Owen strikes to keep Liverpool afloat

Liverpool 1 Boavista 1

Michael Owen maintained a remarkable record of scoring on his debut in every competition as the Champions' League finally came to Anfield last night, but the England striker's ninth goal of the season for club and country could earn Liverpool no more than a point in their opening Group B fixture.

Boavista, the Portuguese champions and leaders, had seized a third-minute lead through one of their Brazilians, Silva. Given that five previous visitors from their country were all vanquished by Liverpool, their prospects looked bleak when Owen equalised with two-thirds of the match still remaining. However, they defended with such resolve, robustness and no little gamesmanship that a draw was just about right.

The draught-board shirts of Jaime Pacheco's side were perhaps a pointer to a greater emphasis on strategy and cunning than Liverpool became accustomed to on their way to winning the Uefa Cup, which is a two-leg, knock-out affair. With five games to come, starting when Owen and his fellow England players return to Germany to take on Borussia Dortmund next Wednesday, there is still all to play for, especially with Dynamo Kiev and Dortmund also ending all-square.

Both managers, Gérard Houllier and Pacheco, praised the "character" of their players, though they disagreed fundamentally about who was responsible for the occasional flashpoints. The Greek referee finished with seven Boavista names in his notebook, as opposed to only one from Liverpool, Gregory Vignal, but Pacheco was adamant that the balance of blame lay with the home side.

"I came here to play football, not rugby," he said. "My players are less well endowed, athletically, but my players were savaged by Liverpool, who were also favoured by the referee. But we showed a lot of character in this legendary stadium. When I was asked beforehand whether I'd be happy with a point, I said yes. Having seen our performance, I think we deserved more. My team applied my tactics rigorously."

Houllier merely expressed "surprise" at the number of times Boavista's players went to ground, preferring to focus on the way his own team had responded in the face of fresh adversity. "We started in the worst possible way for a side coming off the back of two defeats," he said. "It looks as if we need more games before our defence regains the levels of last season. But I do believe in the players."

It was, the Frenchman argued, "a good result", adding: "People will consider it two points lost, but it's a league. We won't know if that's true for some time yet."

If Houllier really did feel satisfied by the scoreline, his main disappointment must have been the surprisingly small gathering of 30,015. The match was admittedly shown live on an obscure digital channel, but maybe the truth is that Liverpool supporters have lost the European habit since the days when the giant trophy regularly rested at Anfield.

Despite their reduced numbers, the minute's silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States was followed by a roar which had been welling up for 16 years, since Panathinaikos arrived for the semi-final that led Liverpool to Heysel.

Houllier brought back Owen as well as Danny Murphy and Vignal, the 20-year-old enjoying a good game at left-back. Boavista had nine Brazilians in their 17 and it took only 127 seconds for one of them to pounce.

A free-kick swung deep into the home penalty area by Frechaut saw Silva nod the ball on to Alexandre Goulart, who headed back to him. Six yards out, and unmarked, the striker had time and space to find the roof of the net, with no blame attached to the dismayed Jerzy Dudek.

The Pole's agility spared Liverpool further embarrassment in the 21st minute, when he dived to touch behind Alexandre Goulart's diving header. But eight minutes later, Gerrard's measured through-pass sprung Boavista's offside trap, picking out Owen's perfectly timed run.

With the assurance of an instinctive finisher, Owen did not try to take the ball round Ricardo, instead curling it around him in an exquisite arc from just inside the 18-yard box.

The exchanges instantly became more physical, but Gary McAllister rose above it all. One clever long ball almost released Gerrard through the centre, while the Scot materialised on half-time for a 20-yard drive which Boavista were thankful to see deflected behind.

The unease with which Liverpool had started increasingly gave way to a more positive approach. Dudek was often a spectator, although Dietmar Hamann's tendency to concede possession led to a counter-attack and a Duda shot which flashed across the six-yard area 10 minutes into the second half.

The fallibility of both defences ensured an entertaining contest, if not one of the highest quality. The crowd called for Robbie Fowler, whose ability to pull wide might have unhinged a Boavista back line who were relatively comfortable with Emile Heskey, but Houllier resisted.

A marvellous pass by Gerrard midway through the second half picked out a run by McAllister, but for once his touch betrayed him, leaving Liverpool to reflect on how they might better feed Owen's scoring habit in Dortmund next week.

Liverpool (4-4-2): Dudek; Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Vignal; Murphy (Riise, 71), Hamann, Gerrard, McAllister; Owen, Heskey. Substitutes not used: Arphexad (gk), Fowler, Redknapp, Barmby, Biscan, Litmanen.

Boavista (4-3-3): Ricardo; Frechaut, Paulo Turra, Pedro Emanuel, Erivan; Petit, Glauber, Sanchez (Pedro Santos, 59); Duda (Masingwa, 84), Alexandre Goulat, Silva (Serginho, 79). Substitutes not used: Andem (gk), Serginho, Marcio Santos, Mario Loja, Gouveia.

Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).