FEW players have made a more explosive start to their career in England than Fabrizio Ravanelli.

Signed by Bryan Robson from Juventus for £7m, the Italian striker lived up to all the summer hype by scoring a debut hat-trick against Roy Evans' Liverpool at the Riverside on the first day of the 1996-97 season.

Ravenelli came to the rescue to earn Middlesbrough a 3-3 draw against their illustrious visitors after defensive shortcomings had left them chasing the game three times.

Indeed, the Italian striker's sizzling debut may well have had the whole of Teesside lifting their shirts over their heads in expectation of better times ahead, but defensive frailty would later come to haunt Robson's lavishly-assembled team.

"We made some bad moves defensively," admitted Robson. "That was the only disappointing thing, but we can work at that.

"It was a good game for the fans to watch but it didn't do my ticker any good!"

Unfortunately for Robson, the pressure did not relent in a season dogged by problems both on and off the field, culminating in two cup final failures and relegation.

However, this was Ravanelli's day and the Italian followed his amazing opening-day antics with a bold promise to continue his rich goal-scoring spree.

Amazingly it was not Ravanelli's first debut hat-trick. "I scored three times in my first game for Reggiana against Verona in Serie B in Italy," he said through his interpreter.

"In Italy you sometimes play for a draw," he observed.

"But in England you always play to win, which will suit me. I was impressed with the way Liverpool played."

Defender Stig Inge Bjornebye had put the Reds ahead in only the fourth minute, only for the Silver Fox to wipe out the deficit from the penalty spot.

A great strike by John Barnes nine minutes later restored the Merseysiders' slim advantage only for Boro, inspired by a superb performance by Brazilian Juninho, to get themselves back into the game just before the break.

Liverpool, having spent heavily during the summer and touted as potential champions, redoubled their efforts in the second half and Boro fans must have feared the worst when Robbie Fowler capped a period of sustained pressure by the away team to slip the ball past Alan Miller to make it 3-2.

However, in what was to become a nagging problem for Liverpool throughout the season, the Reds could not kill off the game and paid for it when Ravanelli slid home in the last ten minutes to earn the home team a deserved share of the spoils.