Uefa Champions League Third qualifying round, first leg/Bordeaux 0 Liverpool 1:Steven Gerrard is doubtful for Sunday's Premier League match against Chelsea at Anfield after the England player limped home, heavily bandaged, from the south of France last night, the victim of a cynical stamp on his right foot.
The captain and inspirational midfielder suffered from the attentions of Achille Emana. Even at this stage of the season, a meeting with Chelsea is crucial and the Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, will be desperate for Gerrard to line up. Benitez said last night it was too early to make a prognosis.
The Gerrard injury aside, Benitez was content enough with the performance in Toulouse, the first-leg tie being settled by a wonderful first-half strike by Andriy Voronin.
When the forward arrived at Anfield last month he pledged to make a much bigger impact on English football than his fellow Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko managed at Chelsea last season. Yesterday, under a searingly hot afternoon sun, he suggested this was no empty promise by scoring a superlative winner as his new side took their first, largely tentative, steps along the road to Moscow and next May's Champions League final. Moreover his was the sort of audacious, technically brilliant goal only the best strikers tend to pull off.
Generally the Merseysiders' mood was buoyant at the end of a low-tempo game, which had been drifting, goalless, towards half-time when the recalled Peter Crouch flicked Steve Finnan's long pass in Voronin's direction. Chesting the ball down adroitly, the Ukrainian allowed it to bounce before dispatching the most eye-catching of half-volleys from more than 25 yards, the ball arcing into the top corner.
"A fantastic goal," enthused Benitez. "Voronin is an intelligent striker and we always knew he could be a revelation."
Appreciably less celebrated than the similarly newly installed Fernando Torres, the Liverpool manager's record attacking signing who began on the bench yesterday, Voronin exhibited his penchant for dropping deep and cleverly finding space.
Elie Baup's team, configured in 4-1-4-1 mode, initially seemed to confound a Liverpool ensemble featuring the new summer signings Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun and Voronin. Although Gerrard directed an early free-kick wide of the base of the far post from a promising position, last season's losing Champions League finalists started slowly. Javier Mascherano and Sami Hyypia let Cesar skip past them before being thwarted by Jamie Carragher's penalty-area interception.
It was the cue for Benitez to order the subdued Babel and Benayoun to swap wings, and the latter's move to his preferred right side succeeded in livening up the Merseysiders a little. However, the tempo remained slow enough to satisfy Toulouse and make a mockery of what, on paper, looked an unusually attack-minded Benitez starting line-up.
Indeed, had a dangerous, defence-splitting through pass from Cesar not been fractionally overhit, Johan Elmander, a Swedish striker apparently much admired by Manchester City and West Ham, would have been presented with an excellent chance.
Within a couple of minutes Voronin's stunning strike had altered the course of the match but, suitably inspired, Elmander nearly equalised courtesy of an acrobatic overhead bicycle kick that flew narrowly wide.
Toulouse introduced Fode Mansare, a second striker, at the interval as they switched to 4-4-2 and Liverpool again had their England refusenik, Carragher, to thank for keeping his cool and clearing a low cross from Jeremy Mathieu as Baup's side threw bodies into Jose Reina's box.
Anxious not to concede an away goal, Benitez replaced Benayoun - who had freedom to roam but mainly flattered to deceive - with the more defensive-minded John Arne Riise.
Hyypia, though, was to endure an anxious moment when his error prompted a swerving, dipping shot from Elmander that provoked a diving save from the generally underworked Reina. That said, Liverpool's goalkeeper was relieved to see a subsequent Elmander header loop off target after the Swede had beaten Carragher to a whipped-in cross.
"We did a professional job in difficult conditions," reflected Benitez.
TOULOUSE:Douchez, Ebondo (Sissoko 82), Mathieu, Cetto, Fofana, Paulo Cesar, Sirieix, Emana, Dieuze, Elmander, Bergougnoux (Mansare half-time). Subs not used: Riou, Jonsson, Batlles, Fabinho, Gignac. Booked: Elmander 59, Cetto 79.
LIVERPOOL:Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Arbeloa, Benayoun (Riise 59), Gerrard (Sissoko 64), Mascherano, Babel, Voronin (Torres 78), Crouch. Subs not used: Itandje, Agger, Alonso, Kuyt. Booked: Sissoko. Goal: Voronin 43.
Referee:K Vassaras (Greece)
