Liverpool overcame an
Anfield black out to stun Newcastle with a blinding 3-0 win to keep their
Championship hopes firmly lit.
When the game finally
got going after a 30 minute delay it was electrifying stuff.
The Reds came flying out
of the blocks with Owen looking particularly sharp. He was partnered up front
by Frenchman Nicolas Anelka with Emile Heskey slotting into the left side of
midfield.
Michael Owen appeared to
be bundled over by defender Nikos Dabizas after eight minutes but his protests
were waved away by referee Jeff Winter.
The Newcastle defence
was in turmoil as they struggled to contain the pace of Owen and Anelka.
Keeper Shay Given had to
be at his best to push a rasping shot from the controversial marksman on to the
bar.
A second penalty claim
was ignored by Winter after Heskey was clattered to the deck following a clumsy
challenge from Dabizas in a desperate goalmouth scramble.
The inevitable happened
after 32 minutes when the visitors defence was cut open by the excellent
Anelka.
Picking the ball up
close to the half way line he raced forward before crossing to Danny Murphy who
slotted home with first-class composure.
Bobby Robson responded
by replacing midfielder Gary Speed with the more attacking Clarence Acuna. He
was quickly in on the action but could only manage to hook his close-range
effort over the bar after Liverpool failed to clear a Laurent Robert free-kick.
Liverpool's midfield
general Dietmar Hamann was denied a goal after an excellent save from Given to
keep the score 1-0 at the break.
Phil Thompson's men took
up where they had finished off.
Within seven minutes of
the second half they doubled their lead through Murphy once again. From an
innocuous position from outside the box he weaved inside two Newcastle
defenders before cleverly chipping over the advancing Given.
Minutes later the keeper
did better to deny Owen after an excellent run.
The Magpies found the
net on 59 minutes but it was ruled out for a handball by striker Carl Cort.
At the other end of the
park his team mate Aaron Hughes clearly handled the ball in the box as he lay
on the deck but again the home fans protests were ignored by Winter.
Liverpool continued to
dominate and Newcastle never looked like scoring.
An inch-perfect ball by
Murphy set Owen free, he was brought down on the edge of the box by defender
Andy O'Brien but for the fourth time the penalty appeal fell on deaf ears.
Ex-Newcastle player
Hamann added Liverpool's third 15 minutes from the end. A square ball from
Vladimir Smicer found the German international 25 yards out with space.
He made no mistake
firing his shot into Given's left-hand corner to kill off the contest.
A magnificent
performance by Liverpool who easily swept aside fellow title challengers Newcastle
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