Lucas longs for better days

For the way things are going right now, the likeable Aussie must feel as though he has invoked the curse of a disgruntled gypsy as he lurches from one controversial incident to another.

Neill's personal tale of woe began at the Reebok Stadium three weeks ago. Two minutes into a frenetic local derby with Bolton, he was harshly adjudged to have upended Jay-Jay Okocha in the penalty area, prompting referee Andy D'Urso to point to the spot.

Then at Chelsea a fortnight ago, a similar fate befell him when Geremi's cross from point-blank range struck him on the arm. 'Penalty!' said referee Mike Dean, and three points suddenly turned into one.

But just when he thought it was impossible for things to get any worse, they promptly did as a momentary rush of blood resulted in yet more vital points slipping through Rovers' fingers.

Neill's 13th-minute sending-off for a crude challenge on Jamie Carragher was the defining moment in a game packed with incident and drama.

Crucially, however, Rovers boss Graeme Souness chose not to point an accusing finger in the direction of the match officials on this occasion as he opened an inquest into his side's second successive home defeat.

Carragher was attempting to make a routine clearance by the corner flag when Neill suddenly launched himself into a full-blooded challenge.

There was no malice on the Aussie's part, it was a genuine attempt to win possession. But such tackles require split-second timing and TV replays later confirmed that Neill had got his horribly wrong.

Not only was it late, it was also high and reckless, leaving referee Neale Barry with no option but to reach for his top pocket as Carragher disappeared down the tunnel with what later transpired to be a broken leg.

From that point on, Rovers were always fighting a losing battle as Liverpool, and Michael Owen, capitalised on their numerical advantage to wrap up a second successive away victory.

"The sending off changed the game dramatically and it would have been very different if we'd managed to keep all 11 on the pitch," said a bitterly disappointed Graeme Souness.

"We were on the front foot, we had got our goal, then they equalised within a minute or so and shortly after that we then found ourselves down to 10 men.

"From then on it was backs to the wall but, to be fair to them, they used their spare man very well and deserved to win it in the end."

Whatever your view of the sending-off, there was no doubt it wrecked a game which had previously shown all the makings of a classic.

How Rovers debutant Barry Ferguson must have hankered for the relative serenity of an Old Firm derby as the action kicked off all around him in a quite explosive opening quarter of an hour.

Two goals, two players carried off, a penalty, and a sending off in the opening 15 minutes of your first game in English football is some welcome to the Premiership.

Not surprisingly, the Scotland international struggled to impose himself on proceedings after that as Rovers' pre-match game-plan was reduced to tatters.

From then on, it became an exercise in fire-fighting and but for the brilliant Brad Friedel, Rovers might have been engulfed by the flames.

Three times Michael Owen went through one-on-one only to be denied on each occasion by the United States number one, back to his best after his recent blip against Manchester City.

But ultimately Friedel's heroics were all in vain as the visitors finally cracked Rovers' brave resistance.

Now Souness must find a way of picking his players up quickly. At the moment, the whole isn't adding up to the sum of the parts.

But there's more than enough quality in this squad to suggest we can look forward to better times ahead.

Things had started badly for Liverpool. Milan Baros sank to the floor in agony after just two minutes following an innocuous tackle from Markus Babbel and it immediately became clear he had done something serious.

After lengthy treatment, he was stretchered off with what later emerged to be a broken ankle.

As the Reds regrouped, Rovers drew first blood courtesy of a quite magnificent eighth minute strike from Matt Jansen.

Andy Cole flicked on Vratislav Gresko's searching pass and Jansen brilliantly outfoxed Carragher before juggling the ball onto his left foot and slamming a shot past Jerzy Dudek from the edge of the box.

That should have given Rovers the platform they needed but within four minutes parity was restored.

Gresko tripped El Hadji Diouf as he wriggled into the box and Barry correctly pointed to the spot from where Owen dispatched Liverpool's equaliser.

The pendulum then swung firmly in the visitors' favour when Neill received his marching orders barely 60 seconds later.

From that moment on, it was all Liverpool and they should have gone in a goal to the good at the interval but Friedel performed miracles in denying both Owen and Steven Gerrard.

There was no let-up in the action after the break. Garry Flitcroft dragged a shot just wide of the post then it was Rovers' turn to survive a couple of scares as first Owen and then Emile Heskey missed golden chances from close range.

However, the visitors' pressure finally paid off in the 68th minute when Vladimir Smicer robbed Babbel in the area and teed up Owen for his second of the game.

Dino Baggio, on as a sub for David Thompson, should have snatched an equaliser on his debut but blazed his shot wildly into the Blackburn End and with that disappeared any hopes of a point.

In the closing stages, more Friedel heroics denied Owen a hat-trick as he breached a tired-looking Rovers defence twice in quick succession.

But he was powerless to prevent Harry Kewell from making it 3-1 in the last minute with a low drive into the far corner.

ROVERS 1

Jansen 8

LIVERPOOL 3

Owen 12 (p), 68, Kewell 90

Ewood Park Att: 30,074