GEORGE BOATENG joked about it, Steve McClaren smiled about it. In fairness to them both they had a right to. Steven Gerrard's performance suggested he could quite easily have been getting on the end of his own crosses.

That's how effective Gerrard's trademark forward running from midfield was for Liverpool. Fortunately for Middlesbrough his finishing was not what the football fraternity have come to expect.

With seven goals in five Champions League qualifying games, his form in front of the posts seemed to point to at least one of his six efforts flying in to Mark Schwarzer's net.

Instead the England midfielder had an off day in front of goal and Boro are left reflecting on a point gained rather than two wasted.

That was largely down to a resolute defensive display for the last 16 minutes when Ugo Ehiogu received a red card for bringing down Gerrard, and midfielder Boateng was not far behind the Anfield man in the amount of grass he covered.

With respect to Boateng, who is a valuable player by his own right anyway, his attacking play is not in the same class as Gerrard. But the Dutchman's outstanding workrate and tough tackling is among the best in the Premiership.

And McClaren remains one of Boateng's biggest fans. "You are always going to lose Steven at some stage and he had chances to score but I thought George and Ray (Parlour) covered every inch of the pitch," said the Boro boss.

"George was running everywhere and at the point of going down to ten men I wish he had stayed back. That is why we bought him and that is why we missed him for 18 games last season. Who knows where we would have finished if he had stayed fit. It is great to have him back and playing well."

While defensively Boro may have looked strong, it must be remembered Liverpool only started with Fernando Morientes operating as a lone frontman.

Morientes is not the quickest of players and had Djibril Cisse been used from the start against the 30-something legs of Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate things could have gone differently.

And that should have been a strong enough reason for Boro to attack their opponents from the start.

Apart from Ehiogu's half chance when his shot on the turn was deflected over for a corner before half-time, McClaren's side failed to conjure up a serious effort until Mark Viduka was introduced midway through the second half.

That is not a sign of new signing Aiyegbeni Yakubu or Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink's profligacy, more a lack of creativity in the centre of the pitch, which highlights why the manager is searching for two new midfielders.

There was no danger to Liverpool of Yakubu emulating Fabrizio Ravanelli's heroics when he bagged a hat-trick on his debut at the Riverside Stadium against the Reds in 1996.

Both players cost £7.5m but Yakubu never looked like repeating the Italian's goal feat, especially as he was never given the service to test Spanish goalkeeper Jose Reina.

A midfield of Gaizka Mendieta, Boateng and Parlour offers plenty of pedigree but little pace. And with Stewart Downing failing to fire down the left the forwards were left trying to create their own half chances.

If fresh faces can't be drafted in soon it seems inevitable young James Morrison will be handed the chance to make the right-midfield berth his own.

Morrison may only be 19 but his tricks and pace could scare defenders and that would allow Mendieta to play alongside Boateng in the middle - similar to the way Bolo Zenden operated before moving to Liverpool.

In McClaren's programme notes he insisted he has made an entertaining product on Teesside but the way Boateng and Downing kept the ball in injury-time to cling onto a goalless draw suggested otherwise.

After incessant pressure from Liverpool, the opportunity arose at the last moment for the home side to clinch the points but opted to time waste. Something that infuriated the Boro fans.

Boateng offered an explanation. "I thought about putting over a cross for a second. But I realised there was only a minute to go and we might as well take the point we had," he said.

"Don't forget Liverpool are a top, top side. For me they are going to close the gap on Chelsea maybe by a good ten to 12 points. It's not that we played negatively; it is because we were up against a good side."

Regardless of where you stand on the corner debate, Boro have not started the season with a defeat despite being up against the European champions - the entertainment will have to come later.

Result: Middlesbrough 0 Liverpool 0.

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