Gerrard's force of will breaks Derby

Derby County 1 Liverpool 2:Rafael Benitez continues to simmer. The Liverpool manager has struggled to keep his frustrations in check at the strictures of his American masters this season, but yesterday the invective that stirred him came straight from the streets of his adopted city.

Paul Jewell, the Derby County manager, a child of The Kop and a former Liverpool apprentice, felt the red mist come down after Jay McEveley had made a 72nd-minute lunge at Andriy Voronin. Jewell felt that Voronin, the Liverpool striker, had made the most of the challenge and he unleashed a verbal tirade at Benitez.

Then came the flashpoint. Benitez, who made a stamping gesture towards referee Alan Wiley to convey his anger at McEveley, found himself squared up to Jewell, before the fourth official stepped in to part them.

These are testy times for Benitez, and that he could shrug off the incident and smile afterwards was down in large measure to the never-say-die commitment of his captain, Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool had inexplicably taken their foot off the gas in the second half and they were punished by McEveley's equaliser, Derby's first goal at Pride Park since the end of September. Liverpool had led through Fernando Torres and ought to have been home and hosed; instead, they were staring at a fired-up home crowd and costly dropped points.

The ending could have been different had Giles Barnes, a transfer target for West Ham, not headed over the bar when gloriously placed for Eddie Lewis's 86th-minute cross.

Yet Gerrard simply refused to accept anything other than a Liverpool win. He worked a yard of space for himself on the edge of the area and curled a right-footed shot against the underside of the bar, and then, at the very death, through the sheer force of his will, he scored the goal that broke Derby hearts.

The home support were still raging at Wiley's decision not to penalise Fabio Aurelio following a collision with Tyrone Mears when Gerrard led the Liverpool counter.

"Steven Gerrard is not only a top player, he is a top athlete," remarked Jewell, after the midfielder surged past tired Derby legs to slip in Yossi Benayoun, the substitute, on the overlap. Benayoun crossed for Torres who forced a reaction save from Lewis Price, the debutant goalkeeper, but as Price went to collect the loose ball, McEveley swung a boot at it in an attempt to clear. He succeeded only in hitting Gerrard, who had continued his run into the six-yard box, and the ball went back off him and into the net.

"We know that Gerrard is box-to-box," said Benitez, who reported that Sami Hyypia had damaged his ankle and was a doubt for the visit to Manchester City on Sunday. "It was important for us to get him further forward late in the game. I said to him 'stay a bit higher'. Gerrard is a top-class player and it's like Torres - they must be there when you need them."

Derby were effectively down to 10 men for the last 15 minutes, as Rob Earnshaw, the third substitute used, picked up a calf strain and was reduced to a virtual bystander on the wing. Jewell is not having much luck with injuries. He lost Claude Davis in the warm-up at Newcastle on Sunday and yesterday his regular goalkeeper, Stephen Bywater, felt his shoulder problem before kick-off and had to pull out; Price was hastily promoted from the bench.

Stephen Pearson was then helped off midway through the first half with a dislocated shoulder, after Darren Moore, his team-mate, had clattered into him when chasing a high ball.

Moore had 45 minutes to forget - he was withdrawn at half-time for his own sanity, after being tormented by Torres - and he will not relish any replays of the opening goal. Torres picked up possession on the edge of the area and, in a flash, he had stepped on the accelerator, pushed the ball through Moore's legs and raced around him.

As Moore attempted to turn, only to fall on his backside, the Spaniard jinked inside Dean Leacock and steered a left-footed shot into the far corner. It was a finish of exhilarating class.

Jewell remarked that his team had seemed "frightened" in the first half and had given Liverpool "too much respect", but after a few choice words half-time they entered the contest.

Price had just saved smartly from Xabi Alonso when Wiley harshly adjudged the Spanish midfielder to have handled 35 yards from his goal. The game came to life when Lewis's free-kick cannoned about the Liverpool area before falling to McEveley, who steered coolly into the far corner.

Baptism and fire had sprung to mind for Price, the 23-year-old Welshman, yet he seemed set to emerge as the hero, having made a series of saves as Liverpool pressed. Gerrard, however, was in no mood for sentiment.