Gerrard goal brings unjust reward for Liverpool

Liverpool 2 Charlton Athletic 1

Just when it appeared Liverpool were doing their utmost to surrender any chance they had of gaining a Champions' League place next season, they woke up yesterday. With five minutes to go they were deservedly losing to Charlton, yet they somehow managed to pick the pockets of the visitors.

For 85 minutes they barely put a pass where it was supposed to go but, with the prospects of meeting Real Madrid, etc, next season receding into the realms of the unlikely, they plucked a win from the Londoners with goals from Sami Hyypia and Steven Gerrard – and suddenly they found themselves a point adrift of the fourth place they require.

Quite how was a mystery because this was arguably as badly as Liverpool have played all season. Charlton, now with one point from seven matches, more than matched Liverpool in midfield and were comfortably defending the lead they had acquired through Shaun Bartlett in the 47th minute. Then Hyypia arrived at the far post in the 86th minute to side-foot in John Arne Riise's corner and four minutes later Gerrard muscled his way past two defenders to drill a low shot across Dean Kiely and into the far corner.

"It was a big test for my nerves and my heart," Gérard Houllier, the Liverpool manager, who suffered a heart attack last year, said. "The surgeon, who was at the game, must have been pleased.

"In so many games here we have played well and got nothing but today we were lucky. In some ways this game was a reflection of our season. We made a mistake, went through a bad patch but we never gave up." Alan Curbishley, Houllier's Charlton counterpart, probably felt like giving up at the final whistle because his team had got nothing like what they deserved. "For the last couple of months what we have produced has been outrageous, particularly our performance against Leeds," he said, "but today we can hold our heads high. I learned something about my players today and I can now look forward to next season."

The first half was best summed up by a comment from a woman leaving the directors' box, who bemoaned the lack of a pillow. Liverpool, jaded by locking horns with Everton on Saturday, were lethargic and Charlton, whose confidence has been stripped by a spring of underachievement, could barely credit the space they were allowed. They could hardly believe their fortune, either, when Djimi Traoré's mistake delivered them a goal within two minutes of the start of the second half.

"It was an Easter gift," was how Houllier described it – and it was the French centre-back who had chosen the paper and tied the ribbons when he inexplicably failed to make an easy clearance and then contrived to fall over the ball.

Bartlett, suddenly, was bearing down on goal and although Jerzy Dudek managed to get part of his body to the shot, the ball hit the post and then rolled in. Traoré, a prone spectator, received treatment from the Liverpool physio, presumably for a severe injury to his dignity.

It appeared Charlton had done enough, but with the Londoners contemplating a rare win bonus, Liverpool staged their unexpected revival. The Champions' League next season? "I don't know," Houllier replied. "I'm like a sprinter near the end. I'm just focused on the final push. But we believe we can make it."

Liverpool (4-4-2): Dudek 5; Carragher 4, Hyypia 4, Traoré 4, Riise 4; Diouf 4 (Cheyrou 5, 73,), Gerrard 6, Hamann 5, Murphy 4 (Smicer 5, 73); Owen 6, Heskey 4 (Baros 5, h-t). Substitutes not used: Diao, Arphexad (gk).

Charlton Athletic (4-4-2): Kiely 6; Young 6, Rufus 7, Fortune 6, Powell 6; Kishishev 6, Parker 8 (Robinson, 83), Jensen 6, Konchesky 5; Lisbie 5, Bartlett 6 (Euell, 76). Substitutes not used: Bart-Williams, Johansson, Roberts (gk).

Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).