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By JOE BERNSTEIN
Leading by example: Not for the first time, Steven Gerrard (left) came to Liverpool's rescueJust as the vultures were getting ready to circle manager Roy Hodgson, Steven Gerrard and referee Stuart Attwell came to his rescue.
This was a game that Liverpool simply could not afford to lose after their midweek humiliation against Northampton - and Anfield's Captain Fantastic duly bought his manager more time.
Hodgson also had some good fortune to thank as accident-prone referee Attwell helped his side on their way after only five minutes.
The official allowed Dirk Kuyt's goal to stand after Fernando Torres had provoked fury among the Sunderland ranks by intercepting the ball when they thought it was dead at a free-kick.
Michael Turner had rolled the ball back towards Sunderland's goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, where he thought the free-kick needed to be taken, but it didn't reach and Torres pounced.
'For me, it's unjust, it's unsportsmanlike,' said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce. 'Everybody in the ground, including most of the Liverpool team, knew that Michael Turner didn't take the freekick. If Turner had kicked it forward, the referee would have whistled and rightly said the kick was 25 yards back where the alleged offence happened.
Kop that!: Sunderland's Darren Bent celebrates scoring from the penalty spot with teammate Jordan Henderson (right)'I looked at the referee and he went three or four times to his whistle. He just got it wrong.'
Hodgson cared little and praised his players for their quick-thinking. After all, it almost sparked a much-needed Liverpool victory and the damage it did to Attwell's low credibility, as the official relied on his assistant, is certainly not the struggling manager's concern.
It said a lot for Sunderland's character that they recovered from the early setback to turn the match on its head with two Darren Bent goals, although Hodgson himself complained about the first from the penalty spot.
In the end, Sunderland just about escaped back to the North-east with a point, no matter how vehement and bitter their contesting of that Liverpool opening goal.
Gerrard was the reason for the draw as he stepped forward to save his team once again.
Red peril: Joe Cole (right) takes a tumble after a heavy challenge from Sunderland's Lee CattermoleLiverpool's talisman was mysteriously employed just in front of the defence for the first hour and the team struggled, but he did his superhero bit to perfection nonetheless
Gerrard finally threw off his defensive shackles and levelled with a 64th-minute header that at least guarantees his club will be spared the embarrassment of sitting in the bottom three this weekend. Hodgson is lucky to have him.
The England midfielder's goal - his third in two games following a double at Old Trafford last weekend - nearly created the spark for something even more spectacular, with Liverpool laying siege to the Sunderland goal during six frenetic minutes of injury time.The Kop found its voice for the first time as Daniel Agger twice missed from close range and Joe Cole had his shot brilliantly blocked.
'It wasn't the result we wanted but in many ways it was the performance we wanted,' said Hodgson, who at least stayed dry after being drenched in a virtual monsoon as his side lost dismally to League Two opposition in the Carling Cup on Wednesday
'This was a totally different team to the Northampton game but that was a disappointing night for the club and it was nice to react well to that disappointment.
'If we'd won, we would have moved up the table to fourth or fifth but I admit we're not playing like a team in the top five. 'We've been thrown in at the deep end together and have to learn to play as a team. It's the old adage that Rome wasn't built in a day.'
Liverpool were not to be denied on a day when tensions ran high and 2,000 home fans stayed in their seats for 30 minutes after the final whistle to stage a peaceful protest against the club's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
How's that for opener's?: Dirk Kuyt celebrates after scoring Liverpool's firstThey still lie 15th with one win in six games and could even fall to 17th after Stoke and Wolves play today.
Slip any lower than that and the fans' protests might soon be aimed at Hodgson as well as the beleaguered owners.
source: dailymail
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