Westerveld testing Houllier faith

Sander Westerveld hit back at his detractors yesterday and insisted his confidence had emerged unscathed from the barrage of criticism that has followed him all season.

Just when the Liverpool goalkeeper believed he had finally won over the sceptics with successive clean sheets against Manchester United and Arsenal, he was forced to carry the burden of responsibility once more following another damaging setback to Gerard Houllier's hopes of challenging for a Champions League place.

Liverpool were being touted for the title, let alone a top-three finish, but found themselves haunted by their old inadequacies yet again at Middlesbrough on Boxing Day when Westerveld failed to hold on to a routine shot and spilled it into the path of Christian Karembeu.

Middlesbrough's 1- 0 win revived previous misgivings about Liverpool's ability to find the consistency needed to survive at the top and raised fresh doubts about Westerveld's claims to a position that has troubled Houllier since he took over at Anfield.

The Liverpool manager quickly lost faith in David James, selling him to Aston Villa 18 months ago, and is beginning to despair of Westerveld sustaining the sort of form that persuaded him to pay Vitesse Arnhem £4million.

With summer signing Pegguy Arphexad doing little to suggest he can dislodge the Holland goalkeeper, Houllier is looking to the transfer market for a possible solution, with Bradford's Matt Clarke and Wigan's Northern Ireland international Roy Carroll both under review.