Thrilling victory for five-star Liverpool

UEFA Cup holders Liverpool held off a determined fight-back from European champions Bayern Munich for a nail-biting 3-2 victory in the European Super Cup at the Stade Louis II on Friday.

Liverpool have now become the first English side to win five trophies in a calendar year -- all in the space of six months -- after lifting the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup last season plus the Charity Shield two weeks ago.

They raced into a 3-0 lead after 46 minutes, but had to fight to hang on to their advantage as Bayern scored twice and finished the stronger side.

Liverpool seemed set for a straightforward win after goals from John Arne Riise (23), Emile Heskey (45) and inspirational man of the match Michael Owen (46), but Bayern made a real game of it after that with Hasan Salihamidzic (57) and substitute Carsten Jancker (82) taking advantage of lapses in the Liverpool defence to score with headers.

Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn joined the Bayern attack as the Germans searched desperately for a late equaliser that would have taken the match into extra time, but Liverpool managed to hold firm.

It was the fifth year in succession that the European Champions had lost this match -- and the fourth since the game became a one-off curtain-raiser to the European season played in Monaco in August.

Although the trophy ranks as a minor one in real terms, the symbolic nature of the victory cannot be overlooked and completed a good week for Gerard Houllier's improving side.

Despite the close finish, Liverpool will take great heart from the victory after earlier this week securing a place in the Champions League for the first time.

Their England internationals like Heskey, Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard will no doubt have their confidence boosted before England's crunch World Cup qualifier against Germany in Munich on September 1.

HOULLIER'S PRIDE

Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier said: "It is almost six months to the day since we won our first trophy -- the League Cup in Cardiff on February 25 and this fifth trophy gives me as much joy and pride as that first one. We are improving all the time and I know that we are not yet perfect, but I am very proud of the players. It was a very important victory."

Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said afterwards: "Liverpool were the better team today and deserved to win after we defended very poorly to go 3-0 down. Defensively we were very poor and had no answer to Michael Owen who made all the difference.

"But after going 3-0 down we finished much more positively. We are good enough to score three goals ourselves but just could not manage it tonight."

RIISE SCORES

After weathering some early Bayern pressure, Liverpool took the lead against the run of play when their new summer signing, Norwegian midfielder Riise, scored his first goal for the club on his old Monaco home ground after 23 minutes.

Newly capped England midfielder Owen Hargreaves lost the ball in midfield and after a quick exchange of passes, Steven Gerrard played a superb volleyed ball over the top of the retreating Bayern defence into the path of Owen.

He outpaced the chasing defenders down the right wing and his low cross found Riise who steered the ball past Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn from close range.

That goal boosted Liverpool's confidence and with their Finnish skipper Sami Hyypia having a rock-solid game in the middle of the defence and Gerrard, Dietmar Hamann and Gary McAllister gradually gaining control in the middle, a second goal looked an increasing possibility.

It duly arrived just before halftime with Heskey creating the goal out of nothing. Collecting a short pass from Riise on the edge of the box, Heskey turned and out-sprinted Bayern defenders Thomas Linke and Pablo Thiam before firing past Kahn.

Owen virtually wrapped up the match just 14 seconds into the second half when he collected a long ball out of midfield on the left, beat the defence for pace again and fired a low left-footed shot wide of Kahn into the side of the net.

Owen, who will probably face Kahn again next week when England play Germany said afterwards: "He is an outstanding goalkeeper and very hard to beat. I tried to lob him in the first half and failed, so you must try and beat him low down. Whoever plays against him for England next week is going to have to finish very well to beat him."

Bayern pulled one back after 57 minutes when Salihamidzic headed home a Hargreaves corner and were right back in it when Jancker took advantage of a lapse in the Liverpool defence to send a looping header high over goalkeeper Sander Westerveld.

Owen added: "It is unbelievable that we have won five trophies this year, just a dream. But we are not finished yet. We believe we can win the premier league maybe this year, maybe next, and after beating the European champions tonight, the Champions League must be a target too."