GERRO'S CENTRE STAGE

Liverpool 2, Middlesbrough 1

HE may not get the chance to get the blood pumping for England but Steven Gerrard remains the heartbeat of Liverpool.

Fabio Capello’s right-hand man Franco Baldini couldn’t have failed to take the hint as Gerrard underlined why he should be English football’s central figure when inspiration is demanded.

It was the fourth minute of injury time when the skipper transformed the mood at Anfield, turning angry frustration into hysterical celebration with a clinical finish.

As so often in the past, the captain and his chief lieutenant Jamie Carragher took responsibility where others had been found wanting.

For 86 minutes, Liverpool fan Brian Barwick — a guest of Rick Parry — must have thought a calamitous week was about to get worse.

Then Carragher and Gerrard strode forward to help cancel out Mido’s stunning opener and steal what would have been the greatest scalp of Gareth Southgate’s increasingly impressive managerial CV.

Why Gerrard has never been granted the licence to run riot for country as he does for his club is one of the tragedies of our national game.

“We know Stevie is not 100 per cent fit but he has the quality to change games,” said a relieved Rafa Benitez in a message which should echo from Merseyside to Wembley.

“He showed the leadership and winning mentality we need this year.”

In the methodical, scientific world of the deep-thinking modern coach, Gerrard’s free spirit has often seemed too unpredictable, risky and unbalancing.

Is it too simplistic to suggest his ‘box-to-box’ enthusiasm — the complete midfield package — is an asset rather than a hindrance? Give it a try, Fabio. What’s the worst that could happen?

At Liverpool, performances like this aren’t a surprise any more but in the continued absence of enough quality around Gerrard they remain the key to the club’s success.

For all the millions spent, all the arguing of where to strengthen and all the backstage bickering, Benitez should wake up this morning and give a prayer of thanks for the local boys who cost nothing.

Liverpool were staring down the barrel against a Boro side which deserved their 70th-minute advantage.

Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Gerrard had threatened during an enterprising opening but Boro had long taken over before the last-ditch turnaround. The natives weren’t just getting restless, the spears were being pointed at the dugout.

Then Carragher came to the rescue. His shot was deflected into his own net by Emanuel Pogatetz.

But that shouldn’t divert attention from what went before — especially if Liverpool are to sustain a start which looks better on paper than the pitch.

When you can win with room for improvement, the omens are good.

Perhaps it would have been nonsensically premature to write off title hopes had Benitez’s side not launched this dramatic fightback but the repercussions of a miserable failure could not be underestimated.

Benitez must learn from the mistakes and put them right instantly. If he could bottle the last five minutes, he would have no problems.

But the deficiencies in his line-up are unmistakably familiar.

Torres arrived yesterday hoping to rewrite club history with his ninth consecutive league goal at home. Instead, it was the Kop who were left sounding like a broken record for most of the afternoon.

The spine of the side is as good as any but the fringe seems to be in need of a constant trim. While Carragher, Gerrard and Torres inspire, Yossi Benayoun, Alvaro Arbeloa and, on this evidence, new signing Andrea Dossena would struggle to get into Southgate’s side.

The lack of quality width is chronic, which is why the only wide boys at Anfield are the ticket touts outside the ground.

No wonder Benitez will spend the rest of the week looking to add to those able to play on the flanks, possibly stealing the improving Stewart Downing from Boro.

Benitez knew luck had smiled on his men. “We did it the hard way,” he admitted. “The game was a little bit ugly and we weren’t playing well. In the second half they were on top and we needed that first goal.

“Sometimes we were losing or drawing these games and now we are winning so the confidence is high.” Southgate said it was ‘heartbreaking’ to leave with nothing and you had to feel for him.

His side is unrecognisable from the dour days of Steve McClaren and, in David Wheater, he has an undoubted world-class defensive talent.

His attacking quartet of Afonso Alves, Tuncay, Downing and Jeremie Aliadiere demonstrated Boro’s adventurous intent, while the addition of Mido as a second-half sub looked like earning just reward, overcoming the loss of keeper Brad Jones with a dislocated finger during the warm-up.

“It’s hard to take. I’m heartbroken for the lads because we’ve given everything and deserved more,” said Southgate.

“We were disciplined and gave them a lot of problems. We’re incredibly down because we would have been disappointed with a point.

“We had no fear of Liverpool. It was a freak goal which got them back into the game. The improvement from 12 months ago is light years.”

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