Torres rescues ragged Reds

Torres: Hat-trick hero

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Fernando Torres hit a hat-trick as Liverpool came from behind to secure a 3-2 victory over 10-man Middlesbrough at Anfield.

Tuncay Sanli had stunned the home crowd, which was in an expectant mood following Tuesday's UEFA Champions League victory over Internazionale, by putting Boro ahead after nine minutes when the Turkish forward turned a Stewart Downing free-kick in with his shoulder.

Liverpool then laboured, but Torres latched onto a poor 28th minute headed back-pass from Boro skipper Julio Arca to round goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and equalise under pressure.

The Spanish striker then hit his second a minute-and-a-half later as he was fed by Fabio Aurelio to smash in from 25 yards.

Boro recovered well and thought they had equalised before half-time but Tuncay was correctly punished for poking past Liverpool shot-stopper Jose Reina with his hand.

And on 61 minutes Boro were to rue the disallowed effort as Torres, who is now the first Liverpool forward to score more than 20 goals in a season since Michael Owen in 2003, secured his third as he slotted into an empty goal following a mix-up between Schwarzer and Boro defender David Wheater.

Downing set up a nervous finish as he outpaced the Reds defence to prod past Reina from close range on 83 minutes, but forward Jeremie Aliadiere was then shown a straight red card for raising his hands against Javier Mascherano to allow Liverpool to move up to fourth in the Premier League.

Boro grabbed the initiative when a ninth minute free-kick from Downing was curled into the box for Tuncay to head home, to the dismay of a static Liverpool defence who assumed he was offside.

Mascherano's positioning on the back post disproved that theory.

Scrappy

Liverpool's response was scrappy, to say the least. The closest they came was a Dirk Kuyt hook over from a Ryan Babel run and cross.

From a side who had outshone Inter in midweek, Liverpool had reverted to their former self. Passes were going hopelessly astray, with possession constantly conceded and not a hint of rhythm.

It took Torres to pull Liverpool together. Reina's clearance on 28 minutes was back-headed by Arca straight to the Spaniard. He raced away, went round Schwarzer and then found the net with his right foot.

Just over a minute later Torres struck again. Aurelio found the striker in midfield and Torres lashed home a 25-yard shot into the bottom corner.

Tuncay thought he had equalised on 34 minutes, but referee Lee Mason ruled the Boro man had used his arm and booked the forward.

Boro were still in the game and put Liverpool under pressure early in the second period.

But again Torres bailed them out when he completed his second hat-trick for the club, the first being at Reading in the Carling Cup in September.

Hesitation

On 60 minutes, Kuyt's hard graft in defence saw him win the ball and launch a 50-yard angled ball towards the Spanish striker.

It looked like Wheater would comfortably tidy up the situation, but with Schwarzer almost alongside him now, there was fatal hesitation between the pair and Torres took advantage to hook the ball home from the edge of the box into an empty net.

Torres was on a roll by now and took a Steven Gerrard pass before outpacing Emanuel Pogatetz and forcing Schwarzer into a desperate save to his right.

Middlesbrough got themselves a lifeline on 83 minutes when Downing got in behind Yossi Benayoun on the left to run on into the box before beating Reina from a sharp angle.

But three minutes later Aliadiere was sent off as he slapped Mascherano after an exchange between the pair on the touchline.

The Liverpool man seemed to have patted the French youngster on the cheek a second earlier, but the red card ended Boro's chances of a third goal.