No cure for Liverpool

After being intoxicated by Celta Vigo, Liverpool failed to come up with a hangover cure at Wimbledon yesterday, going down to their third defeat in eight days and their eighth in the last 11 games.

Gerard Houllier has probably never known a worse headache. His side dominated most of the game and it could be said they were unlucky to lose. But another defeat is no coincidence. This once-great club now find themselves slumming it only nine points off the relegation zone.

It is Liverpool's worst run overall since 1954, when Don Welsh was manager. How richer the picture looks for Wimbledon, the perennial paupers. Joe Kinnear's side have now won seven of their last 10 games, including victories over Chelsea and Arsenal as well as Liverpool. They now sit eighth in the table.

Liverpool's problem was that they couldn't get anywhere near the net. Neil Sullivan in Wimbledon's goal denied the visitors on at least four occasions while the squanderer of two of those chances, Michael Owen, also missed a penalty. It was not a great way to spend the afternoon before your 19th birthday, especially on the ground where you scored your first senior goal two seasons ago.

Liverpool had been hoping that the return of Jamie Redknapp, Paul Ince and Vegard Heggem to the inexperienced side which failed to overcome the Spanish club on Tuesday would prove a decisive factor and secure their fifth win in 12 visits to Wimbledon.

But the fault-lines in this Liverpool side run much deeper, beginning at the back where the team have now kept only one clean sheet in the last 13 games.

It was not that Liverpool were overwhelmed. Their own domination began early on as they carved out promising channels down the right wing through the sorties of the £4 million wing-back Heggem and the astute vision of Patrik Berger in midfield.

The Czech, after 12 minutes, pounced on a poor clearance from Ben Thatcher to deliver a run and shot from 20 yards which forced Sullivan into his first save.

Six minutes later the Scottish international produced an even better stop after Berger released Heggem, who unleashed an 18 yard shot which deflected off Dean Blackwell and forced Sullivan to adjust his position before pawing the ball away.

On the half-hour Sullivan saved from Owen after Wimbledon again gave the ball away, this time through Robbie Earle. And soon afterwards the goalkeeper's alert dash off his line put off Owen enough to make the England striker chip the ball over from an unmarked position in the area.

Wimbledon's struggle to break down Liverpool's fragile defence ended just two minutes and twenty seconds after the restart. Marcus Gayle, on the left of the area, mis-hit a shot across goal which somehow found its way through the red-shirted sentries standing in front of James' goal.

The ball arrived at Earle, unmarked and looking badly offside. But some stragglers had played him on and allowed the Wimbledon midfielder to score easily from close range.

Liverpool, though, continued to press. Sullivan resumed normal service with a great save to keep out Berger's 19-yard free-kick and, with less than 15 minutes left, Ince at last did something worthwhile by winning a penalty for being brought down by Andy Roberts.

With Robbie Fowler already substituted, Owen took the kick and struck it feebly enough for Sullivan, diving to his left, to drop on the ball. Blackwell then denied Karlheinz Riedle with a fine tackle by the Wimbledon penalty spot. In between all this James saved Liverpool's further blushes with a smart save from Efan Ekoku. But this was not Liverpool's day, just as it has not been their week or their season.

Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Perry, Blackwell, Thatcher, Earle, Gayle (Roberts 77), Ardley, Leaburn (Ekoku 62), Hughes, Euell. Subs Not Used: Kimble, Heald, Kennedy. Goals: Earle 48.

Liverpool: James, Staunton, Babb, Fowler (Riedle 61), Owen, Redknapp, Heggem, Berger, Ince, Bjornebye, Carragher. Subs Not Used: Kvarme, Matteo, Nielson, Gerrard. Booked: Ince.

Referee: G Willard (Worthing).