Reds secure vital advantage

Liverpool kept their season alive with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Inter Milan in the opening leg of their knockout Champions League tie at Anfield.

Former Everton defender Marco Materazzi was booked and then sent off for twice pulling back Fernando Torres inside 30 minutes - but the hosts initially failed to take advantage.

However, with six minutes to go Dirk Kuyt fired a right-foot volley past Julio Cesar - and then captain Steven Gerrard drilled a 20-yard strike in off the post to give Liverpool a huge advantage heading into the second leg at the San Siro in three weeks time.

The Reds made five changes from the side humbled by Barnsley in the FA Cup on Saturday, with all the big names - Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Jose Reina and Javier Mascherano - returning.

Liverpool could easily have had a penalty inside the opening two minutes when Jamie Carragher - playing his 99th European game - saw a shot hit the outstretched hand of Brazilian Maicon.

The angled running of Torres was stretching Inter at the back, and Materazzi's foul on the Spaniard after 30 minutes produced a second yellow followed by a red, to the horror of the big centre-back and delight of the Kop who reminded him of his Everton past all the way down the tunnel.

In the second period Inter had the Kop at their backs and faced a barrage of Liverpool pressure.

And it told when, with just six minutes left on the clock, Jermaine Pennant fired a cross back into a packed box and it flew on to Kuyt on the left, who saw his right-foot shot flick off Maicon and high past Cesar.

Then a minute from time Gerrard took possession on the far right corner of the area and fired the second home off the far post.