Morphy v The ...e6 Sicilian (part four)

Paul Morphy - Louis Paulsen
First American Chess Congress
Final - Game 7
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qb6 6.Nc3
Morphy preferred 6.Nb5!? in his previous game as White.
6...Qxb2?
This loses, rather than gains, material.
Overwhelmingly more popular today is 6...Nc6, which seems to have been the invariable choice of Michael Basman, who played this line a lot in the 1970s.
7.Ndb5 Bxe3
Even worse is 7...Na6? 8.Bxc5 Nxc5 9.Rb1.
8.Rb1
Black loses his queen.
8...Qxb1 9.Nxb1 Bf4 10.g3 a6
If Black's dark-square bishop is driven from the b8-h2 diagonal, Nc7+ is curtains.
11.gxf4 axb5 12.Nc3 Ne7
Or 12...b4 13.Nb5, eg 13...Na6 14.Nd6+ Ke7 15.Bxa6 bxa6 16.Qd4.
13.Nxb5 0-0 14.Nd6 Nbc6
14....Rxa2 restores an approximate material equality, at least in the view of those authorities who reckon rook, knight and pawn are worth a queen, but White is much better. One line given by Stockfish10 runs 15.f5 b6 16.Rg1 Ba6 17.f6 Ng6 18.fxg7 Kxg7 19.h4 Bxf1 20.Kxf1 h5 21.f4, and if 21...f5, to stop 22.f5, then 22.Rg5 is very strong.
15.Rg1 Rxa2 16.f5 f6 17.Bc4 Ra4 18.f4 b6 19.fxe6 dxe6 20.Nxc8 Nxc8 21.Bxe6+ Kh8 22.Bxc8?
This gives away much of White's advantage. A strange lapse by Morphy, especially when White had several strong moves, including 22.Qg4 and 22.Bd5.
22...Rxc8!?
More obvious is 22...Rxe4+ 23.Kf2 Rxc8, when the main line given by Stockfish10 and Komodo10, 24.Qd5 Rd4 25.Qe6 Rd2+ 26.Kg3 Rdd9 27.Rd1 Re8 28.Qd7, does not look a clear win for White.
23.Qd7?
White is better, but not necessarily winning, after 23.Qd5 Ne7 24.Qd3.
23...Ne7??
Did Paulsen really play this howler? Yes, according to all the sources I have consulted, and yet it is hard to believe he (and Morphy, for that matter) missed 23...Rxe4+, when Black is fine.
24.Qxe7
24.Qxa4 is also rather good.
24...Ra1+ 25.Kf2 Rxc2+ 26.Ke3 1-0
A strange finish, although the later moves would make a lot more sense if White had played 18.f3 rather than 18.f4. That way, 23.Qd7 would not be a mistake, but the best move in the position. And Black's reply, 23...Ne7, would not be a howler as Black would be lost anyway.