Boro add to Benitez's problems

Middlesbrough heaped pressure on the shoulders of Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez with a 2-0 win.

Another Riverside setback suggests title bid is all over

Middlesbrough heaped pressure on the shoulders of Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez and delivered a hammer blow to their visitors' title hopes with a 2-0 win at The Riverside. Premier League title-chasing Liverpool travelled to Teesside swamped in controversy following Friday's announcement that chief executive Rick Parry is to step down at the end of the season, and with speculation raging about Benitez's future. The former Valencia boss' current contract expires in the summer of 2010 and he is understood to have turned down four drafted new deals from the Anfield hierarchy as reports suggest he is ready to walk away at the end of the season. And Boro did little to help the Spaniard - who remains in negotiations on Merseyside - as they stretched an almost seven-year unbeaten home run against the Reds and eased their own relegation fears. Liverpool continue to trail leaders Manchester United by seven points, but they have now played a game more than their North West rivals, who face Tottenham in the Carling Cup final on Sunday, and look unlikely to overhaul the defending champions. The damage was self-inflicted as Boro took the lead through a Xabi Alonso own goal when the Spain international deflected a 32nd minute Stewart Downing corner, ensuring the home side had their first league goal in almost eight-and-three-quarter hours. Liverpool's Nabil El Zhar - starting in place of the injured Fernando Torres - missed a glorious chance immediately after half-time, and the Morocco international was duly punished on 63 minutes as Tuncay Sanli swept home Boro's second from a low Jeremie Aliadiere cross. The hosts last won at Aston Villa on 9th November and had not collected all three points at The Riverside 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.

Creditable

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 Downing's 11th minute cross. Opposite number Brad Jones had already kept out close-range efforts from 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 10th January 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 out a leg as Downing's 31st minute corner sped across the six-yard box, but he 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.

Inviting

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. 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.

Middlesbrough	Team Statistics	Liverpool
2	Goals	0
1	1st Half Goals	0
3	Shots on Target	4
2	Shots off Target	12
0	Blocked Shots	7
2	Corners	9
1	Fouls	7
6	Offsides	2
2	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
65.6	Passing Success	84.7
24	Tackles	16
70.8	Tackles Success	81.2
28	Possession	72
46.6	Territorial Advantage	53.4