Sights set on fourth spot

Liverpool manager Houllier, of course, has been there before. In a gripping finale to last term, his side were denied fourth spot in the Premiership by Chelsea, whose victory at Stamford Bridge guaranteed them a Champions League qualifying berth with third-placed Newcastle.

Like Newcastle counterpart Robson, there is an equanimity about Houllier on the subject of how high his sights are set this season.

Both men feel it is all but a fait accompli that the top three places are spoken for and fourth is their only realistic hope of returning to Europe's premier club competition.

Saturday's ultimately enthralling encounter at St. James' Park bore testimony to the unflinching ambition of these sides to rejoin the elite.

But the nature of the Premiership this season is such that neither Robson nor Houllier will take anything for granted. Houllier said: "It will be a tight battle for fourth place, not only between Newcastle and Liverpool, but other teams as well.

"Our game with Newcastle at Anfield on the last day could be decisive. I hope so. That happened against Chelsea last season.

"We have to face reality. The top three have run away with it, but you never know in football. I was told Liverpool were tenth one year at Christmas and won the title.''

Robson concurred: "It looks as though places one, two and three are sealed. We're on bended knee hoping the top three have a blip.

"But there's fourth spot to aim for, Liverpool will be contenders and so will we.

"But can the likes of Charlton and Fulham keep going, can Manchester City improve or Aston Villa come out of the pack? Who knows?''

Houllier's worry is his crippling injury list. He is currently without strikers Michael Owen, so often the scourge of Tyneside, Harry Kewell and Milan Baros.

But former Newcastle player Didi Hamann, a hostage to injury for much of the season, is back to his best and the German international is providing the Reds with welcome midfield ballast.

Houllier added: "What would happen if Newcastle were without Shearer, Robert and Ameobi? That's the sort of situation we're in. I hope that, after January, we will be injury-free. Fortunately we have Didi back. We call him the Kaiser and we've missed him. It was a World Cup performance in the way he marshalled the midfield.''

Newcastle's loss has been Liverpool's gain. Hamann was one of Kenny Dalglish's last signings as Newcastle boss in August 1998 and was shipped out under a year later by Ruud Gullit.

Robson said: "I was told he was a fine player and that everyone liked him here. He was a player they didn't want to lose having got him here.''

Robson admitted he was "surprised'' that Houllier packed the midfield and played with only one up front.

More surprising, and faintly damning of Emile Heskey's frontline prowess, was Houllier's decision to deploy the England striker in a wide role and start with Florent Sinama-Pongolle as a lone attacker before replacing the teenager in that role with winger Vladimir Smicer.

Even with such a negative formation, Liverpool took the lead in only the sixth minute, though it was due in no small measure to an appalling mix-up between Jonathan Woodgate and Titus Bramble that Robson labelled "calamitous'' and likened to the defending at Wolves a week earlier.

Bramble appeared to baulk Woodgate as they went for the same ball, and it broke to Danny Murphy who was free to race through the middle and beat Shay Given.

Gary Speed and Shola Ameobi failed to make the most of great first-half chances and Newcastle were grateful to Given after the break as he foiled Sinama-Pongolle and visiting skipper Steven Gerrard in quick succession.

Laurent Robert was agonisingly close to scoring with a free-kick before he won the penalty from which Alan Shearer equalised in the 62nd minute.

Keeper Chris Kirkland was booked after hauling Robert down and surely only escaped a red card from referee Graham Poll because the Frenchman was running wide of goal.

Skipper Shearer, whose previous penalty at the Gallowgate End had been saved by Aston Villa's Thomas Sorensen, risked another disaster when he hit his spot-kick high to Kirkland's right and it scraped the underside of the bar on its way in.

Jermaine Jenas was guilty of an horrendous miskick in front of goal from a Shearer knockdown, before respective goalline clearances from John Arne Riise and Murphy denied Kieron Dyer and Bramble.

Hamann's dipping volley brought an even better save from Given, and Kirkland turned Shearer's shot over moments later in a lively conclusion to the game.

Shearer now has 14 goals this season and England, it seems, won't take no for an answer where their former captain is concerned.

Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson sent right-hand man Tord Grip to St. James' to assess the form of several players, 33-year-old Shearer included.

The Geordie hero retired from the international arena after Euro 2000, but he is still England's best orthodox centre-forward.

With Euro 2004 looming, Grip admits Eriksson would like Shearer to reconsider his decision to call time on his England career.

Shearer says he plans to play golf and lounge by a pool next summer, and Robson clearly believes that is precisely what he will be doing.

The former England boss said: "It's like an old boxer coming back; one more last fight and what happens? You get knocked out.

"It's a big decision for Alan, but I think he has already made it.''

So think again, Sven.

Result: Newcastle United 1 Liverpool 1.

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