Reds Invite Finn For Trial

Liverpool have invited Finnish starlet Simon Skrabb for a trial at Anfield.

Skrabb returns to Liverpool for a second time, after he linked up with the Merseyside outfit last August and did enough to earn a further chance to impress.

The 13-year-old has been recommended to Reds boss Rafa Benitez by the club's Finnish scout Tor Sparv.

Skrabb is an attacking midfielder and he is regarded as one of the most promising prospects in Finnish football.

The player's club Jaro have confirmed the youngster will visit Liverpool two or three times a year ahead of a possible move to Anfield.

Aragones Admits To Arbeloa Blunder

Spain coach Luis Aragones has admitted he made a mistake by including injured Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa in his squad to face France.

The coach has come under increasing pressure recently over his decision to include injured and untried players, such as Arbeloa and 17-year-old Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic, at the expense of the experienced Raul.

Aragones admitted that the decision to include Arbeloa - who has since withdrawn from the squad - was his decision, but insisted that nothing more should be made of the matter.

He said: "It was a mistake by the manager, full stop.

"It was a mistake that never should have been made, but what's done is done."

However, Aragones stood by his inclusion of Bojan, stating: "He's a kid with a great future, but we're going to try to get him involved now as I've known players with great futures who later never got there."

On arrival in Malaga ahead of Wednesday's match, Aragones was jeered by around 500 Spanish fans, who chanted for Raul to be recalled to the squad.

But the coach remained defiant when addressing the press on Tuesday, insisting he will not be replaced by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) before Euro 2008.

Aragones joked that he had "never seen a national team with two managers" and added that he had never been worried about losing his job.

Earlier, Aragones received backing from RFEF president Angel Maria Villar, who told Radio Marca: "Luis is our coach and he will be so at Euro 2008."

Riise Wants To End Career At Anfield

John Arne Riise has declared he wants to end his career at Liverpool, despite speculation he could leave Anfield in the summer.

The versatile defender has fallen out of favour with Reds boss Rafa Benitez over recent weeks and it was rumoured Riise was close to a January move to Aston Villa.

However, Riise insists he is happy to accept Benitez's rotation policy at Liverpool after losing his place to Fabio Aurellio.

"It is disappointing not to be playing the last few games," Riise told Sky Sports News. "But everyone knows what the boss is thinking.

"He likes to rotate his team and the squad. I don't like not playing, but I understand he likes to rotate.

"He has opted to field Aurelio for a few matches, who has been injured a lot and has got some matches now. That is no problem with me.

"I want to stay with Liverpool for the rest of my career if possible. I've always said that and I hope it can happen, but I have to play good and keeping playing good for years to come.

"At the moment I am happy and looking forward to the rest of the season because we can do some good stuff."

And the 27-year-old, who is expected to start for Norway against Wales on Wednesday, has rubbished speculation that Liverpool were looking to sell him in the recent transfer window.

"Not that I know of," added Riise when asked if he had been informed of a possible transfer. "Just in the papers. If the club want to sell me they would have done it.

"They didn't and I think they are happy with me. I am happy at Liverpool.

"I don't think about my future too much, I just enjoy playing and we will see what happens in the future."

Liverpool’s Gerrard Could Be Regular England Captain

England boss Fabio Capello has named Steven Gerrard as his first England captain but it would not be a surprise if the Italian tactician continues with the Liverpool skipper as the regular Three Lions captain.

Capello will however wait until later this year before naming the regular captain ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

Midfielder Gerrard will lead the Three Lions side tonight in the international friendly against Switzerland at Wembley Stadium, as Chelsea skipper John Terry, who was the England captain under Steve McClaren, is out injured.

Capello, who began his England job on January 7 and tonight’s match will be his first game in charge after McClaren was sacked following the failure to qualify for the summer’s Euro Championship finals, has praised Gerrard, saying he “commands authority”.
“I believe Steven Gerrard is the Liverpool captain - and Liverpool are a very important team which won the Champions League,” Capello said in the Liverpool Echo.

“He is a player who commands authority and can lead by example on the pitch and inspire the team.

“He is an important player for England and will be the captain for this match.

“He is not going to be a permanent captain and I am not going to announce a permanent captain before the Andorran game.

“But I believe Steven Gerrard is important for everyone, for all the players we have, because he is a player who can transmit things on the pitch and, like I said, can inspire players.”

Parry's Peace Call As Chief Executive Asks For United Front At Liverpool

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has called for everyone associated with the club to stop washing their dirty linen in public and unite after weeks of turmoil on and off the pitch.

The club's American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have fallen out of favour with Reds fans, due in no small part to Hicks revealing the club had spoken to former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann as an "insurance policy" against current manager Rafael Benitez leaving the club.

Fans stayed behind on the Kop after Saturday evening's Barclays Premier League game victory over Sunderland to protest against the owners, with some carrying banners calling for Dubai Investment Capital to step forward and take over the club.

Parry believes the constant speculation surrounding the Reds - coming from inside and outside the club - has been harmful and sought to draw an end to the disharmony in his LFC Magazine column.

"This is not the Liverpool we all know and love," he said.

"It has never been our style to wash our dirty linen in public and it is never pleasant for anyone when it happens.

"The sooner we can put all of this behind us and get back to the Liverpool way the better. That's certainly not pointing the finger at anyone. It's a hard fact of life in football that any negative publicity quickly leads to further headlines and debate.
"You learn to live with it. What really frustrates me is when outsiders start having a go. When this happens you know instinctively it's time to unite, draw some strength from our togetherness and get back on the rails."

Another apparent bone of contention has been the club's plans for their new stadium, which were revised when the initial costs were deemed to be too high.

But Parry is adamant the new ground, scheduled for completion in 2011, will still be something for the club to be very proud of.

"When we said we were revising things, perhaps there was a bit of consternation that we were somehow going back to the drawing board to make dramatic alterations," he added.

"In fact, it was a case of looking at some costs to see if we could make them more efficient.

"Could we look at some aspects of the build to make it work better without losing the impact of the design that had made it so special? That is exactly what has happened and our plans remain on course."

Meanwhile Javier Mascherano expects his permanent deal to join the club to be completed this week.

The Argentina midfielder told Clarin newspaper: "I think it will take no longer than this week.

"I want to stay at the club because I'm playing very often and I feel very comfortable.

"I would not like packing again."

Gerrard Desperate For England Glory

Steven Gerrard has admitted to being worried that his chances to win a trophy with England are "running out", but he is confident that Fabio Capello is just the right man to lead the long suffering Three Lions to silverware.

“I feel the need to win something. I’m 28 in the summer and you would think the chances of being in a successful England team are running out", said Gerrard, who has just been confirmed as England's interim captain for Capello’s first game in charge against Switzerland tomorrow night.

“I’ve played in good teams but, in the end, teams that have been knocked out in the last eight of tournaments, or most recently failed to qualify for one.

“I want to make the most of it over the next four to six years so I can look back over my England career and think I played in a successful team.

“We will have to wait and see what the future brings in terms of results but there is certainly a big excitement in the squad that the new manager has been put in charge of.

“He has got a wonderful CV and, wherever he has been, he has been successful. England have got one of the best managers in the world.

“As a player, you think, ‘can he make these good players we have got into a successful winning team?’ – and I am confident that can happen.

“The players with ability are there and hopefully the manager can make us difficult to beat, exciting going forward and bring some successful results to the table.”

The Liverpool superstar then reiterated how impressed he has been with Capello, since the Italian success monger has assumed hands-on control of the team.

“Fabio has the aura all top managers have. When he walks in the room, he has got an aura about him and those are the type of managers you want to play for.

“When you look someone in the eye at a team meeting, you get a feel for someone straight away. I think about the third, fourth and fifth words which came out of his mouth were ‘winning football matches’ so he let us know early doors what he wanted from us.

“I wouldn’t say you have to intimidate the players but I think as a manager you have to get their respect and let them know who is the boss and what he says goes – and we as players have to adapt to that.”

Rush Backs Torres And Crouch Partnership

Liverpool legend Ian Rush has backed the partnership of Fernando Torres and Peter Crouch to come up with the goals needed to fire the Reds to glory.

The club’s all-time record goalscorer believes that the pair are the two on-form strikers at the Merseyside club as should be allowed the time to gel and develop a real partnership.

The duo both scored in Liverpool’s 3-0 in over Sunderland at the weekend, which was the club’s first league win of 2008.

"There's no doubt that they're the most in-form pairing at present, so I think now is the time to see if they can develop into a decent strike force" Rush said.

"Saturday's match against Sunderland was only the third time they've started a match together in the Premier League, and there were one or two signs that they could flourish.

"But the fact is we will never know unless we give them a chance to gel."

The former Welsh international forward is also of the opinion that Crouch is the ideal foil for Torres, who is well suited to playing off a taller target man.

"I've said before that Peter Crouch has done nothing wrong this season, and with three goals in his last three appearances he's flying, Rush added.

"But his presence can also help Fernando Torres.

"By virtue of his height alone, he occupies one or two defenders, giving Torres more room to operate in, and he showed with the flick-on that created Torres' goal that he can be very much a traditional target man.

"In situations like that it's important that one player is able to anticipate the flick-ons of the other, but Torres is a very intelligent striker and that will never be a problem to a player of his class."

LiverpooL's Dirk Kuyt Upset At Being Dropped

Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt has revealed his disappointment at being dropped from the Dutch squad by Marco van Basten.

Kuyt has been left out of the Holland squad to face Croatia in a friendly on Wednesday after struggling for form this season.

The former Feyenoord hit-man now fears he will miss out on Euro 2008 after being left out by van Basten.

"I need some time to get over this blow. I am extremely disappointed to have been dropped from the squad," said Kuyt.

"I featured in 39 out of the 42 previous internationals for my country.

Meanwhile, former Liverpool hero Ian Rush is set to take up a coaching role with Malaysia.

Malaysia are set to appoint Rush as a striking coach to help their forwards.

Khairy Jamaluddin, deputy president of the Football Association of Malaysia, told local media that Rush will help the country's forwards.

"Rush will be here in March... we know that our strikers are not doing very well so they should learn from him," said Jamaluddin.

Steven Gerrard Handed England Captaincy

Steven Gerrard has been handed the captaincy for Fabio Capello’s first match as England manager.

The Liverpool midfielder will lead out the side for the friendly international with Switzerland at Wembley tomorrow night.

Gerrard has been made skipper in the absence of the injured Chelsea defender John Terry who had been appointed by Capello’s predecessor Steve McClaren.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was also thought to be in contention to be Capello’s on the field lieutenant against the Swiss.

But Capello has turned to the safe option in Gerrard who was also captain for McClaren’s last game in charge, the ill-fated Euro 2008 qualifier with Croatia at Wembley.

Capello said: “I have just informed my team before coming to see you that tomorrow’s captain against Switzerland will be Steven Gerrard.

“I have done it because I think he is an important player for England, according to my plans. He will be captain for this match.”

Capello has already made it clear he may experiment with other captaincy options before England launch their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign in September.

Terry remains a contender for the role but has been given no assurances he will return as captain once he regains fitness.

Alvaro Arebeloa's Mixed Feelings At International Call Up

Injured Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa admitted he was surprised but delighted to receive his first call-up to the Spain squad.

The defender, currently out of action with a stomach muscle injury, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero that it came as a shock when national team coach Luis Aragones announced the squad for the friendly against France in Malaga on Wednesday.

He said: “In the morning I was injured and in the afternoon I was injured but in the Spain squad.

“They’d never picked me before and Friday was my first call-up.”

Despite the elation at the prospect of his first international cap, Arbeloa was forced to withdraw because of an ongoing abdominal problem.

He said: “I spoke to him (Aragones) for 15 minutes after he’d announced the squad and told him that I couldn’t take part, but maybe next time we’d have more luck.”

Liverpool FC Fans Plan 'Gains Global Support'

A proposal for fans to seize control of Liverpool is gaining support from around the world, according to one of the main figures behind the plan.

Share Liverpool FC have proposed 100,000 supporters contribute £5,000 to a fund which will be used to buy the club and fund a £300million stadium.

The scheme was launched at a press conference at the University of Liverpool yesterday, when a website - www.shareliverpoolfc.co.uk - was unveiled as the focal point of initial discussions over the project’s feasibility.

One of the main figures behind the plan is football business lecturer and Liverpool fan Dr Rogan Taylor, who revealed: “Already I have enquiries from all round the world, from Norway to California - the fanbase of this club stretches all over the world.

“I think there is a broader appeal for this idea than any initially imagined. Of course, if the owners do not want to sell then there is nothing you can do to force them sell.

“But if you have two businessmen, faced with a takeover from a group backed by 100,000 supporters with a vested interest in the club, then they would have to look at it.

“At this stage it is just a test of the market, to see if there is a hunger for it, how far it is, how widespread and what is the intensity.”

Taylor explained that any takeover would not feature a majority shareholder, ruling out the involvement of Dubai International Capital group.

“This is not a pipe dream. We are serious and it is something we believe we can do,” Taylor told BBC Radio Merseyside.

“At the moment we want fans to just visit the website and give us an indication of how they feel.

“Once we get a feeling of how things lie we will decide how to progress but we can guarantee it will be a one member, one vote scheme.

“Nobody will ever own more than one share and they will have that share forever and be able to pass it on to their children.

“We’re not asking for money at this stage - we’re just testing the water and seeing if there is enthusiasm and commitment for the idea.”

Also involved in the Share Liverpool project is Phil French, formerly of the Premier League and now chief executive of Supporters Direct, and Kevin Jaquiss, from law firm Cobbetts, who has headed some of the country’s most successful sporting legal cases.
A statement on www.shareliverpoolfc.co.uk detailed that plans would be similar to the membership system run by a number of clubs in Europe.

The statement said: “We propose a model of ownership similar to that at Barcelona. This club is owned by their ’members’ where over 100,000 fans have bought single ’member’ shares, which entitle them to elect a board who will run the club until the next election.

“Is structure makes its sale to the next sporting conglomerate that fancies a Premiership football club a legal impossibility.

“The shares can never be sold - the club can never be sold. Let’s stop Liverpool Football Club becoming a trinket any rich man might like to wear around his neck. This club is close to the hearts of millions of people all over the world.”

Benitez Trying To Motivate Alonso

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is urging Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso to raise his game.

Rafa Benitez has explained why he left Xabi Alonso out of the Liverpool squad for Saturday evening's 3-0 victory over Sunderland. Alonso did not not even make the bench for the Reds' first League win of 2008.

Benitez had Javier Mascherano back from suspension and paired him with captain Steven Gerrard in central midfield, bringing in Brazilian Lucas for a rare start.

And the Liverpool boss urged Alonso to improve his level of performance if he wants to reclaim his place.

Alonso was dropped after playing the full 90 minutes against West Ham last Wednesday, when Liverpool lost 0-1.

"Xabi needs to step it up. When you are not 100% fit, you want to play every game because you need to play more games to build up your fitness,” Benitez told Liverpool's official website.

"But if Gerrard, Mascherano or Lucas are playing well, it means there is competition for places which is good for the team.

"Xabi knows he needs to work harder if he wants to have a place in the team.

"Mascherano was back from suspension and he gives us balance in the middle and Gerrard can be more free going forward.

"Lucas was playing really well the other day so we had three midfielders, and we needed to have wingers or strikers on the bench. That's why Alonso was not in the squad on Saturday."

MP Gives His Backing To Liverpool Fans’ Buyout Plans

An early-day motion has been tabled in the House of Commons welcoming Rogan Taylor’s “Share Liverpool FC” concept.

MP John McDowell has signed the motion supporting the idea of 100,000 Liverpool fans putting in £5,000 each to take over the club.

The Liverpool-born MP said: “The Share Liverpool FC initiative could be an absolutely huge development for football in this country, and if it succeeds will show that there is an alternative route to the corporate takeover of clubs with all the attendant dangers for the clubs and fans.

“Football is rightly the property of those who go every week, commit their life’s savings and every second of their time and energy for the club they love.”

In response, Rogan Taylor said: “It gives us a lot of heart to hear this kind of encouragement and backing for our proposal. The website www.shareliverpoolfc.co.uk is receiving a tremendous number of visits and in a few days we should be able to put some figures on just how many fans have signed: Count me in!”

Asked about Saturday’s post-match Kop demonstration, Mr. Taylor said: “I knew it was coming. I would not like it to be confused with the shareholder group proposal, but I understand how they feel.

“With our proposal, you can sort the issue out for ever and the club can never be sold again.

“At the moment, we are renting the club from the Americans, but with this idea fans can own the club themselves – like you own your own home and do not have to pay rent.”

Hundreds of fans stayed behind on Saturday to call for the American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to leave the club.

Skrtel Takes Slovakian Prize

Three weeks after concluding a dream move to Liverpool FC, defender Martin Skrtel has been named as Slovakia's Player of the Year.

The 23-year-old left FC Zenit St. Petersburg to join his new club but did enough in Russia in 2007 to convince a jury to name him as his nation's premier player, three years after being named as Slovakia's most promising young prospect at the same ceremony.

"I am grateful for this award," said the Handlova-born defender.

"I had a fantastic year but winning the Russian title with Zenit was more important for me."

Skrtel finished as runner-up to 1. FC Nurnberg forward Robert Vittek last year, and added: "This is my most valuable individual success."

Torres Goals Cost Liverpool

According to the News of the World, Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is costing the club £10,000 for every goal he scores.

The newspaper have revealed that one of the conditions of the deal that took him to Anfield from Atletico Madrid was that his old club are paid £150,000 for every 15 goals he scores in England.

Torres moved to Liverpool for a club record fee of around £22 million last summer, becoming the most expensive Spanish player of all time.

And fortunately for Atletico, the Spanish international has been on a red hot scoring streak of late and has scored 18 times in all competitions this season.

"I'm keeping everyone happy," said Torres. "Liverpool get the goals and Atletico get the money.

"I honestly did not think I would score as many goals as I have so soon. But things have gone well for me.

"Now I just want them to go better for the team in general so we can win the league or a cup to reward everyone's hard work."

Liverpool Star Steven Gerrard's "Garden Pavilion" Plan For House

Soccer star Stevie Gerrard is to have his own thatch of the day - on the spa at his mansion.

The England and Liverpool midfielder is installing a living "sedum roof" on the luxury gym and games building.

But unlike the Anfield pitch, it will not need careful daily tending - just weeding once a year.

Council planners in Formby, Merseyside, who gave Gerrard, 27, permission for the "garden pavilion" liked his plan for a "sedum roof".

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An increasing number of buildings are being constructed with "living roofs" of grass, mosses or other plants. They provide additional insulation, which helps cut fuel bills by keeping homes warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

They also help absorb pollutants, dust, greenhouse gases and noise and provide a haven for birds and insects.

Gerrard's project is expected to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and work should begin within months. Plans show he and his wife, Mirror columnist Alex Curran, 25, will have space for running, weight and fitness machines.

There will be changing rooms, plunge pool, shower rooms, solarium, kitchenette, treatment area, games area with room for full size table tennis and snooker tables and large lounge looking across the garden towards the house.

Gerrard decided to press on with plans for the spa despite bad memories for Alex and daughters Lilly-Ella, three, and Lexie, one, who were victims of a terrifying raid by masked men at the £4.5million home last year.

Liverpool Agree Deal For Javier Mascherano

Javier Mascherano will complete a £17.1 million move to Liverpool in the summer.

Mascherano, 23, joined the club on an 18-month loan from West Ham, which expires in June.

Benitez's attempts to buy the player were recently blocked by Liverpool's owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, adding to the growing tension between the Spaniard and the American duo.

However, after Hicks and Gillett's refinancing package was completed last week, a four-year contract will be formalized in the summer.

Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, and Kia Joorabchian, who heads the Media Sports Investments consortium that 'owns' Mascherano, agreed a deal that should be ratified next week.

Liverpool had hoped to negotiate a lower fee for Mascherano, but with Manchester City monitoring the situation with interest, they had to settle for the sum that had already been agreed with Joorabchian a year ago.

The news of the imminent transfer, which will be the second most expensive in Liverpool's history, will be welcomed by Benitez, who has been rocked by bitter disputes over transfer policy and a run of poor form that has seen Liverpool drop out of contention for the Premier League title.

Sheikh Mohammed To Try Again

Sheikh Mohammed is ready to test the partnership between the joint owners of Liverpool by making a formal offer for the club.

The billionaire's investment company DIC has been studying closely the terms of a restructuring deal at Anfield that Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett announced last week.

And now the investment arm of the Dubai government is primed to approach the pair with a fresh offer that will value the club in the region of £300million.

DIC's hopes of buying the club they first bid for a year ago seem to rest on exploitation of the uneasy relationship between the two US tycoons.

Hicks has taken the lead in recent weeks by announcing a refinancing deal with the banks that secures his grip on the club - and he also unveiled £300million plans for a new state-of-the-art stadium

Gillett, who has the option of selling his 50 per cent stake, has remained conspicuously silent during that fanfare - and his position is the key to success for the increasingly confident Sheikh.

Kewell Left Out Of Squad

New Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has produced a massive selection shock, leaving Harry Kewell out of the squad for the World Cup qualifying opener against Qatar in Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Verbeek confirmed today Kewell had not been asked to fly back to Australia for the match, with Bristol City midfielder Nick Carle and German-based defender Michael Beauchamp also left behind in Europe.

Kewell had been available for selection and finally appears to be over a wretched run of injuries which have blighted his career for the best part of two years.

But Verbeek made it clear the 29-year-old Liverpool star - for so long the Socceroos' talisman - would not be needed.

"I have now had six days with the players in Melbourne and I have made the decision that those three players will not be required to travel to Australia," Verbeek said of Kewell, Carle and Beauchamp.

"Obviously, the three players are disappointed that I have not selected them, but I appreciate that they were available to come if I wanted them to."

Kewell did not play for Liverpool in their 3-0 English Premier League win over Sunderland overnight.

The other 12 European-based Socceroos Verbeek had selected in his initial squad, including Everton midfielder Tim Cahill, will start arriving in Melbourne from tomorrow.

Cahill, who had been nursing a hamstring problem, played the full 90 minutes in Everton's 0-0 Premier League draw with Blackburn.

With Verbeek expected to name his final 18-man squad on Tuesday, it would appear there are now just six places available for the mostly A-League players who have spent the past week at the Socceroos' training camp in Melbourne.

Few did anything to enhance their selection claims in the disappointing 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory in a training match on Saturday.

But Sydney FC defender Mark Milligan, who probably would have been selected, will miss the Qatar game after breaking his nose during the training match.

Newcastle Jets attacker Joel Griffiths is also in doubt because of hamstring tightness.

Newcastle goalkeeper Ante Covic looks certain to take one of the available spots in the squad as back-up custodian to Mark Schwarzer, who will be the last man into camp on Tuesday after his English club match tomorrow.

Overseas players Michael Thwaite and Jacob Burns, who have been at the training camp, are also probable inclusions.

Verbeek is also likely to plump for experienced Queensland Roar defender Craig Moore in his final squad.

LiverpooL 3 - 0 Sunderland

Liverpool's wretched league run came to an end as three second-half goals against Sunderland eased the pressure on the team and manager Rafael Benitez.

The Anfield side had not won in the Barclays Premier League since Boxing Day and they had to fight hard to finally subdue the battling Black Cats.

A shocking sequence of five league games without a victory - effectively destroying any lingering hopes of a title bid - was ended with goals from Peter Crouch and Fernando Torres before Steven Gerrard completed the scoring from the spot.

Sunderland had worked hard and felt they should have had a penalty when Jamie Carragher appeared to handle.

But Liverpool pulled themselves together after a frustrating first half and moved back up to fifth in the table.

Benitez's response to the midweek defeat at West Ham was to leave out Steve Finnan, Yossi Benayoun, Xabi Alonso, Harry Kewell and Dirk Kuyt.

Crouch came in up front, Carragher moved to the right to allow centre-back Martin Skrtel to slot into the back four while Lucas Leiva, Jermaine Pennant and Javier Mascherano all returned.

Sunderland, who have not won at Anfield since 1983, were missing Dwight Yorke (knee) and Anthony Stokes from the side that beat Birmingham last time out as Michael Chopra returned from suspension and Kieran Richardson came back from injury.

But Richardson's suspect hamstring lasted just seven minutes before he was replaced by striker Rada Prica, with Daryl Murphy moving to the left of midfield.

Gerrard saw two long-range efforts charged down but that was as close as anyone got in the opening exchanges.

Slowly Liverpool seemed to run out of inspiration as the tackles continued to come in and Liam Miller, who had transgressed a couple of times, was booked for a foul on Gerrard.

Sunderland's determined defending kept Liverpool at bay and Nosworthy, despite a height disadvantage, did a solid job against Crouch.

Lucas was asked to play on the left for Liverpool with marginal success as Bardsley and Chopra were an effective pairing down that flank and Sunderland's confidence grew with every attack they broke down.

Liverpool finally created a chance after 38 minutes when Pennant's cross was met by Torres with a downward header that Craig Gordon scooped up.

A minute from the break Lucas' flick picked out Torres in the box for a shooting chance but Jonny Evans' produced a fine last-ditch block.

Liverpool replaced Fabio Aurelio with Finnan at half-time while, 10 minutes after the interval, Sunderland sent on Roy O'Donovan in place of Prica to bolster the midfield.

However, two minutes later Liverpool finally got themselves ahead.

Carragher got down the right and lifted a cross to the edge of the six-yard box where Crouch rose to head down and wide of Gordon's dive.

The goal lifted the hosts and Torres brought down a through-ball and flashed a drive Gordon did well to push into the Kop.

After 63 minutes Crouch saw a hooked shot blocked by Gordon, with Gerrard's follow-up deflected wide and from the resulting corner Crouch's towering header was cleared off the line by Dean Whitehead.

Six minutes later the second goal came when Torres surged on to a Crouch flick-on and hammered a right-foot shot past Gordon.

Sunderland were unfortunate not to get a penalty in the 73rd minute when Carragher threw himself at a Murphy shot and the ball struck his arm but Styles did nothing.

Evans had a header blocked by Jose Reina as Sunderland continued to power forward, with Finnan was booked for a foul on O'Donovan.

But two minutes from time Liverpool were awarded a penalty for a Nosworthy challenge on Pennant.

Gordon was booked for dissent before Gerrard scored from the spot with the Scotland goalkeeper almost keeping the ball out.