STEVE McCLAREN is adamant that Middlesbrough learned a salutary lesson against a Liverpool side scenting their first League title for 12 years.

This always had the makings of a damage-limitation exercise for Boro, especially as they were without the inspiration of injured Argentinian starlet Carlos Marinelli, who failed to shake off an ankle problem.

Liverpool, with the luxury of being able to name England pair Emile Heskey and Steven Gerrard among their substitutes, were never at full throttle, but didn't need to be.

By manager McClaren's own admission, Boro were woefully bereft of a cutting edge and striker Alen Boksic, who forced the only save of the game from Liverpool's Polish keeper Jerzy Dudek, was seriously short of support.

The promising partnership the Croatian has forged with Szilard Nemeth failed to fire this time, on a day when the Slovakian looked totally out of touch.

He was withdrawn at half-time in favour of a ring-rusty Hamilton Ricard.

The Colombian, whose Premiership season had been in mothballs since he was last on Merseyside when he was hauled off at half-time in the 2-0 defeat at Everton in August, endured another frustrating 45 minutes on the other side of Stanley Park.

But by the time he was introduced, Boro were already reeling from the devastating effect of two stupendous strikes.

The first, from England hero Michael Owen, was the 21-year-old striker's 99th goal for Liverpool and his 20th in as many games for club and country.

Owen showed yet again that he is capable of producing the gamut when it comes to goals.

Whether he is running at defenders, defying his lack of inches with leaping headers, tapping in from close range or, as on this occasion, powering home 25-yard piledrivers, Owen is out on his own.

It mattered not that Boro's third-choice keeper, Marlon Beresford, was the man in the firing line as Owen, with his 15th goal of the season and ninth in the Premiership, then Czech midfielder Patrik Berger, put the Premiership pacesetters firmly in command. Mark Crossley, Boro's custodian in the absence of groin-injury victim Mark Schwarzer, had kept three clean sheets while the Australian was away for a month on international duty.

And the one consolation for Crossley from this sorry afternoon was that he at least could claim a fourth successive shut-out.

When Owen struck in the 27th minute, Crossley's game was already over after he had been stretchered off seven minutes earlier with his head heavily bandaged following an accidental collision with Gary McAllister, which left the keeper needing eight stitches in a gash around his right eye.

Beresford, who in nearly four years since his £500,000 move from Burnley had made only nine League appearances for Boro, was helpless against the might and majesty of Livepool's finishing finesse.

Coincidentally, this was 32-year-old Beresford's first senior Boro appearance since he came on when Crossley was sent off in the 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal just over a year ago.

Again he was on a hiding to nothing as Boro conceded their first goal in open play for 418 minutes. The forceful McAllister played the ball into the feet of Berger, whose astute lay-off was met with a searing right-foot drive from Owen which flew past Beresford's left hand.

Former Newcastle midfielder Didi Hamann, who got the better of Boro skipper Paul Ince on the ex-Anfield star's return from a three-match ban, brought a fine low save from Beresford with a 30-yard attempt.

But on the stroke of half-time, Berger curled home a magnificent left-foot effort from similar range.

A loose ball from Boro's on-loan French left-back Franck Queudrue proved costly as McAllister fed Jari Litmanen on the Liverpool right.

The Finish ace, in his first start for over a month, delivered a delightful drag-back into the path of Berger, who just managed to apply sufficient bend on his shot to see it elude Beresford's fingertips.

Dudek had more luck with a near-post block from Boksic early in the second half, but Owen should have emulated the recent achievement of Newcastle's Alan Shearer and reached a century for his club when he spooned the ball over from a glorious position.

In truth, though Boro defended resolutely throughout the second half, the scoreline scarcely reflected Liverpool's superiority.

McClaren, who saw his side's unbeaten four-match run come to an abrupt halt, was disappointed with the lack of forward endeavour.

He conceded: "With the quality of players we have up front, we should do better.

"We didn't pass the ball very well and we didn't hold it up. That puts added pressure on your defenders.

"I think we've learned more from this game than we have the last six or seven. The pleasing thing was that we stayed in it for 90 minutes and didn't crumble.''

Liverpool's acting manager Phil Thompson, with his hand on the tiller while Gerard Houllier recovers from major heart surgery, spoke of the unity in the Anfield ranks during what has been a difficult time.

He said: "We're a bloody good team. There are no big heads out there - they are all working for each other.''

Thompson has presided over the extension of an unbeaten Premiership run which now stretches to 11 games, featuring nine victories, and equates to championship form.

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