Torres Still Out For Liverpool As Gerrard Takes To The Field

Despite hobbling off during Liverpool's 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough, Rafa Benitez has claimed that the skipper will return to the pitch tomorrow to face Sunderland at Anfield.

As the game drew to a close at the Riverside, the skipper suffered leg cramp and had to be subbed off, but the gutsy Englishman was back training alongside his team-mates this morning.

Rafa Benitez has a considerable injury list that includes the likes of Fernando Torres, Alvaro Arveloa and Daniel Agger, who are all set to miss the clash with Sunderland tomorrow night.

Eager to impress in the Champions League this year, it seems that the Reds' gaffer is taking no chances with his Premiership starting XI.

"Torres is not ready yet. We have to wait to see how he progresses but he won't be in the squad. Arbeloa has a problem with his hamstring. He's had the problem before. It could be another week," claimed the Spaniard.

"Stevie was okay and will hopefully be available tomorrow," he added.

Rafa Benitez Refuses To Be Drawn Out On Liverpool Future

Many have speculated that the imminent departure of current chief executive Rick Parry is a sign that Rafael Benitez has decisively won a behind the scenes power-struggle at Liverpool.

However, the former Valencia manager's future with the Merseyside outfit remains far from certain.

“I will sit down with the owners and we will have a meeting – maybe in a few days, maybe in a few weeks," Benitez was quoted as saying by Setanta Sports.

“I will not talk too much about this.”

Instead, the notorious football obsessive preferred to draw attention to the next challenge at hand.

“My concern now is the game against Sunderland,” he added. “We have to prepare this game properly.

“We must not forget that our league performance is better than last season.

"Still, we have to improve. Yes, we have had key players injured and maybe that could have cost us four or five points.

"In this title race, that would be a massive difference. We are in a good position but we could be in a much better position.

"We are now rated in the UEFA rankings as the best team in Europe over the last five years – that underlines how we have done in those seasons – but we must go forward for the rest of the season, and in the future.”

Rafa Benitez Holds Injuries To Blame For Liverpool's Woe

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has bemoaned his side's injury list, believing that without the knocks his squad have suffered to key players they would be in a much stronger position.

Benitez's men lost 2-0 to Middlesbrough on Teesside on Saturday, and saw their Premier League points deficit to leaders Manchester United, who have a game in hand, remain at seven points on a weekend when the Red Devils were picking up yet more silverware, winning the League Cup at Wembley.

The Reds' gaffer felt that his men had particuarly struggled because of a lack of sharpness up front, something that would be remedied quite straigthforwardly for the Spaniard were his fellow-countryman Fernando Torres built a little more robustly.

"The title was difficult before, it is more difficult now," The Guardian reports Benitez as saying.

"What we have to do is take our chances, and that is something that has been the same problem the whole season.

"Maybe if Torres had not been injured so much things would be different, but we cannot change the situation now. Everybody has players who get injured.

"We have had some problems [following the 1–0 Champions League win at Real Madrid], several players have been injured, among other things. The worst thing has been the injuries to Torres. He has been our main striker and scored a lot of goals for us last season. And this season could have been totally different with him."

Benitez acknowledged that his team had made errors against Boro, a side who hadn't won in 14 league outings prior to Saturday's game at the Riverside Stadium, and that his team had discussed the situation.

"We have talked about the mistakes we made [at Middlesbrough] and the future," he continued.

"And the immediate future is playing Sunderland, trying to get three points and then waiting to see what happens with Manchester United.

"But we played with anxiety at Middlesbrough, we gave the ball away too easily with simple passes. These are things we have to improve if we are going to fight for the title. But we must not forget that our league performance is better than last season.

"Still we have to improve. Yes, we have had key players injured and maybe that could have cost us four or five points. In this title race that would be a massive difference. We are in a good position but we could be in a much better position.

"We are now rated in the UEFA rankings as the best team in Europe over the last five years. That underlines how we have done in those seasons. But we must go forward for the rest of the season, and in the future. The squad is good, but there are too many games when things go wrong and that makes a massive difference.

"We had confidence and we were in a very good position for a long time. It has been our best performance for several seasons. But when we need fresh legs when senior players are injured, things are not easy. To improve in attack is not easy, you can improve in defence with hard work but forwards need accuracy and confidence."

On what must have been a difficult day for him, Benitez still managed some polite congratulation when asked about the achievements of the club many see as Liverpool's greatest rivals.

"Manchester United are a good team, they have very good players and they have a good manager," he concluded.

Liverpool Legend Kenny Dalglish Breaks TV Silence On Hillsborough Tragedy

Football legend Kenny Dalglish has broken a 20-year TV silence on the Hillsborough disaster claiming police and officials should have delayed the kick-off.

Former Liverpool manager Dalglish, 57, will speak for the first time on Hillsborough Remembered, which marks 20 years since 96 fans died at an FA Cup semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest.

Dalglish reveals: “The easiest thing to do was to have put the kick-off back. That’s not a problem for anybody.

“If the police are talking to the FA then the FA have got to make that call, but there would have been no resentment or disagreement with people in the dressing room.”

In an emotional interview Dalglish also praises the Liverpool fans’ behaviour.

He says: “The punters were superb. They helped the police as much as anything else. They’re supporters – it was their club in trouble.”

Academy Football: Hughie McAuley Focuses On Liverpool's Bread And Butter

After the euphoria of reaching the FA Youth Cup semi-finals Liverpool under-18s turn their attention back to the FA Premier Academy League this Saturday at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Friday night’s 4-2 victory over Bolton Wanderers following on the heels of another victory in the Academy League, when Hugh McAuley’s side beat Crewe Alexandra 3-1.

Liverpool wait to see who they face in the last four of the Youth Cup as they bid to try and lift the club’s third triumph in the competition in the past four years. Birmingham await the winners of Saturday’s fifth round tie between Ipswich and Watford, with Liverpool waiting in the wings in the semi-final.

But first McAuley will make sure his side focus on the league. He said: “I have always said the Youth Cup helps keep the season going. It keeps us in the spotlight with high profile games. And it is a vehicle for the players to develop and move on and for the best prospects to flourish when they get the opportunity. Thankfully we seem to have got to that point and we have two good games in the semi-final to look forward to.

“Hopefully it keeps that competitive spirit among the squad to perform. You know you have got big matches to look forward to. It is a nice finale to the season.”

Coach McAuley added: “We need to keep the same commitment as in the cup when we take on Wolverhampton on Saturday.

“The semi-final will come up in time. We just need to carry on trying to do well in the league. Hopefully they will also get chances higher up and to go to Melwood. That is the long-term objective of the Academy staff and we hope we will have got some good players to go and join Gary (Ablett) in the reserve team.”

James Ellison is still out with a lower back problem, but Spanish centre-back Daniel Ayala should be back before the semi-finals.

LIVERPOOL YOUTH: Bouzanis; Irwin, Wisdom, Kennedy, Buchtmann; Amoo, Pepper, Kacaniklic; Eccleston, Dalla Valle, Ince. Subs: Chamberlain, Roberts, Robinson, Clair, Coady.

Reds Eye Up Valencia Ace

Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Spain international Raul Albiol, skysports.com understands.

The Valencia defender is rated amongst the best in La Liga, but money problems at The Mestalla could see them lose a number of their top stars.

And Albiol may be one of the first to depart with a host of clubs checking on his progress.

Real Madrid are long-term admirers of the 24-year-old, who can play in central defence or as a holding midfielder, but Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has now dispatched his scouting network to follow Albiol.

Albiol is currently contracted to Valencia for another two years and has a huge buy-out clause of nearly £50million - although reports in Spain now suggest they could be willing to do a deal at £13million.

Valencia's sporting director Fernando Gomez has admitted the club would have to consider any reasonable offers, and also confirmed they were aware of scouts from Liverpool tracking Albiol.

"Today it is necessary to study each offer that we receive and after that we would decide," he told skysports.com.

"The money situation is complicated at the club, but formally nobody has spoken with us about Abiol.

"But we are aware that the Reds have been scouting around here in recent months.

Mark Lawrenson: This Summer Could Be Liverpool FC's Most Important Ever

This summer could prove to be the most important in Liverpool FC’s history. The off-the-field issues that have yet to be resolved are potentially so important that they could make even the decision over Rafael Benitez’s contract of secondary importance.

On the pitch, Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Middlesbrough was a bizarre way to end a bizarre week.

There had been the rumours that Rafael Benitez was about to leave Anfield but for now he insists he’s staying.

Amongst all this there was the terrific 1-0 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League but then it emerged that long-serving chief executive Rick Parry is to quit the club in the summer.

Obviously none of us know the finer details of all the ins and outs when it comes to running the club but it seems to me that Parry’s position had become untenable with co-owner Tom Hicks.

I also don’t see how Parry’s relationship with Benitez could ever have been the same after his knowledge of the infamous meeting with Jurgen Klinsmann.

When it comes to the subject of trust, the Spaniard might be thinking ‘What else don’t I know?’ – after all we all know how much Benitez likes to control everything.

It all seems such a mess behind the scenes but the situation could become even more serious this summer after Parry leaves.

Hicks and Gillett have been given until the end of July to re-finance the loan they used to finance their purchase of the club and as it stands there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to make this payment.

If the bank forecloses them and takes control of Liverpool FC off them then who knows what might happen.

The bank might decide to sell the club for considerably less than what the Americans are looking to get and it could even be a chance for the fans to get their club back.

I’ll never know what Rafael Benitez was thinking when he decided to go with Martin Skrtel at right-back at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Okay Alvaro Arbeloa was injured but why not move Jamie Carragher across, he’s played in that position to good effect on many occasions down the years.

When Carragher does play at right-back he’s great when he’s up against someone and he gets close and likes the challenge.

As far as I’m aware Skrtel has never played in that position before, certainly not for Liverpool and I felt sorry for him because he looked like as fish out of water and just got worse and worse.

Skrtel was put up against Stewart Downing and when you’re playing Gareth Southgate’s side then it’s more or less a case of if you stop Downing you stop Middlesbrough.

After the win in Madrid it was a downer to go from a real high to a real low.

With Manchester United playing in the Carling Cup Final this was also a chance to put some pressure on them but instead they’ll just be laughing.

After looking like the team to beat from August to December, Liverpool’s title challenge seems to have fallen apart.

We’re back to square one when it comes to messing about with players.

Dossena and Lucas came in against Manchester City and are clearly not good enough while after looking like a proper player Riera has been taken out and put back in and it looks like it’s messed with his head.

Reds Youngster Keen To Catch Rafa's Eye

Adam Hammill has his fingers crossed that his loan to Barnsley is nothing more than a stopgap in his Liverpool career.

Hammill was one of a number of Rafa Benitez’s youngsters to be farmed out on a temporary basis earlier in the season, playing for Blackpool 23 times.

Having briefly returned to Anfield, the 21-year-old was once again sent out on a quest for first-team football - to Oakwell.

Having made his first start for his temporary club this weekend, Hammill admits he has not yet thrown the towel in on his hopes of becoming more of a fixture under Benitez.

“I’m a red through and through,” he said in the Daily Star. “I signed a three-year deal in the summer so I’ve got two years when I go back. I think it shows Liverpool’s confidence in me.

“This is my third season out on loan in The Championship and this is another step in the right direction.

“I don’t get any feedback from Anfield but they obviously have scouts at games. I’ve played 70 Championship games but my dream is to play in front of the Kop.

“If that doesn’t happen, I’ve got to knuckle down wherever I go.”

Rafa - Europe Is Liverpool's Best Hope For Success

Rafael Benitez has admitted that Liverpool are reliant on a slip-up by Premier League leaders Manchester United if the title is to go to Anfield for the first time since 1990 and that the Champions League is now their best hope for silverware this season.

Liverpool conceded second place in the league table to Chelsea following a 2-0 loss at Middlesbrough and the Blues' 2-1 home win over Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

The Reds' unbeaten 15-game league run came to an abrupt end at the Riverside Stadium as Xabi Alonso's own goal and Tuncay Sanli's 63rd-minute strike saw Boro clinch all three points for the first time since November 9.

The result leaves Liverpool seven points adrift of United, who have a game in hand and look poised to equal the Reds' record of 18 league titles.

"Before the game, it was very difficult - after the game, it is more difficult," conceded Benitez. It depends on United. It will be more difficult, clearly."

"Clearly the Champions League is the best option we have now," he said, before adding a galling statement to all Liverpool fans: "Second would still be an achievement."

Sir Alex Ferguson's men face Newcastle United on Wednesday fresh from their Carling Cup success over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and could be even further ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool if the pair fail to win their games on 24 hours earlier on Tuesday.

Liverpool take on a rejuvenated Sunderland at Anfield and Chelsea, similarly rejuvenated under Guus Hiddink, travel to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth.

Critics will be taking note of Benitez's team selection for the game against the Wearsiders after his decision to play left-sided centre-half Martin Skrtel at right-back for the first time in his Liverpool career against Boro's in-form Stewart Downing.

The decision not to deploy Jamie Carragher at right back was a result of fatigue, as Benitez explained: "(Jamie) Carragher told me he had heavy legs and so, as a centre-back, he could run less. At right-back normally you run more, so he played at centre-half. That was the idea."

Reds Relying On United Slip-Up

Rafa Benitez admits his Liverpool side are reliant on a slip-up by Premier League leaders Manchester United if the title is to go to Anfield for the first time since 1990.

Liverpool conceded second place in the league to Chelsea following a 2-0 loss at Middlesbrough and the Blues' 2-1 home win over Wigan on Saturday.

The Reds' unbeaten 15-game league run came to an abrupt end at the Riverside Stadium as Xabi Alonso's own goal and Tuncay's 63rd-minute strike saw Boro clinch all three points for the first time since November 9.

The result left Liverpool seven points adrift of United, who have a game in hand, having played in the Carling Cup final on Sunday.

"Before the game, it was very difficult, after the game it is more difficult," conceded Benitez. "It depends on United. It will be more difficult, clearly."

The possibility of Alex Ferguson's side winning the title is even more galling for Liverpool fans, with United looking poised to equal the Reds' record of 18 league titles.

Aurelio Rues Boro Defeat

Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio admitted the weekend defeat by Middlesbrough was a missed opportunity in the title race.

The Reds slumped to only their second defeat in the Premier League this season after Middlesbrough recorded a 2-0 victory at the Riverside.

The defeat means Liverpool remain seven points behind leaders Manchester United having played a game more with their title hopes hanging by a thread.

Aurelio admits the players were disappointed with the manner of the defeat at Middlesbrough and has called on his team-mates to get back to winning ways against Sunderland on Tuesday night.

"We are very disappointed because we felt we had enough chances to win the game in the first half," Aurelio told the club's official website.

"We lost a great opportunity to try to get closer to Manchester United but we must bounce back now and beat Sunderland at Anfield on Tuesday night.

"I thought we started really well. We kept the ball and had good opportunities but we couldn't score. When that happens there is always the chance the opposition can score.

"Unfortunately we conceded a goal from a corner, which was hard to take. In the second half we didn't create as many chances but we still had some good opportunities.

"Middlesbrough got every man behind the ball and made it difficult for us. They scored the second goal from a counter-attack when we lost the ball. That was disappointing.

"We will still keep on fighting because we know in football that anything can happen. We won't give up and we will now try to win every game."

Rafa Around The Edges

Oliver Holt says Liverpool must stick with Rafael Benitez long-term in the wake of another turbulent week for the Anfield club.

News that chief executive Rick Parry will leave the club at the end of the season appears to have made it more likely that the Spaniard will sign a new deal soon.

Benitez's impressive record in Europe continued this week when the Reds overcame Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League thanks to a Yossi Benayoun strike.

But the domestic picture is not so rosy as Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough appears to have ended any fading hopes co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett will have had of savouring Premier League glory this season.

"Benitez has won the power struggle but lost the league, but in a way that's been the story of his reign at Liverpool," said the Daily Mirror's Holt.

"The league has always been the thing that's eluded him and the Champions League, where he again had an amazing result on Wednesday is the tournament where he's excelled.

"The thing is his record in the Champions League alone demands that they do everything they possibly can to keep hold of him.

"He is improving Liverpool's record all of the time in the domestic competition - ok they are not there yet, but that's because they haven't got the personnel.

"They are not as good as Manchester United but that is a massive task, to become as good as Manchester United in the domestic competition.

"In the circumstances what he's achieved in Europe has been amazing and they've got to try and keep him and presumably, that is part of the reason why Rick Parry has left, because Tom Hicks who is more of an ally of Benitez than (George) Gillett has realised that."

Martin Samuel, of the Daily Mail, said: "He is exceptional at getting his side to punch above its weight in Europe but you can't do that for 38 matches in a league.

"In the end you will find your own level in a league and that's what is happening this season because the way this league is going Manchester United could win by 10 or 15 points. That will show the level - that's how far ahead of they are of everyone else.

"I cannot think that there has ever been a better squad in English football than Manchester United at the moment because they do not play a weakened team.

"We all have our own idea of what their best first XI is but you could take five of those players out and put five in and it's not a weakened team."

Why Liverpool Must Replace Rafa Benitez With Jose Mourinho In The Summer, By Stan Collymore

Saturday February 28 must go down as the day Manchester United effectively retained their Premier League title - without having to kick a ball.

My Call Collymore phone-in was bombarded by Liverpool fans exasperated by the 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.

I have the ultimate respect for Anfield manager Rafa Benitez for turning the club into a force in Europe again. But he is absolutely not the man to take them forward next season to challenge Manchester United for a 19th title.

And I think that when chief executive Rick Parry goes this summer, Benitez should follow him through the exit door.

Liverpool's chances of finally landing the title for the first time since 1990 looked good when they won at Chelsea last October. But since Rafa's rant about United boss Sir Alex Ferguson in early January, Liverpool have stuttered badly.

The problem has been a genuine lack of quality as they have spent money on players who wouldn't get into Manchester United's side.

Apart from Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, there is very little creativity, imagination and guile in Liverpool's team - and they are just too darn negative.

Benitez's tactics may work at Real Madrid in the Champions League, where you can shut up shop and nick a 1-0 win like they did last week, but not in the Premier League where anybody can beat anybody.

The biggest challenge for Liverpool is to create another dynasty to rival the ones set up by Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly.

And I think the only man who can do that is former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, whose Inter Milan team now top Serie A. I realise he isn't popular on Merseyside but Mourinho has absolute self-belief and I firmly believe he should be the next Anfield boss.

I would urge Liverpool not to delay and to start putting the feelers out now for the Portu-geezer.

Liverpool have missed on out Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past by not being decisive enough, but this is one decision they should not stall on.

With the political battles at Anfield, luring Mourinho from Milan will not be easy. But I hope there is a big broom to clean up Liverpool this summer and sweep away Parry, Benitez and of course the club's American owners.

I hope any new owners stump up the money required to transform the club and then keep their heads down - unlike the Yanks.

And my first signing would be Mourinho. Players respond to him and he has a proven track record in the Premier League and Europe.

Benitez's track record is in Europe after winning the 2005 Champions League and reaching the 2007 final so it is a no-brainer for me.

Benitez's Weaknesses Will Cost Liverpool Dearly

As Rafael Benitez seethed on the team coach on Liverpool's return journey from Middlesbrough on Saturday night, he could have been forgiven for thinking he is in the wrong job. Knowing the Liverpool manager, he was probably plotting how to increase his influence at Anfield and thereby solve all their ills — applying for the vacant chief executive position, perhaps, or even buying the club outright — but a growing body of evidence suggests he would be better getting out altogether. And leaving club football entirely, for that matter.

As a strategist and tactician, Benítez has no equal, which he demonstrated again last week with Liverpool’s perfectly executed win over Real Madrid, but these qualities are more important at the highest level of knockout competitions rather than the daily grind of winning a league title. In other words, Benítez was born to be an international manager.

Benítez’s club credentials cannot be dismissed because he did win two championships with Valencia, but many of his biggest weaknesses are those that are most critical to sustained success in a title battle. The Spaniard’s record of buying players is, at best, patchy, shown by the revolving door transfer policy at Liverpool, while he often compromises the performance of the team by insisting on rotating his players in a similar manner. As his dysfunctional relationships with the various powers-that-be at Anfield indicate, Benítez’s dominant personality is also unsuited to working closely with others on a regular basis.

None of which matters as much in the international arena, where Benítez would be free to concentrate on what he does best, sitting alone in a darkened room dreaming up strategies and formations to win one-off matches against high-calibre opponents. His record in the biggest games against the other great tactician of his generation, José Mourinho, suggests Benítez is as good as it gets when it comes to selecting and preparing a team for knockout football, which is why the FA should have him high on its shortlist of candidates when it comes to replace Fabio Capello as England manager. If nothing else, Benítez would relish the scheming and politicking at Soho Square.

Hull City have not won in the Barclays Premier League since Phil Brown’s half-time tirade on the pitch at Manchester City on Boxing Day. And after collecting three points in as many months, Hull are only three away from the relegation zone. Brown is unlikely to confess to any regrets, but it could be a while before he gets a gig as a motivational speaker.

The Real Reason Why Liverpool Sacked Rick Parry

Rick Parry left Liverpool after trying - and failing - to find a major mega-bucks buyer for the club.

The Kop chief executive had spent the past month in deep dialogue with a mystery Arab group who talked about a takeover but did not deliver.

Wheeler-dealer Parry hoped to put the package together and buy out American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who both want to sell the famous club if the price is right.

But when Parry's mission failed - because the new team did not come up with the cash - his time was up and his 12-year reign ended after a final meeting with Hicks. Parry's departure is NOT a triumph for manager Rafa Benitez, with top Kop sources revealing there is still a lot of doubt about whether the Spaniard will stay.

Benitez has come through a time when many informed insiders tipped him to go. He would definitely have been a casualty if Parry had brought in new backers.

But the failure to find the new buyer was the final straw for Parry, who had ironically brought in Hicks and Gillett when David Moores sold the club.

The disappointment was too much for the chief executive to take. It was also a blow to Gillett who told friends he was confident of a sale.

The identity of the Middle East group is known only to Parry and his closest associates. Parry is due to leave Anfield at the end of the season but club sources believe he will be gone sooner.

However, as Hicks and Gillett clearly want out, Liverpool are still in turmoil behind the scenes with massive question marks hanging over Benitez's future.

The Spaniard has been stalling on his new contract for various reasons. Parry's departure may seem like a boost for him in his bid to control transfer policy but that may not be the case. He will also want to see if the Americans can find a new buyer - but that will now be without Parry's help.

Benitez suffered a bad weekend as Liverpool sunk to an embarrassing 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough just three days after their Champions League triumph at Real Madrid.

He said: "It's difficult to explain.

If before this game it was going to be difficult to win the League, then it is clearly now going to be even harder. The Champions League is the best option we have now. Before we play Real Madrid again, we have Sunderland and we must be ready for that game.

"This is a bad result. If you look at the first 30 minutes we were in control. Second would still be an achievement but we have to think about getting three points against Sunderland."

Rick Parry Lost His Liverpool Job After Trying To Organise A Takeover

The current chief executive will leave his post in the summer after trying and failing to get a potential investor to take-over from the current owners.

According to a report in British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror, Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry will leave the Reds at the end of the season after failing to find a buyer for the club.

Apparently, the man who brought current American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to Anfield had been in discussions with an Arab group about a potential takeover.

However, it is thought that when the deal failed to materialise the Americans, who are said to be keen to sell the club if they receive the right offer, told Parry that he would be leaving his post in the summer.

Many have speculated that his imminent departure is a sign that Rafael Benitez has won a behind the scenes power-struggle but it is reported that this is not the case.

It is believed that the Spanish manager would have lost his job had Parry found new investors. However, the former Valencia manager's future with the Merseyside outfit remains far from certain.

Match Report: Middlesbrough 2 - 0 LiverpooL

Tuncay Sanli blasted a huge hole in Liverpool's Barclays Premier League title challenge as Middlesbrough gave their survival hopes a massive boost.

The Turkey international struck for the second time in four days after Xabi Alonso's own goal had given the Teessiders an unlikely half-time lead.

It was Boro's first league victory and the Reds' first league defeat in 15 attempts, and was hugely significant to both clubs for starkly contrasting reasons.

The hosts last won at Aston Villa on November 9 and had not collected all three points at the Riverside Stadium since 11 days earlier, and Alonso's goal was their first in the league for 526 minutes.

However, Gareth Southgate's men were well worth a win which gives them genuine hope of escaping the drop, but leaves Liverpool's title hopes in shreds with leaders Manchester United seven points clear with a game in hand.

Liverpool arrived on Teesside with talk of manager Rafael Benitez's unsigned contract and the impending departure of chief executive Rick Parry dominating the headlines.

However, the only focus at the end of a week which brought the club a famous Champions League victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu Stadium was the league title which has eluded them since 1990.

Even after Boro's creditable performance in beating West Ham on Wednesday evening to book their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, few in a crowd of 33,724 - the biggest of the season at the Riverside - were expecting a home win.

Indeed, for the opening half-hour, there seemed only one likely winner despite Gary O'Neil forcing a good reaction save from Jose Reina from Stewart Downing's 11th-minute cross.

Opposite number Brad Jones had already kept out close-range efforts from Nabil El Zhar and Dirk Kuyt as the visitors piled on the pressure, although even the craft of returning skipper Steven Gerrard, making his 300th start for the club, and Alonso could not break the Teessiders down on a consistent basis.

But when the opening goal finally arrived, it came at the other end, and ended an agonising wait for the home side.

Not since Afonso Alves' 45th-minute strike in the 1-1 derby draw with Sunderland on January 10 had Boro found the back of the net in a league game, and they needed a helping hand to end the drought.

Alonso instinctively stuck stuck out a leg as Downing's 31st-minute corner sped across the six-yard box, but only succeeded in diverting the ball past the helpless Reina.

The goal seemed to galvanise the home side, who might have extended their lead four minutes before the break when Downing robbed full-back Martin Skrtel and forced Reina into a good save.

However, Southgate's men returned expecting an onslaught and knowing there was a long way to go before they could even contemplate all three points.

Liverpool should really have been back on level terms within three minutes of the restart when Gerrard ghosted into the box and pulled the ball back invitingly for El Zhar.

However, the youngster hammered his shot high over the bar to let Boro off the hook.

Jeremie Aliadiere might have increased the visitors' woes three minutes later when he was picked out by O'Neil inside the box, but he was similarly inaccurate.

Benitez's side continued to dominate possession, but they were struggling to do anything meaningful with it as Boro's stubborn defence proved more than adequate to keep them at bay.

The game's second goal came with 63 minutes gone, and again it was the visitors who found themselves on the wrong end of it.

O'Neil slid the ball into the path of Aliadiere down the right and when he squared for Tuncay, the Turkey international guided his shot past Reina into the bottom corner to send the home crowd into raptures.

Jones saved from Gerrard and Kuyt failed to connect with his skipper's cross with the goal at his mercy as the game slipped further from Liverpool's grasp, and things might have been even worse with 18 minutes remaining.

Downing and Tuncay combined to open up the Reds once again and present Marlon King with a glorious opportunity, but Reina came to the rescue with a two-handed save.

In truth, the visitors never looked like pulling off a rescue mission as Boro coasted to a fine win.

Rafael Benitez Rues Liverpool Missed Chances Against Middlesbrough

Having secured a memorable victory against an in-form Real Madrid side in the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday Liverpool travelled to the Riverside Stadium almost expecting to beat Middlesbrough.

Football, though, can be a funny game and a Middlesbrough side that hadn’t won in 14 Premier League games quite comfortably despatched Rafael Benitez’s travelling Liverpool contingent.

It was a game that Benitez thought hinged on the opening half an hour. “In the first thirty minutes we had five chances, for me, that is the summary of the game” he told BBC Sport after the match.

“If you don’t take your chances and you concede a goal…you have to go forward,” he continued. “They were playing counterattack [after they scored] so if you want to win this game you have to take your chances.”

Benitez reflected on his side’s inability to capitalise when they were on top in the game, highlighting a El Zhar’s “one on one with the keeper”.

“You cannot change things now but we are clearly very disappointed.”

Commenting on Liverpool’s title chances, Benitez was sombre.

“If before the game was difficult now it is more difficult, that is clear,” he said. “We have to think about Sunderland and after we will think about Real Madrid.”

The Liverpool boss had little to say about the weeks boardroom revelations that Rick Parry would step down at the end of the season.

“It is a decision between the owners and Rick Parry, we have to concentrate on football.”

Rafa Benitez Admits Title Slipping Away After Liverpool Lose To Middlesbrough

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez couldn't quite bring himself to concede the title to Manchester United, but a numbing 2-0 defeat at struggling Middlesbrough pushed him mighty close.

Favourites United now stand seven points clear with a game in hand and victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 14 will almost certainly clinch a third successive title for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

An incredible week for Benitez, that nudged him closer to a new long-term contract after a famous win in Madrid, saw him crash down to earth.

This was a damaging reverse against a side that hadn't won in 14 games since November, or even scored a goal in more than eight hours of football.

An own goal from Xabi Alonso and a second-half strike from Tuncay sentenced Liverpool to only their second league defeat of the season.

And the look of anger on the face of skipper Steve Gerrard as he limped off with cramp suggested strongly that Liverpool believe the title has already slipped from their grasp.

Benitez had billed this as a must-win clash after dropping two home points to Manchester City and he could barely hide his resignation as he was asked if it was all over.

He clearly can't concede this early in the campaign, but his argument that it was now United's to lose was Rafa-speak for "we surrender".

"Before the game it was going to be difficult and after this result makes it is even more difficult," said Benitez. "I don't know if Manchester United will slip up. We have to see how United do in their games.

"But it will be more difficult for us. You must score goals if you want to stay at the top.

"It has been a problem not killing teams off and it was the same today. It was a frustrating game. In the first 30 minutes we had five chances and to win you must put them away. It is disappointing." It was disappointing for the 3,600 travelling Liverpool fans too, as many headed for the exits long before the end.

Boro's first league victory since November before their biggest home crowd of the season - 33,724 - lifted under-pressure Gareth Southgate's side out of the relegation zone.

The Boro boss said: "What pleased me most was that we played as well as we did in beating West Ham.

"We got a little bit of luck with the first goal but as the game went on I thought we deserved it. It was great to see the stadium full and the crowd kept us going when we tired late on.

"We have kept four clean sheets in our last six games against Premier League teams."

Rafael Benitez Plays Down Steven Gerrard Injury Fears

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has reassured Reds' fans that Steven Gerrard is ok, after they watched their inspirational leader limp out of the Premier League game with Middlesbrough with 20 minutes of the game remaining.

The Reds title challenge is now all but over after they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Riverside, and must surely now turn their attention to the Champions League.

Fernando Torres is also an injury worry for the club, and if Gerrard is injured again it will severely hamper their chances of progressing in the Champions League, in which they currently lead Real Madrid 1-0 going into the second leg at Anfield in just over a week's time.

However, Benitez seemed certain that his inspirational captain was suffering from cramp, and that the injury was nothing to worry about.

Speaking to Setanta Sports, Benitez said, "He had cramps. I don't think it will be serious."

Gerrard has just returned from three weeks out recovering from an injury that forced him to miss the knockout round first leg tie of the Champions League against Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 28-year-old midfielder has been at Liverpool for his entire career, after rising through the club's youth academy. He has made a staggering 324 Premier League appearances in his time at the club, scoring a very respectable 64 goals.