Late goals secure Liverpool win

By Zoran Milosavljevic

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Late goals gave Liverpool a 2-0 home win over 10-man Inter Milan while Roma came from behind to beat Real Madrid 2-1 as the Champions League resumed after its nine-week winter break on Tuesday.

In the night's other last 16 first-leg matches, Germany's Schalke beat 2004 winners Porto 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen while Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at Greek champions Olympiakos Piraeus in Athens.

Needing a win to bounce back from Saturday's shock 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Championship (second division) Barnsley, Liverpool pinned back Inter from the start and got the result they wanted thanks to strikes from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard.

Inter's packed defence held out in the first half after having Marco Materazzi sent off in the 30th minute for two yellow cards, but the Serie A leaders cracked in the closing stages after relentless pressure from the 2005 winners.

Inter coach Roberto Mancini acknowledged Materazzi's dismissal for two fouls on Liverpool striker Fernando Torres had put paid to his team's hopes of getting a better result ahead of the return leg at the San Siro.

"With 10 it's very hard," he told Sky Sport. "The players made the most of it on the field and unfortunately the last five minutes were fatal," he said.

Torres twice came close and Liverpool had a strong penalty claim waved away before Dutchman Kuyt finally broke the deadlock in the 85th minute with a downward volley that bounced wickedly over the outstretched arms of keeper Julio Cesar.

Gerrard delighted the Anfield faithful in the final minute of regular time when he drilled in a crisp low shot from 25 metres that beat Cesar all the way at the far post.