Robbie Fowler scored all five goals as Liverpool eased into the third round of the League Cup at the expense of plucky Fulham at a sparsely populated Anfield this evening.
The latest product out of the old Liverpool bootroom outshone Ian Rush to score every time he got the ball in the penalty area. Fowler was given his first team debut with Liverpool sitting on a 3-1 lead from the first leg at Craven Cottage, but the Reds ripped into their Second Division opponents from the off with a combination of goalkeeper Jim Stannard and Glen Thomas denying Julian Dicks an early goal.
Don Mackay insisted his side wouldn’t come to Merseyside and put men behind the ball and the Cottagers were as good as their pre-match word. Young midfielder Paul Kelly battled for possession in the middle of the park and starting a flowing move that culminated in Jeff Eckhardt skying a shot into the Kop. The Londoners went toe-to-toe with their Premiership opponents for the first thirteen minutes – until Fowler’s first goal threatened to open the floodgates.
The England youth international opened his senior account with a poacher’s finish after Stannard had parried a 25-yard strike from Rob Jones, who seized on a poor ball from Udo Onwere. Fulham were furious when goalkeeper Stannard was penalised by referee Alan Dawson for picking up a loose ball after a deflected clearance, leading to a Liverpool indirect free-kick barely yards from the Fulham goal. Fowler forced home his second from inside the six-yard box after Neil Ruddock’s drive had bounced back off the wall.
The Whites were not without their moments. Bruce Grobbelaar produced an outstanding pair of saves to prevent Eckhardt and Onwere from scoring in quick succession before Fowler completed his hat-trick two minutes after half time, profiting from more attacking full-back play from Jones.
Later in the second half Fulham’s early exertions began to catch up with them. Fowler headed home a measured cross for Julian Dicks for his fourth before he steered a superb finish past the stranded Stannard with ease to round off his remarkable bout of scoring with twenty minutes remaining. Fulham’s travelling fans only seemed to sing louder after each Liverpool goal serenading the Second Division strugglers who will now have to concentrate on the nitty gritty of a league campaign that hasn’t started promisingly.
LIVERPOOL: Grobbelaar; R. Jones, Dicks, Wright, Ruddock; Stewart, Clough, Hutchison, Redknapp; Rush, Fowler. Subs (not used): James, Whelan, McManaman.
GOALS: Fowler (13, 21, 47, 55, 70).
FULHAM: Stannard; Morgan, Pike, Angus, G. Thomas; Eckhardt, Onwere, Ferney, Farrell, Brazil, Kelly (Jupp 69). Subs (not used): Harrison, Baah.
REFEREE: Alan Dawson.
ATTENDANCE: 12,823.
