Liverpool’s faint hopes of winning the Premier League title remained alive after teenage striker David N’Gog inspired Rafa Benitez’s side to a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Anfield here on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old marked his first league start at Anfield by opening the scoring - his first goal in the Premiership - before having a hand in Yossi Benayoun’s goal which sealed victory.
It will still require a spectacular collapse by Manchester United if Liverpool are to win the title for the first time since 1990.
Benitez’s men are four points behind Sir Alex Ferguson’s leaders having played two more games.
But at least Liverpool travel to United for their next league game on March 14 with confidence restored after a poor run of domestic form.
With Fernando Torres still missing with his troublesome hamstring problem, N’Gog was given a rare chance to impress, his only previous league start coming at Portsmouth last month where he was replaced before Liverpool came back to to win 3-2.
Yet his only contribution during Liverpool’s sluggish start came when he was booked for a late challenge on Tal Ben-Haim in the 15th minute.
Even more bizarre was Benitez’s decision to employ Javier Mascherano, the Argentina midfielder, at right-back in the absence of Alvaro Arbeloa.
It is nine years since Sunderland scored a Premier League goal at Anfield, Kevin Phillips finding the net in a 1-1 draw in 2000.
But they were presented with a golden chance to take the lead after a fourth minute mistake by Martin Skrtel allowed Kenwyne Jones a clear run at goalkeeper Jose Reina.
Fortunately for Benitez, Reina stood his ground and denied Sunderland’s Trinidad and Tobago striker his 10th goal of the campaign.
Liverpool were edgy and nervous in the wake of Saturday’s title-damaging defeat at Middlesbrough and it did not help their cause that the atmosphere around Anfield was decidedly flat with most home fans having resigned themselves to the fact that the title will not be arriving on Merseyside in two months time.
Sunderland had arrived in the north west with confidence sky high following a vast improvement in form under Ricky Sbragia following Roy Keane’s departure before Christmas.
That new-found belief under the Scotsman was illustrated in the 24th minute when Grant Leadbitter attempted to embarrass Reina from long-range, the midfielder’s effort sailing wide of the target.
It was not until the 31st minute that Liverpool went close to breaking the deadlock.
Even then Marton Fulop was able to palm Albert Riera’s deflected effort behind for a corner before makeshift right-back Mascherano went close with a stinging angled effort which flew inches over the bar.
It said much about Liverpool’s first half performance that, despite starting in defence, Mascherano was his team’s most threatening player in the first-half, and he again went close after being teed-up by N’Gog in the dying moments of the first-half.
Liverpool were much slicker in the second half and clinched only their third league win in eight home outings with two goals in the space of 13 minutes as Sunderland’s defence, so stubborn in the first half, quickly crumbled.
N’Gog ended their anxiety when he produced a hooked finish in front of The Kop after Gerrard had nodded Riera’s 52nd minute cross into his path.
That spelled the end of the game for Sunderland and they found themselves 2-0 behind after Fulop spilled N”Gog’s overhead kick, a gift Benayoun accepted as the Israel international tapped home from close range.
