Wanderers have often come up against more talented teams but rarely do they meet opponents who can match them for character.

But Liverpool showed the most admirable of qualities as Emile Heskey's dramatic late strike made up for last season's smash and grab Reebok defeat.

For 30 glorious seconds it looked as though Ivan Campo had created history by making it four successive 2-2 draws for the Anfield Reds. Steven Gerrard and Co would have been forgiven for searching their souls and wondering just what they had to do to win a game.

But they did not have time for such a pointless exercise. Instead they summoned up one last effort, striking swiftly and decisively at the heart of the Wanderers' defence to inflict the defeat Sam Allardyce feared was always on the cards after the energy-sapping efforts his team had put in to win at Old Trafford three days earlier.

That Wanderers managed to take Liverpool to the wire, coming from behind twice to put themselves in touching distance of another precious Premiership point, says a lot for the physical and mental strengths of the players the Reebok boss has every reason to be proud of. Not for him the luxury of being able to rest three of his players from their midweek exertions - as Gerard Houllier was able to do - and the strains were clear for all to see. Michael Ricketts and Paul Warhurst did not make it, both sidelined with injuries sustained in the triumph over United, and Anthony Barness lasted just half an hour before his body told him it had had enough. Add to that the loss of Mike Whitlow at half time when he was still suffering the effects of an early collision with Danny Murphy and Wanderers really did not have a lot going for them.

"There was no point in me giving a team talk at half time," Allardyce revealed, "because there were too many players in the treatment room having to have this stretched off and that stretched off, that rubbed and this rubbed ... "

The defeat added more data to the statistics supporting his belief that his limited squad is at a distinct disadvantage compared with the elite clubs when it comes to playing two games in a week. Last season, apart from that exceptional first week, Wanderers were never able to follow up a Saturday victory with a positive midweek result yet when they were rested after weekends off, they turned in some of their best performances.

Yet the manager's theory was almost shot to pieces by players who dug deep into their energy banks, ignored the fatigue and drew on every ounce of their famous never-say-die spirit to match Liverpool in a fashion few could have envisaged.

By the time the charismatic Campo crowned his home debut by heading the second equaliser with just three minutes left on the clock, they were patched up, clearly battle weary and with two rookies - 17-year-old Danny Livesey and 19-year-old Jonathan Walters - mixing it with the likes of Heskey and Hyypia. They had twice trailed to super strikes by Liverpool's Czech wonder-kid Milan Baros and Ricardo Gardner's superbly-taken first equaliser looked like being nothing more than a consolation.

All it needed from then on was to sit tight, defend solidly and play the game out. No-one seriously expected them to win this one - apart from the players themselves who, as they had done at Old Trafford, boldly took the game to Liverpool from the start.

But within seconds of revelling in the glory at one end and with Allardyce rushing to get the shut-up-shop message through to his team, Campo was in despair at the other after being given the slip by the powerful Heskey.

"I'm not so sure it was all his fault," the manager said, analysing the errors that cost Wanderers a point they genuinely felt they deserved. "It was an accumulation of errors: one, we could have cleared it before with Per (Frandsen); two, we might have got a bit closer before the pass went in; three, Ivan might have got on the other side of Heskey a little bit sooner before he made the run; and four, I think the keeper came haring out like a raging bull instead of staying on his line and making himself big, which he did in the first half on two occasions.

"But that's being super critical."

Such is the task of management because, for all his pride in seeing his team put Liverpool on the back foot for the first half-hour then having the mental strength to respond to two shattering blows, Allardyce knows this was a valuable point gone begging. His concern was evident when he remarked: "As good a game as it was and as great as my players played, we should have got something out of it.

"I wouldn't like to be looking back later in the year at this being one of those if onlies!"

It should not get to that stage if Wanderers can perform as well as they have in their last three games - keeping clean sheets to record single goal victories over Aston Villa and Manchester United and giving Liverpool such a close run for their money.

They would have been in front if their finishing had matched their early endeavours in which Gardner, warming to the season now after a couple of poor performances at the start, was prominent. He missed the game's first chance then set up opportunities Youri Djorkaeff and Dean Holdsworth squandered and before Liverpool could muster their first worthwhile attack Frandsen had the unfortunate experience to see a thundering drive blocked by a combination of Kevin Nolan and Jerzy Dudek.

But in Baros, Houllier has an exceptional talent - good enough to allow the Liverpool boss to rest Michael Owen - and a player who is not easily deterred. The 20-year-old could not believe his luck when he was clean through and struck the post or later when he missed the target by a country mile after the ball cannoned into his path in a crowded area. Yet he had the skill and the composure to sidestep Simon Charlton and smash an unstoppable shot past Jaaskelainen, who had previously pulled off an excellent save to deny Bruno Cheyrou.

Liverpool were looking good but Wanderers forced their way back into it when Holdsworth, brave as a lion, ignored a double mid-air challenge to nod the ball on for Gardner to get his reward with his first goal of the season.

So bitterly disappointing since they had shown such determination to come back a second time after Baros had shown terrific anticipation to race onto Gerrard's cross and volley Liverpool ahead again in the 72nd minute.

Campo, a half-time substitute for Whitlow, had a look of Mark Fish about him as he delighted the fans with his flamboyant style and showed, not for the first time, that he will be a threat in the opposition box when he met Nolan's cross at the far post for the goal everyone, apart from the Liverpool players, believed had given Wanderers a share of the spoils.

KICK BY KICK

12 mins: Gardner's shot swerves wide after a well-worked free-kick from Djorkaeff.

15 mins: The roles are reversed as Djorjkaeff miscues an awkward volley, teed up by Gardner's surging break.

30 mins: Livesey makes his senior debut, replacing the injured Barness.

35 mins: Heskey ignores offside appeals, muscles past Livesey and fires into the side-netting with colleagues better placed.

37 mins: Holdsworth squanders a golden opportunity with a complete misskick after being teed up by Gardner who has Liverpool backpedalling with a surging run down the left.

39 mins: Offside appeals are waved away as Baros races clean through but Wanderers get lucky as the Czech hits the post with only Jaaskelainen to beat.

43 mins: Wanderers get another let-off as Baros skies his shot high and wide after a lucky ricochet from a corner.

GOAL!

45 mins: Two minutes into overtime Baros sidesteps Charlton and lashes in a fierce right-footer that gives Jaaskelainen no chance.

Half-time: Wanderers 0 Liverpool 1

GOAL!

54 mins: Holdsworth gets in a brave header under pressure to send Gardner into the area where, still with plenty to do and a challenge on its way, the Reggae Boy pokes a low shot past Dudek.

64 mins: Holdsworth scraps to win a corner which Djorkaeff takes and Campo meets with a powerful downward header that bounces wide.

GOAL!

72 mins: Baros darts in to volley home Gerrard's cross which Campo just fails to cut out.

GOAL!

87 mins: Nolan takes a return pass from Charlton and his cross beats everyone to reach Campo, who smashes a shot past Dudek from close range.

GOAL!

88 mins: Wanderers are caught on the hop as Liverpool attack from the kick off and Heskey cashes in.

Full-time: Wanderers 2 Liverpool 3

EQUALISER: Ricardo Gardner scores Wanderers' first goal