Torres hat-trick inspires Reds

Boro were ahead early on through a Tuncay Sanli header, but Torres struck twice in two minutes to put Liverpool ahead at the break, becoming the first Anfield forward to hit 20 in a season for five years.

He bagged a third on the hour before Stewart Downing got Boro's second with seven minutes left but the visitors lost Jeremie Aliadiere soon after, red-carded after an incident with Javier Mascherano.

Tuncay opened the scoring after nine minutes as he got on the end of Stewart Downing's curling free-kick to head home.

But the Reds were level when Jose Reina's clearance on 28 minutes was back-headed by Julio Arca straight to the Torres and he raced away, went round Mark Schwarzer and then found the net with his right foot.

Sixty seconds later Torres struck again as Fabio Aurelio found the striker in midfield and the Spaniard lashed home a 25-yard shot.

Tuncay then thought he had equalised as he sent a Downing cross past Reina on 34 minutes but referee Lee Mason ruled the Boro man had used his arm and booked the forward.

Torres completed his hat-trick on 60 minutes after Dirk Kuyt's hard graft in defence saw him win the ball and launch a 50-yard angled ball towards the Spanish striker. When David Wheater and Mark Schwarzer hesitated, Torres took advantage to hook the ball home from the edge of the box into an empty net.

Middlesbrough got themselves a lifeline on 83 minutes when Downing got in behind Yossi Benayoun on the left to run on into the box before beating Reina from a sharp angle.

But three minutes later Aliadiere was sent off as he slapped Mascherano after an exchange between the pair on the touchline.