Liverpool 2 Middlesbrough 1
LONDON, Aug 24 — Steven Gerrard's miserable week ended on an incredible high when he struck Liverpool's winner with virtually the last kick of the game in front of the Kop. Gerrard, such a forlorn figure when sent out on the left for England in midweek, waited until the 94th minute to make his decisive intervention in front of Fabio Capello's No2, Franco Baldini.
His thunderbolt finish from 18 yards capped a remarkable turnaround for Rafa Benitez's men, who trailed until an unlikely equaliser from Jamie Carragher's deflected shot just four minutes from the end.
At that stage, nobody would have put a bean on them being contenders for their first title since 1990. But you cannot underestimate the Gerrard factor and last night the fans left Anfield celebrating six points out of six, and believing anything is possible.
Two seasons ago, Benitez would have looked at Gerrard's ordinary performance in the first hour and hooked him off, particularly as the midfielder is suffering with a groin problem. But the Spaniard knows you can never write off the Kop hero, who appears to write his own scripts.
"You always have a chance with Gerrard on the pitch because of his quality," said Benitez. 'Even when he's not 100 per cent, he can change games. He did it again for us.
"We have won two games against Sunderland and Middlesbrough with late goals. Last season we might have only drawn or lost these games. It's given everyone here confidence."
The flipside was the face of Boro boss Gareth Southgate, who looked almost bereaved as his team got precisely nothing for an outstanding display.
"I'm heartbroken for the lads. They didn't deserve the blow they got at the end," he said.
"They are incredibly down in the dressing room but, as a manager, I've got to take encouragement from the way we played against one of the top teams in the league."
Boro lost their first-choice goalkeeper Brad Jones to a dislocated finger in the warm-up, and stand-in Ross Turnbull had to make a fantastic save to deny Dirk Kuyt in the opening minute. Liverpool failed to capitalise, though, with Xabi Alonso playing like someone with an uncertain future and Gerrard clearly pacing himself because of injury.
Robbie Keane, their £20million new boy, spent a lot of the afternoon complaining to referee Mike Riley about the physical marking of David Wheater, Emanuel Pogatetz and Robert Huth. And when he did show the quick feet he was signed for, Torres found his goalbound shot deflected wide off Pogatetz's heels.
Boro grew in confidence once the second half started and the arrival of substitute Mido proved significant in the short-term. He showed Carragher a clean pair of heels with his first dribble and then stunned Anfield by shooting past Pepe Reina from 20 yards, with Liverpool's defenders backing off.
A furious Benitez shouted at his own players, trudged around the technical area in disgust and sent on Ryan Babel, Fabio Aurelio and Nabil El Zhar to try to perform a rescue act. In the end, though, it was a couple of more well-known faces that saved the day.
First to step up was Carragher, with just three goals in his previous 347 league games. Liverpool appealed for a handball that never came and the defender took advantage of split second hesitation in the Boro ranks to storm forward and hit-and-hope from 22yards.
The ball struck the head of Pogatetz, and deflected in, leaving Carragher to celebrate crazily. The dubious goal panel will now have to judge if Carragher's initial shot was on target, but you would not volunteer to be the one to tell him it was an own goal.
Until then, Gerrard had cut a sorry figure. But, as the fourth official signalled three minutes of overtime, this giant of a player burst into life. First, he delivered a curling free-kick that Turnbull just got his fingertips. Then, with seconds left and Boro scrapping for their lives, Keane found his skipper 18 yards out.
There was a sense of inevitability about what happened next. Gerrard took a quick glance to the top righthand corner and drilled a shot in precisely the place he wanted. Benitez can look forward to Wednesday's crucial Champions League qualifier against Standard Liege with more confidence, particularly as Javier Mascherano is due back from the Olympics with a gold medal round his neck. Who knows, chief executive Rick Parry - seated yesterday with departing FA chief Brian Barwick - may give the go-ahead for a left-sided player, whether it is Gareth Barry, Albert Riera or anyone else.
But whoever comes in, Liverpool's destiny will lie at Gerrard's feet. In 2005, his hammer against West Ham kept them in the FA Cup final right at the death. He may feel that yesterday's goal might prove just as important. — The Daily Mail