Perrin looks to bounce back in derby

Liverpool finally broke their duck at Portsmouth with two goals made in Spain but Pompey’s new French boss Alain Perrin told his team: “You have shown yourselves you can play against semi-finalists in the Champions League. Now it is time to play for the fans.”

Perrin was referring, of course, to the next home date with local rivals Southampton at Fratton Park at noon on Sunday. It will be a grudge match in most eyes – with Harry Redknapp the central figure.

But Perrin insists: “We must give our fans the pleasure they expect and that will come from three points. We know now the quality and fighting spirit is there and now we must focus everything on Sunday’s game.”

Liverpool lost both their previous visits to Fratton Park – in the Barclays Premiership and an FA Cup replay – but had plenty of goalscoring chances in this one.

In the end they had to settle for Fernando Morientes’ fourth-minute strike and Luis Garcia’s header in first-half injury-time – which turned out to be the winner after Diomansy Kamara’s equaliser.

But how John Arne Riise did not complete a treble and how Milan Baros and Morientes missed at least two more apiece will long remain a mystery.