Football: The legend of Anfield laid to rest

IAN MARSHALL saw enough teams come to Liverpool and freeze when he stood on the Anfield terraces as a child to know all about the ground's famous fear factor. Now the Leicester striker believes the Reds' fall from grace is so marked that opponents treat games at the home of the four-time European Cup winners as just another match.

Marshall's last-minute winner on Wednesday night drove a stake into the heart of all associated with Liverpool, the former Everton star adding insult to the injury inflicted by Manchester United's victory in Turin. Gerard Houllier's side are on course for an ignominious end to the season, with defeat to Leicester coming just four days after Aston Villa triumphed at Anfield.

Although Marshall can see light at the end of the tunnel for Liverpool, he said the days when sides such as the Foxes would quake at the thought of facing Liverpool are consigned to the distant past.

"Three or four years ago we would have gone there, got pressed back, not got a kick - and 2-0 or 3-0 might have been on the cards," he said. "I don't think they're as good now as they were then. I've been in the game a long time, and 10 years ago we would have been frightened; I think it might have been 4-0 or 5-0. It was very, very difficult to go to Anfield.

"It's not the fortress of old. I think now people think about going to Manchester United as being the most difficult place - 10 years ago it was Liverpool.I used to go there as a kid many years ago, and there was a tremendous roar. It was a bit muted last night. We were confident and geed up before the kick-off, especially with Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler out, and we thought we would get something out of the game."

Houllier faces a busy summer wheeling and dealing, trying to offload dead wood while persuading top-drawer players that a successful future awaits them at Anfield. Liverpool's French manager does not even have the carrot of European football to dangle in front of the world's best, but Marshall is confident the Reds will be at the forefront of the game again soon.

"I don't know what they're going to do at the end of the season - it's not for me to say - but they'll have to rebuild," said the 33-year-old. I think they're going to try and get as many points this season and finish on a high note. They've always been a good passing team and they can spray it about. With two main strikers out they won't score many goals because they're two world-class players - and being without one of them is bad for them. But Liverpool are a big club and they have to be battling to compete with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. I can see them doing it. They have the financial clout to back it. They've got some great players. Some things haven't worked out for them, but I can definitely see things picking up."

Marshall's team-mate Pontus Kaamark is also upbeat about Liverpool's prospects despite being part of the second Foxes team in two seasons to win at Anfield. Kaamark was impressive alongside the captain, Matt Elliott, at the heart of a Leicester defence which kept their opponents under a tight rein. The Swede said: "We were lucky to survive the first 15 minutes because they hammered us and had lots of chances. But the more the game went we had more control, even if they still created chances.

"It seems they have low confidence. I've been in that situation myself in Sweden with IFK Gothenburg, who were the champions. It's not easy to be up there all the time - you get a few injuries; you get a few losses, and there's so much pressure on them. There are so many expectations, and they have good players. All they can do is try to grind on and hopefully they can get a break."