Champions League qualification is in your hands, Houllier tells players

Liverpool 2 Middlesbrough 0

The Anfield men have now claimed pole position in the race for fourth spot by beating Middlesbrough 2-0.

Liverpool retained fourth and now find Aston Villa their closest rivals to claim the last Champions League berth.

Villa are now fifth, one point behind, and even if Newcastle win their game in hand they have an inferior goal difference to overcome.

Houllier saw Danny Murphy and Emile Heskey grab the crucial goals, and said: "I told the players 'it is yours to win now', win two more games and we are there.

"We have been fourth for a long time now and we will give every single last drop of blood and sweat to keep it."

Having won at Manchester United last weekend, Liverpool have found confidence and nerve just at the right moment.

Yesterday's win did come at a cost though with Houllier losing Stephane Henchoz with a groin injury and Vladimir Smicer with a knee problem. The Czech will have a scan today.

Houllier was delighted with Liverpool's approach to the game, knowing halfway through the match of Villa's win over Tottenham.

He said: "We have beaten a very good team in Boro, and that enhances our result.

Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren sent his good wishes to Brian Kidd after discussing the former Blackburn manager's health problem.

Kidd has undergone surgery on prostate cancer and his fitness for Euro 2004 - where he would be a member of Eriksson's backroom team is in doubt.

McClaren has been tipped as the man to return to the England fold should Kidd fail to recover in time.

He said: "I spoke with Sven before the game and he told me about Brian. Myself and everyone at our club wish Brian well and a speedy recovery.

"Sven will obviously give Brian every chance to recover. My involvement is hypothetical at the moment. We all wish him well and I am sure Sven is waiting to hear from him."

McClaren revealed he had discussed defender Ugo Ehiogu with Eriksson, with the Swede facing a defensive headache after injuries to Gareth Southgate and Jonathan Woodgate, as well as Rio Ferdinand's ban.

"He was asking about Ugo in fact and I thought he did himself no harm today," McClaren added.

Ehiogu could do little to prevent Boro falling behind to Murphy's penalty and McClaren said: "I thought it was very harsh, but when someone falls down in the box and a big cheer goes up, referees can be influenced. You are likely to have a penalty awarded against you.

"I felt we produced a good performance, apart from a five-minute spell when they scored their two goals.

"We came to win and the football in the first half was terrific, we certainly matched their intensity.

"Liverpool showed desire and I could not fault our attitude, it was just that our finishing did not match the rest of our play."

LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Henchoz (Heskey 45), Hyypia, Riise, Murphy, Hamann, Gerrard, Smicer (Finnan 45), Kewell, Owen.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Mills, Ehiogu, Riggott (Downing 64), Queudrue, Mendieta, Greening, Boateng, Zenden, Job (Ricketts 82), Maccarone (Nemeth 64).

Referee: A D'Urso (Essex).