By JOHN EDWARDS

The warning from Jamie Carragher to his Liverpool team-mates was every bit as uncompromising as one of his crunching tackles.

After ‘winning ugly’ at Sunderland last week, as Rafa Benitez put it, Liverpool were heading for a defeat that would have been just as unsightly until Carragher and Steven Gerrard hauled them over the line with goals in the last five minutes.

There was nothing pretty about Liverpool’s laboured efforts to find a way through a well-drilled Middlesbrough defence, and the consequences of a repeat performance against Standard Liege on Wednesday were spelled out by Carragher.

Jamie Carragher says his side must improve ahead of Wednesday's vital Champions League qualifier against Standard Liege

Fortunate to be on level terms going into the return leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie, Carragher admitted Liverpool had to break free of recent lethargy to avoid crashing out before the proper competition has begun.

‘We just haven’t clicked yet,’ he said.

‘And if we perform as we have over the past few weeks, it is going to be extremely difficult to beat Standard Liege.

'We will improve, I’m sure of that.

'We have too many good players to keep performing like this but it’s got to start on Wednesday.

‘What happened at the end is something we’ve done so many times at Anfield, particularly kicking towards the Kop.

'Something breaks for you in the last 10 minutes, and they are sucking a goal in.

'Liverpool have been doing that dating back to the Bill Shankly days.’

Gerrard was ‘tired’, according to Benitez, after missing a chunk of pre-season with a groin injury, but it was not apparent from the way he kept driving his team on and left Middlesbrough crest-fallen in injury time.

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard secured his side's second win in two Premier League games with an injury time winner over Boro

Luck may have played its part in Liverpool’s equaliser, as Carragher’s drive deflected off Emanuel Pogatetz and left Ross Turnbull wrong-footed, but not in the goal that settled it.

Middlesbrough’s defence failed to clear a fierce cross from Xabi Alonso, and Gerrard was on to it in a flash to smash in a volley.

Carragher had to be equally influential at the other end to prevent Mido silencing Anfield for a second time in the 88th minute, after the striker had beaten Pepe Reina with a crisp strike 18 minutes earlier.

It was typical of the way Middlesbrough, with David Wheater a commanding figure at the back, combined defensive discipline with attacking enterprise, and manager Gareth Southgate took heart from it, even if his players struggled to.

‘They are heartbroken, really incredibly down, and you can't blame them after putting so much into it,’ he said.

Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina 6; Arbeloa 6 (El Zhar 83min), Carragher 7, Skrtel 7, Dossena 6 (Aurelio 75, 6); Kuyt 6, Alonso 5, Gerrard 7, Benayoun 6 (Babel 65, 6);
Keane 5, Torres 6. Booked: Keane.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): Turnbull 7; Wheater 8, Huth 7, Pogatetz 7, Taylor 7 (Hoyte 75, 6); Aliadiere 7, O'Neil 7, Shawky 7, Downing 7; Tuncay 7 (Digard 86), Afonso 6 (Mido 60, 7). Booked: Mido.

Man of the match: David Wheater.

Referee: Mike Riley.