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PA Sport, 13 Aug 2005
Middlesbrough 0 Liverpool 0
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard waged a one-man war on 10-man
Middlesbrough but left Teesside with only a point to show for his
efforts as the European champions were held.
On another day, the England midfielder might have claimed a hat-trick,
but a combination of poor finishing, solid goalkeeping and bad luck
denied him the decisive goal his individual display deserved.
Gerrard could have won it as early as the 22nd minute, but fired over
the bar from from close range, and he then saw a looping header drop
onto the roof of the net with keeper Mark Schwarzer stranded after Ugo
Ehiogu had been dismissed.
And with only seconds of the 90 minutes remaining, he powered a header
across the face of goal with Steve McClaren's men wilting under the strain.
The Merseysiders always looked the more likely winners despite
under-achieving before the break, but with Gerrard upping the tempo and
substitute Djibril Cisse adding fresh impetus, just how Boro survived
was a mystery.
McClaren will feel it was a point well earned, but opposite number
Rafael Benitez headed back across the Pennines wondering how he was
doing so without all three.
Boro chairman Steve Gibson and veteran defender Colin Cooper officially
unveiled the restored Ayresome Park gates outside the Riverside Stadium
shortly before kick-off, although it seemed they had erected them in
front of Schwarzer's goal as the home side rode their luck to claim a
point which was greeted by the bulk of a crowd of 31,908 with delirious
celebrations.
Nine years ago, an expensively acquired Middlesbrough striker marked his
Premiership debut at the Riverside Stadium with a hat-trick in the
opening day fixture against Liverpool.
If Aiyegbeni Yakubu, a £7.5million signing from Portsmouth, had hopes of
emulating Fabrizio Ravanelli's feat, he showed few signs of doing so in
a tepid first half.
Schwarzer had one regulation save to make from former team-mate Bolo
Zenden and opposite number Jose Reina made his own difficulties by
flapping at a Stewart Downing corner and allowing Ehiogu to send a
deflected follow-up just wide.
Had Gerrard not wasted the best move of the opening 45 minutes when he
fired high over from close range after Fernando Morientes had perfectly
headed down Xabi Alonso's cross, the European champions would have been
well on their way.
Boro looked rusty as they struggled to get Yakubu into the game with
only Downing looking likely to contribute any meaningful supply, and
strike-partner Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's growing frustration was, as
ever, evident.
Zenden was inevitably booed at every opportunity from the moment he left
the team coach but his invention was clearly missing from a Boro side
which included Gaizka Mendieta for the first time since October last
year through injury.
McClaren's assertion that he still needs two creative midfielders -
Sporting Lisbon's Roudolphe Douala and Fabio Rochemback remain in the
frame - was eloquently illustrated, but in truth, despite Gerrard's
probing, there was little more on offer from the visitors.
Whether it was the sight of Cisse, Milan Baros and John Arne Riise
warming up on the sideline as the second half got underway which spurred
Liverpool on, they set about their task after the break with some relish.
Morientes tested Schwarzer with a speculative effort, but it was Gerrard
who led the fight, sending two shots, the second of them a well-executed
long-range volley, wide and forcing the Australian to pull off a smart save.
Cisse eventually arrived as a replacement for Luis Garcia with 58
minutes gone. Mohamed Sissoko latched onto a weak Ehiogu header and
drilled a 63rd-minute shot wide, but both managers moved to sharpen up
their attack after 67 minutes with Baros and Mark Viduka replacing
Morientes and Hasselbaink respectively.
Cisse was just unable to climb high enough to meet Sami Hyypia's header
back across goal after 71 minutes and Viduka headed straight at Reina
from a Downing corner two minutes later, but the balance of the game was
about to change again.
Ehiogu was caught flat-footed when Baros played the ball in behind him
to Gerrard after 74 minutes, and when he tripped the midfielder, referee
Mark Halsey had little option but to dismiss him.
Nemeth bravely blocked Cisse's shot from the resulting free-kick, but
when Jamie Carragher fed the ball into the box, Gerrard beat the
advancing Schwarzer to it but headed onto the roof of the empty net.
The Reds bombarded their hosts as the clock ran down, but despite
mounting a sustained assault, could not find the breakthrough with
Gerrard powering a header across the face of goal in the final minute of
normal time.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Reiziger, Southgate, Ehiogu, Queudrue,
Mendieta (Nemeth 65), Parlour, Boateng, Downing, Yakubu (Bates 75),
Hasselbaink (Viduka 67).
Subs Not Used: Doriva, Jones.
Sent Off: Ehiogu (74).
Booked: Parlour, Queudrue.
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Warnock, Luis Garcia (Cisse
57), Sissoko, Gerrard, Alonso, Zenden, Morientes (Baros 67).
Subs Not Used: Riise, Carson, Whitbread.
Booked: Alonso, Luis Garcia, Sissoko.
Att: 31,908
Ref: M Halsey (Lancashire).
GERRARD UNHAPPY WITH DRAW
Captain Steven Gerrard admitted Liverpool were far from satisfied with a
solitary point after the goalless draw at Middlesbrough.
The home side had defender Ugo Ehiogu sent off for bringing down Gerrard
as he surged through on goal but the European champions failed to
convert their dominance into goals.
"The idea was to go for goals if I got past Ugo," said Gerrard. "They
defended very well and it was unfortunate he had to be sent off.
"Last year they dominated us here. It was a good point but three would
have been better. On another day I could have got a couple of goals.
"Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United don't drop many points but this
was a tough opening game for us."
Boro skipper Gareth Southgate said his side had just been pleased to
"weather the storm" after Ehiogu's red card.
"It was a tough game today," he told Premiership Plus. "The first half
was pretty even but in the second half they started to get the upper
hand and we had to weather the storm.
"It was a huge hole to fill (when Ehiogu was sent off) but everyone dug
in. I don't think we got out of our own half until the last minute."
Reds manager Rafael Benitez dismissed the suggestion he was in the
market for former Liverpool striker Michael Owen after witnessing the
lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
"We have six strikers now," he said.
"And I am thinking about a centre-back rather than a centre-forward. At
the moment we only have Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher and they can't
play every game."
The Spaniard admitted he was disappointed his side did not win a game
they dominated, especially after the sending off.
"The last 10 to 15 minutes we were always in their half but their
goalkeeper was good and their defenders also."
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