DJIMI TRAORE was a hero on the rain-lashed fields of Romania, leaving Liverpool with one foot in the UEFA Cup third round.
Traore broke his goal duck — on a night more suited to the feathered variety — at the 67th time of asking as Gerard Houllier’s men ground out the gutsiest of draws.
They have enjoyed some memorable balmy evenings on some of Europe’s biggest stages — but when it comes to earning a result with true grit, this was up there with the best of them.
Now all they must do is hold their nerve at Anfield in three weeks against a side yet to win away from home this season to move another step closer to a record fourth triumph in this competition.
Full-back Traore pounced midway through the first half with a wicked shot that Steaua keeper Vasiuli Hamutovski was never going to save on a surface like this.
Yes, Claudiu Raducanu did haul Steaua level on 69 minutes to give Houllier’s side an uncomfortable finale — but that added to their resolve not to end this first leg trailing.
Emile Heskey ran his socks off up front, Danny Murphy and Steven Gerrard marshalled the midfield like lions, while the entire back four coped superbly on a treacherous night.
And behind them all, keeper Jerzy Dudek provided stonewall resistance when Steaua did find a way in behind the defence.
Houllier voiced his concerns about the pitch before he even left England and there were very real fears that the incessant rain would see it postponed.
It was a surface that even the donkeys at Blackpool would have turned their noses up at, and the small army of yellow sou’westered groundsmen will rarely have worked as hard to earn their money.
And all that without even mentioning a set of opponents who currently sit proudly atop their domestic league table in their assault on a 22nd title.
Steaua may be a shadow of the side which lifted the European Cup 17 years ago and the subsequent heady days of Georgi Hagi but they still represented as tough opponents as Liverpool could expect.
Houllier’s men kicked off looking assured and just got better as the half went on, with Gerrard seemingly on a mission to cover every inch of the pitch.
El-Hadji Diouf’s pace was always going to pose problems on a slippery top and he had a crucial hand in Traore’s goal, after a marvellous ball from Murphy set him free on the right.
His cross was turned behind and, from Gerrard’s short corner, Traore cut inside, slipped and picked himself up to curl a fantastic low shot into the bottom corner.
Three minutes later the tie could have been all over.
Gerrard was again the provider with a wonderfully timed through ball for Harry Kewell.
He toed it wide of keeper Hamutovski but, although his shot was going in, Mirel Radoi slid back to clear.
But then suddenly, horribly, it nearly went so wrong for the Merseysiders.
Gerrard’s back-pass stopped dead in one of the many pools of water. Raducanu, the man who put paid to Southampton in the last round, was on it like a shot but Dudek stood firm to block his point-blank strike magnificently.
Steaua’s best effort before then came when Diouf earned a yellow card for upending Pompiliu Stoica and Marian Aliuta whipped a free-kick two yards over the bar.
But, as the half went on, Liverpool’s tireless running seemed to take its toll and Bucharest so nearly made the most of it.
First, Stoica’s rasping drive skidded off the surface too quickly for Raducanu at the far post.
Then Daniel Oprita found space with a neat turn but again Dudek showed smart reactions to get down quickly and smother the danger.
And, when Aliuta drove in an effort from fully 35 yards, the Liverpool keeper seemed to dive to his left almost in slow motion to save.
Traore was almost the unwitting provider at the wrong end, when his clearance struck Raducanu but fortunately spun a yard wide.
But it was not all backs to the wall stuff, as Riise sent a header fizzing wide and then followed up with a low shot that Hamutovski blocked.
Yet just as Liverpool seemed to be in control, Steaua conjured up a leveller as the pitch finally played its part.
Substitute Adrian Pitu’s through-ball beat three sliding defenders and this time Raducanu made no mistake.
Seven minutes later it was within an ace of being even worse but Dudek strained every sinew to fingertip Dorel Mutica’s scorching volley on to the crossbar.
Liverpool were clinging on now as the conditions got worse, if that was possible. And when Dumitru turned Traore and found Adrian Neaga, the Steaua substitute somehow headed over from six yards.
Defeat then would have been cruelty as extreme as the conditions.
Liverpool have produced more emphatic displays — but rarely have they delivered one quite as gutsy.
DREAM TEAM STAR MAN
JERZY DUDEK (Liverpool). Biggest hero on a night of red-shirted heroes.
SUN RATINGS
LIVERPOOL: Dudek 8, Finnan 7, Hyypia 7, Biscan 7, Traore 7, Diouf 6 (Le Tallec 6), Murphy 7, Gerrard 7, Riise 6, Kewell 7, Heskey 7. Subs not used: Kirkland, Henchoz, Smicer, Hamann, Diao, Sinama-Pongolle. Booked: Diouf, Murphy.
... and .. well that just would be down right nutty... :mrgreen:
