Liverpool 3, Middlesbrough 2

Feb 23 2008 By Ian Doyle

FERNANDO TORRES scored his first Anfield hat-trick as Liverpool moved back into the Premier League’s top four by beating Middlesbrough.

The Spaniard’s treble, his second for the club since his record signing from Atletico Madrid in the summer, took him to 21 for this season.

And it earned Rafael Benitez’s only their second league win since Boxing Day.

Torres must enjoy playing Middlesbrough. He netted a magnificent goal at the Riverside last month, and scored twice inside two first-half minutes before adding a third after the interval.

Middlesbrough had taken the lead in the ninth minute through a controversial Tuncay Sanli strike and an 83^rd-minute Stewart Downing effort ensured a nervy final few moments for the home supporters.

But Gareth Southgate’s side ended the game with 10 men when Jeremie Aliadiere was given a straight red card after responding to a shove from Javier Mascherano by clipping the Argentine across the face in full view of referee Lee Mason.

Benitez made just one change from the team that impressively despatched Inter Milan on Tuesday night, with Alvaro Arbeloa coming in for the suspended Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool were keen to make a similar barnstorming start as that against the Italians, but the visitors went ahead in contentious circumstances in the ninth minute.

Ryan Babel was adjudged to have handled, and from Downing’s inswinging free-kick from the right, a completely unmarked Tuncay headed past Pepe Reina from eight yards.

Liverpool, and in particular Sami Hyypia, were furious the Boro striker was not flagged offside, although even countless television replays proved inconclusive.

Benitez’s side, with Arbeloa a stop-gap centre-back, were less than convincing in defence and struggled to create much going forward, a Dirk Kuyt shot over from eight yards after a mistake by Emanuel Pogatetz their only effort of note during the first quarter.

Enter Torres. His first, on 28 minutes, came after Julio Arca’s attempted header back to Mark Schwarzer was woefully short, and the Liverpool striker nipped in, went around the Boro goalkeeper and rode a foul challenge by Pogatetz before slipping the ball home.

The second, however, owed everything to the genius of Torres, the Spaniard accepting a pass from Fabio Aurelio and unleashing a thunderous 25-yard drive that fizzed low into Schwarzer’s right-hand corner.

Boro remained a threat and, after Tuncay had another strike correctly chalked off after clearly diverting Downing’s cross into the net with his arm, Gary O’Neil dragged a shot wide from a good position on the stroke of half-time.

Liverpool, though, extended their lead on 61 minutes thanks to a combination of Torres’s opportunism and Boro’s poor defending.

Dirk Kuyt’s diagonal pass in search of Torres should have been dealt with. But with David Wheater dallying and Schwarzer having charged from his area, the Liverpool striker beat both to the ball, chested down and hooked instinctively into the unguarded net.

Lucas then headed a Gerrard free-kick over and a fine save from Schwarzer denied Torres a fourth after a lightning Liverpool counter-attack.

Boro, who struggled to impose themselves in the second half, did give themselves a glimmer of hope with seven minutes remaining when Downing outstripped Liverpool substitute Yossi Benayoun to reach Arca’s long ball and shot between Reina’s legs.

But that was extinguished two minutes later when Aliadiere was dismissed, and only another good save from Schwarzer to turn Steven Gerrard’s free-kick on to the post denied Liverpool a greater winning margin.