Michael Owen emerged from the bench to begin his 21st birthday celebrations early with the goal which set Liverpool on course for the League Cup semi-finals.
The England international’s first goal in more than a month ended a period of personal frustration and also ended Fulham’s stubborn resistance after the First Division leaders had taken Liverpool deep into extra time in an intriguing clash between two of the finest minds in French football.
Jean Tigana’s charges were very impressive and a three-goal defeat after an extra half an hour felt exceptionally harsh on the Cottagers, who finally carved in after Owen had broken the deadlock. Vladimir Smicer and Nick Barmby give the scoreline a more convincing gloss for lucky Liverpool, who can now look ahead to a two-legged semi-final against either Crystal Palace or Sunderland.
Fulham had endured some dreadful trips to Anfield in this competition, conceding ten in the 1980s and shipping five seven years ago on a night when Robbie Fowler scored his first Liverpool hat trick, but Tigana’s team showed no signs of being overawed in the early stages keeping the ball with impressive poise. The home side were wasteful in attack with Emile Heskey heading over the bar before Igor Biscan saw a shot deflected over.
Fulham began impressively and kept the ball, making Liverpool chase them.
When the home side did retrieve the ball, they attacked with pace and Smicer got down the right early on to produce a cross which Heskey headed just over.
Lee Clark nearly punished a sloppy backpass from Sami Hyypia with Barry Hayles and Louis Saha posing problems for the home defence with some intelligent runs. Taylor did well to thwart an effort from Markus Babbel but the hosts were struggling to penetrate the visiting defence with Heskey hooking wide as Chris Coleman dived in. Taylor finished the first half with a brave block at the feet of Heskey when a loose ball fell kindly for the England forward in the Fulham area.
Fowler hit a tame shot straight at Taylor to the consternation of the home crowd at the start of the second half and Saha was unfortunate not to give the Division One outfit the lead after surging clear and seeing his powerful shot deflect off a defender and loop just over the bar. Sander Westerveld denied Bjarne Goldbaek following clever combination play between Saha and Hayles, before the hosts hit back with a sustained spell of pressure that saw Smicer round Taylor but shoot into the side netting and Heskey hammer over from 25 yards.
Gerard Houllier introduced Owen for Fowler with 25 minutes remaining but even the arrival of the boy wonder couldn’t perk up Liverpool’s attack as they wasted a succession of corners. Only a brilliant saving tackle from Stephane Henchoz prevented Saha from sidefooting Fulham ahead after a brilliant break from Fabrice Fernandes. Danny Murphy bent a free-kick against the post with six minutes to go but the Whites comfortably held on to force extra time.
That would bring them a point in the Premiership should they continue to pick up victories in Division One in the manner that they have been but they couldn’t raise themselves in the ensuing half hour. Taylor denied Owen with his fingertips before Smicer sliced dreadfully wide, but the Fulham defence was beginning to creak and Owen fired home at the second attempt from close range at the end of the first half after his header had been blocked by Andy Melville.
Smicer gave Liverpool some breathing space six minutes before the end of the second half when he brought down a searching pass from Barmby to double the lead and Barmby rubbed salt into Fulham’s wounds in the dying embers of what had been an incredibly tight contest.
LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Westerveld; Babbel, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia; Gerrard (McAllister 115), Murphy, Smicer, Biscan; Heskey (Barmby 96), Fowler (Owen 74). Subs (not used): Nielsen, Vignal.
GOALS: Owen (105), Smicer (114), Barmby (120).
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Coleman; Davis, Clark, Goldbaek, Fernandes (Stolcers 90); Saha, Hayles (Boa Morte 90). Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Symons, Trollope.
BOOKED: Boa Morte.
REFEREE: Dermot Gallagher (Oxfordshire).
ATTENDANCE: 20,144.
