Liverpool 2, Middlesbrough 0 (D,Post)

Apr 19 2007 by Ian Doyle at Anfield

One player at least appearing to be more than half-interested in the game was Mascherano, the ‘monster’ who has made an immediate difference to Liverpool’s midfield since his arrival from West Ham United.

And the Argentine was central to Liverpool’s best opening before the break on 29 minutes. Mascherano’s fine cross-field free-kick found Pennant on the right, who then skipped inside young Boro left-back Andrew Taylor before teeing up the incoming Sissoko to side-foot wide from 12 yards.

While Mascherano prospers, so Sissoko suffers. Benitez moved to defend the out-of-sorts Mali international earlier in the month, but it’s clear the midfielder is low on confidence at the moment, his distribution at its wayward worst last night. Such poor passing put Riise in trouble and having to withstand a crunching tackle from Lee Cattermole, who later left Sissoko limping with another meaty challenge.

Middlesbrough had offered utterly nothing in attack, so Jamie Carragher could be forgiven for momentarily nodding off just before half-time and uncharacteristically gifting Fabio Rochemback a clean run on goal. Thankfully for Liverpool, the Brazilian was wastefully wide with his shot.

That was as near as Boro came to threatening to end a winless league run at Anfield that stretches back to March 1976 when the Teessiders boasted a certain Graeme Souness in their ranks.

Gerrard and Mascherano both tried their luck from range before Sissoko spurned another following a counter-attack out of defence by Pennant and Zenden, playing against a former club for the second successive Wednesday on what’s likely to be one his last outings as a Liverpool player.

The Dutchman was provider again five minutes after the interval with a corner from the right that was headed on to the crossbar by the unmarked Mascherano, and then blasted over after Kuyt had rolled the ball into his path after the striker’s initial effort was blocked by the impressive Jonathan Woodgate.

Kuyt was a replacement the hapless Sissoko, prompting Benitez to move Gerrard back into central midfield – and that tactical tweak turned the game inexorably Liverpool’s way as their talismanic skipper struck twice inside seven minutes.

The first, on 58 minutes, was trademark Gerrard, accepting a pass from Zenden before lashing in a 25-yard blockbuster that arrowed beyond Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer into the bottom corner.

The second was a more straightforward affair, Gerrard sending Schwarzer the wrong way from the penalty spot after referee Graham Poll ruled Andrew Davies had impeded Crouch as the striker attempted to reach a cross following more trickery from Pennant on the right.

It capped a miserable few minutes for the Boro right-back, who had moments earlier been rightly cautioned following a daft dive when under pressure from Mascherano.

Boro manager Gareth Southgate threw on Mark Viduka, and at least the visitors made a better fist of things in the closing 20 minutes, the otherwise inactive Pepe Reina alert to reach the ball ahead of the Australian from Yakubu’s hook forward.

Riise was narrowly wide late on and Crouch completely missed his kick from a Pennant cross, but a third would have flattered a Liverpool team already looking to preserve energies for more pressing engagements.

LIVERPOOL (4-4-1-1): Reina; Arbeloa, Agger, Carragher, Riise; Pennant, Mascherano, Sissoko (Kuyt 52), Zenden; Gerrard (Gonzalez 87); Crouch. Subs: Dudek, Hyypia, Fowler.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer; Davies, Pogatetz, Woodgate, Taylor; Cattermole (Johnson 82), Boateng, Rochemback, Downing; Morrison (Viduka 66); Yakubu. Subs: Jones, Riggott, Lee.
BOOKING: Davies (simulation).

REFEREE: Graham Poll.

ATT: 41,458.

NEXT GAME: Liverpool v Wigan Athletic, Barclays Premiership, Saturday 3pm