Publications
Partners
England - Steven Gerrard's disputed penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time salvaged a 1-1 draw for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Maxi Rodriguez's 37th-minute goal looked to have secured the Spanish side's early progression to the knockout phase until the late drama at Anfield.
Gerrard was fouled by Mariano Pernia as they vied for the ball and referee Martin Hansson was told by his assistant to award the penalty, which the captain coolly struck into the top right corner.
"I'm not sure it was a penalty," Gerrard said. "I got there first and I think if that is outside the area you get a free kick. If it happened at the other end we would be livid. That's football. It's a point and we move on."
Atletico coach Javier Aguirre said he was too far from the incident to see it.
"That's how things change in one minute of football," Aguirre said through a translator. "We were in the last 16 and Marseille had beaten PSV and then we concede a penalty and it is snatched away, but we just have to keep on fighting."
With two rounds remaining, Liverpool and Atletico are tied on eight points atop Group D, while PSV and Marseille are on three points.
"I was still very happy with the team effort and the way we worked as a group, maybe we did not get the win we deserved," Aguirre said. "But one point will help us, we have regained great self-esteem, we are recovering from damaging defeats in our league, and this was still an excellent performance.
"We still believe we can top the group, we still need points to qualify with one home and one away game."
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina had little to do until a quick counterattack was completed by Antonio Lopez cutting the ball back to Maxi.
The Argentina midfielder took it past Jamie Carragher with his left foot and switched feet to blast the ball past Reina.
For most of the chilly night, though, the Spanish club had to repel Liverpool's total domination.
Thankfully for them, it was starved of clinical finishing without Fernando Torres, who told manager Rafa Benitez that he couldn't play against his former side because he lacked confidence while recovering from a hamstring injury.
Torres also missed the 1-1 draw in Madrid two weeks ago, and watched in frustration from the stands as his teammates couldn't find the target.
Robbie Keane had the best chances in the first half but looked uncomfortable spearheading the attack without Torres in support, and was taken off after 71 minutes.
Bringing down Xabi Alonso's deep pass on the chest, Keane volleyed wide in the 15th while sections of the crowd erupted in premature celebrations.
In the 33rd, Keane raced toward goal and rounded Franco, but the goalkeeper recovered to prevent him finding the net.
Defender Daniel Agger also had chances for an equalizer, but headed over from Fabio Aurelio's inswinging free kick and then sliced the ball at Franco from point-blank range seven minutes later. The Dane also headed wide with seven minutes remaining.
Carragher was also denied by Franco's two-handed save and Gerrard saw Kuyt head his low cross over in the frantic final moments as Liverpool searched for a leveler.
"It is important because we have got a point," Gerrard said. "Good teams don't usually lose two in a row and we showed a lot of character."
Liverpool surrendered top spot in the English Premier League on Saturday when it conceded a 90th-minute goal at Tottenham, which won 2-1.
