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  • Kick-off: 15:00
  • Venue: Pride Park Stadium
  • Attendance: 33029
  • Referee: Wiley, A

Live Commentary

90 mins

It's finished 2-1, Gerrard the hero for Liverpool again but Derby will be gutted as McEveley's goal had looked like earning the Rams an unlikely draw.

90 mins

Voronin is replaced by Lucas Leiva late on

90 mins

Liverpool piled on the pressure and were finally rewarded with just a minute left but they have left it late against Derby

89 mins

Gerrard appears to have won it though, turning the ball home after Torres initial shot was saved

88 mins

Gerrard strikes the bar and the ball fails to drop for Kuyt - it's desperate defending for Derby with just a few minutes left

85 mins

Barnes' header is just off-target as Derby now waste a huge chance to grab an unlikely winner

83 mins

Torres wastes a great chance from close-range

81 mins

Alonso forces Price into a fine flying save, the pressure mounts on Derby but time's running out for Liverpool now

77 mins

Alonso fires an effort just wide as Liverpool push again for a winner

75 mins

Voronin delays a shot and the chance goes begging

72 mins

McEveley is shown yellow for a foul on Voronin

71 mins

Dirk Kuyt comes on for an ineffective Babel for Liverpool

70 mins

Gerrard then drags a shot wide as Liverpool push forward before Howard calls Reina into action at the other end

68 mins

The goal has shaken the visitors, however, and Benayoun wastes a great chance to restore their lead

66 mins

Liverpool have been poor in the second half and the equaliser had been coming

65 mins

McEvely equalises for Derby turning home Lewis' free-kick, an upset is on the cards all of a sudden

60 mins

Derby win a corner but it comes to nothing - The Rams are very much in this game at the minute

58 mins

Earnshaw then goes close but his shot is wide as well, better from Derby though

57 mins

Steve Howard shoots from distance but it's wide

56 mins

Derby also make a change with Gary Teale replaced by Robert Earnshaw

54 mins

Sami Hyypia has picked up a knock and is replaced by Yossi Benayoun - Liverpool will need to reshuffle as there's no defender on the bench

52 mins

Alonso brings down Felihaber, stop-start still at Pride Park

49 mins

Voronin fouls Barnes - the second half has began like the first-half finished - quietly

47 mins

John Arne Riise's shot is blocked by Tyrone Mears

45 mins

Derby make a change at half time, Moore is replaced by Benny Feilhaber

45 mins

Liverpool kick off the second half

45 mins

Torres' 12th-minute goal, his 14th of the season, gives Liverpool the edge at the interval

45 mins

Into first-half stoppage time and it looks like Liverpool will head into the break in front

42 mins

Voronin strikes another effort wide

40 mins

The Torres goal is Liverpool's only shot on target so far but they have had much more possession at Pride Park

37 mins

Lewis' corner is cleared by Torres - not too many clear-cut chances so far

34 mins

Carragher strikes the ball over from close range as Liverpool look to double their lead

32 mins

Johnson fell awkwardly on his shoulder which is why he was forced off, Derby didn't need any more setbacks

29 mins

Voronin strikes from distance but it's never troubling Price

27 mins

Stephen Pearson is replaced by Michael Johnson, after he picks up an injury

24 mins

Babel shoots again but again it's wide

23 mins

Kenny Miller is caught offside for Derby but the home side are still struggling

21 mins

Steven Gerrard shoots from distance, but it's wide

19 mins

Eddie Lewis fouls Xabi Alonso, Derby are struggling to get a hold of the ball at the minute

17 mins

The goal has settled Liverpool down and are in control at Pride Park

15 mins

Babel fires an effort at goal as Liverpool turn up the heat now

13 mins

The goal was brilliantly executed by Torres, the Spanish striker is in fine form at the minute

12 mins

Torres puts Liverpool in front after a lovely run and wonderful finish into the corner - a fantastic goal

9 mins

Derby have began well and Liverpool are yet to threaten

6 mins

Jose Reina fails to gather a cross and Jamie Carragher has to defend well with Giles Barnes on the prowl

4 mins

It's been a quiet opening few minutes at Pride Park

2 mins

Ryan Babel, also recalled by Liverpool today, fouls James McEveley as the game begins to settle down

0 mins

The action begins at Pride Park

0 mins

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez opts for Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin up front while Derby youngster Lewis Price starts in goal

Match Report

Steven Gerrard rescued Liverpool's title dreams with a last-minute winner against desperately unlucky Derby County.

Derby, trounced 6-0 at Anfield last September, took the Merseysiders all the way and deserved a point for their second-half performance alone.

Another rout had looked on the cards when Fernando Torres opened the scoring for the visitors with just 13 minutes gone.

There looked little on when Ryan Babel found the Spaniard on the right-hand edge of the Derby box, but he showed why he's now netted 15 times this season, as he danced past a static Derby defence before shooting home with his left foot.

Stand-in Derby keeper Lewis Price had only started after Stephen Bywater's shoulder injury flared up during the pre-match warm-up.

It looked like he was in for a busy afternoon as Liverpool took a grip of the game.

But both Gerrard and Xabi Alonso looked out of sorts at the heart of the Reds midfield and chances were few and far between in a scrappy opening period.

But the second half was a different story as a succession of injuries and substitutions left Liverpool playing an unfamiliar 4-2-4 formation.

Alonso and Gerrard were outnumbered in midfield and for 20 minutes Rafael Benitez's men struggled to get the ball into the Derby half.

The Derby fans scented blood and got behind their team as they realised Liverpool were there for the taking.

The goal duly arrived on 67 minutes when Alonso handled just inside his own half. Eddie Lewis fired in the free-kick which cannoned off a ruck of players into the path of Jay McEveley, who gleefully sidefooted home.

The equaliser finally spurred Liverpool into action and for the last 20 minutes they looked a different side although Derby had their fair share of goal scoring opportunities.

Benitez brought on Dirk Kuyt for Babel as Liverpool went looking for the winner, but it seemed a goal would never come as Alonso, Kuyt and Torres all came close without success.

Gerrard had finally woken from his earlier slumber and drove Liverpool forward forcing a fine fingertip save from Price and then thundering a shot against the underside of the bar.

Derby almost snatched the points with five minutes to go when Lewis was put through on the left and his cross was met at the far post by the diving Giles Barnes, but the header flashed just wide of the upright.

The winner came with just a minute to go after Derby felt they should have been awarded a free-kick deep in enemy territory.

Instead the ball fell to Gerrard who set off on a marauding run down the left leaving Derby defenders stranded in his wake.

He fed Yossi Benayoun, who cleverly cut inside and found Torres whose shot rebounded off Price into the path of Gerrard, who turned the ball home from close range.

Derby County

Liverpool

Corners

2 7

Fouls

9 9

Goal attempts

9 22

Shots off target

5 11

Offsides

7 4

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