UEFA Cup spot looking secure

Liverpool's comparative decline over the last decade is strewn like an ancient desert trail with the bleached skeletons of draws and defeats against Wimbledon.

Since the unthinkable happened in the 1988 Cup final, Liverpool have won just one championship, two FA Cups, one League Cup and nothing in Europe. Between 1978 and 1988 they won an astounding 15 titles and trophies, home and abroad.

As this was only the Reds's third league win over Wimbledon in 16 meetings, it might be considered as Saturday's shock result.

"We played with our heads," said Roy Evans, and must have felt like adding that his own was still very firmly attached to his neck, thank you very much. This was his side's fifth successive league win since losing to Manchester United, and a UEFA Cup place next season begins to look reasonably secure.

Or would, except that Anfield continues to be a place of ambivalent messages. Less than two hours before the kick-off a small knot of Liverpool players entered the press lounge with the specific intention of checking the racing results on the television.

Now this may be interpreted as no more than a little pre-match relaxation; others might see it as just another indication of the club's lack of internal discipline. In truth, there was little to separate the two sides for an hour and one journalist, on hearing that Nigel Mansell was present, was moved to suggest the former world Formula One champion would be feeling at home, this being the pits.

Then Steve McManaman, having been almost totally thwarted by the estimable Alan Kimble, switched from right to left and Wimbledon were undone.

The Madrid papers reported on Saturday morning that McManaman had, was about to, or would, sign for Barcelona. The England international has 18 months of his present contract to run but is dithering on a renewal.

Evans went through the routine denial which did not do anything to convince anyone that the Liverpool manager might not be the first to know what is really going on.

Wingers, and this is what McManaman essentially is, despite his pretensions of a greater midfield influence, have and always will be an unreliable bunch, drifting between the brilliant and the anonymous. And if his form dips Liverpool have nobody else to pick up the rapier.

But for a last-second tackle by Babb on Cort in the first half, and a clearing header by Harkness from Earle after half-time, Liverpool might have found themselves toiling from behind, although there was never any sustained venom from the Dons as an attacking force.

Redknapp's two goals underlined his growing self-confidence. and a push for a place in the England squad this summer, although, on current club form, neither he nor Ince look a patch on Scholes and Butt.