benitez reckons his skipper’s fatigued!

At least that finally gave the watching Brian Barwick something to smile about and, although FA press chief and Boro fan Adrian Bevington looked less enamoured sat beside him, Southgate, too, found reason to be cheered.

His club has not won a league game at Anfield since 1976, yet in their 500th Premier League fixture can barely have come closer, even if there were lessons to be learned about closing a game out.

Encouraged by Bernie Slaven to “do a runner” and with the personnel now to play on the break, the fear was that Boro might slip too far into retreat and be overwhelmed. They did not, and were not.

Perhaps not now, but beforehand and for long spells throughout, Liverpool lacked confidence, and so sat back themselves.

That allowed Southgate’s side — unchanged but for Turnbull’s late call-up after Brad Jones dislocated a finger during his warm-up — to start in positive fashion.

But the game’s first real action occurred at their own end, and with Turnbull instantly, impressively involved.

A break from deep in the manner more expected of the visitors, ended with Dirk Kuyt firing a firm, 20-yard drive which was palmed over by the young Boro keeper.

From a Yossi Benayoun cross, Martin Skrtel headed over, Robbie Keane sliced wide when teed up by Torres, who then glanced a header off target from a cross by Xabi Alonso, and very quickly Boro’s promising start was in danger of fading from memory.

A good job then, for Andrew Taylor, who kept his side on the same page. On 13 minutes Gary O’Neil crossed and when Carragher’s header clear was half-volleyed back at goal by the Boro left-back, Jose Reina was forced into a fine, finger-tip save.

A clash of heads between, and the requisite treatment for Jeremie Aliadiere and Andrea Dossena, interrupted the early flow of enterprise, but only until it returned after the half-hour mark.

Then Gerrard curled Torres’ lay-off wide from 20 yards and at the other end moments later, Stewart Downing glided between Alvaro Arbeloa and Benayoun but blazed well wide.

Still, the ebb and flow did not relent. After 39 minutes Torres’ side-foot effort was deflected behind off Pogatetz and shortly before half time Wheater headed O’Neil’s deep free kick straight at Reina.

Nor did the to-and-fro dissipate after the break. Within minutes of the restart Robert Huth bravely ducked in the way of Keane’s chip and received Torres’ boot in his face for his troubles. At the opposite end Afonso Alves’ low, left-foot drive skidded up off Carragher into Reina’s arms.

On the hour Gerrard blasted a free kick into the wall and just after it, following his introduction in place of Alves, Mido conjured an uncharacteristically balletic burst down the left and crossed low to the edge of the six-yard box, where Tunçay prodded tamely straight at Reina.

From point-blank range, the Turk ought really to have scored but, after Torres struck a long-range strike that was a carbon copy of his goal at the Riverside last season in all but the final outcome, Mido spared his team-mate’s blushes.

Knocking the ball about under as little pressure as they had encountered against Tottenham, Boro moved upfield as O’Neil spread play wide right to Aliadiere.

His pass inside found Mido in acres of time and space and from close to 30 yards out, the Egyptian unleashed a low, left-foot shot that crept inside Reina’s left-hand post.

Given Liverpool’s lack of real pressure and potency, that should have been it. Should have. But without switching comprehensively from front foot to back, Boro did stand off and invite grateful hosts onto them.

So, Skrtel headed Gerrard’s corner wide, Torres nodded down to his captain, whose shot from the edge of the box deflected wide off Huth’s arm and later, the England star saw a thumping free kick tipped behind by Turnbull.

By then, though, Liverpool had equalised — and seconds later they would win it.

On 85 minutes Alonso’s cross from the right was blocked by O’Neil’s outstretched arm just outside the box, but Carragher beat Mido to the loose ball, allowing referee Mike Riley to play the advantage and Carragher to crash a half-volley across the face of goal, the ball darting off Pogatetz and past Turnbull.

Then, deep into added time, Alonso pumped a high, hopeful pass goalwards, the ball bounced fortuitously off Wheater, even moreso off Keane and into the path of Gerrard, who curled into the far corner from the left of the area.

Inbetween, there was even time for Reina to miss a backpass and Aliadiere to steal in and cross, only
for Mido to stab wide of the empty net.

And David Gold says Boro are boring.