Aldridge's men go down fighting

To their disappointment, if perhaps not their total surprise, Tranmere Rovers yesterday discovered that the FA Cup is loath to permit two seismic upsets in any one round.

Only in those rare moments when honest endeavour threatened to eclipse true class did the first division's bottom club seem capable of following Wycombe Wanderers into this season's semi-finals.

Premiership flesh usually withers and dies on the Wirral peninsula; it has become something of a tradition. In the past two seasons, John Aldridge's journeymen have beaten seven members of the English game's aristocracy on home soil. That Liverpool decided to buck the trend is to their great credit and with only Wycombe now blocking their path to Cardiff, they may well become only the second club, after Arsenal, to win both the FA and League Cups in the one season.

"I said it would be a difficult day and it was," said the Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier. "Tranmere work so very, very hard - they never give you anything. I'm delighted to be through. Wycombe? That won't be easy either."

The reality of Liverpool's season lies somewhere between what might have been and what has actually come to pass.

Tranmere's football is high-octane stuff sustained by sheer effort. While Liverpool's defence is, of course, an admirably proficient unit, yesterday it was subjected to disruption and was thus rather less mean and watertight than of late.

Indeed, in the opening, frantic exchanges when the adrenalin rush was at its most pronounced it boasted all the repellent powers of sodden tissue paper.

With Markus Babbel moved to centreback to cover for the loss of the injured Stephane Henchoz, Liverpool were exposed down their right flank where young Steven Wright struggled, initially at least, to hang on to the coat-tails of Jason Koumas, Tranmere's most gifted player.

Had Tranmere managed to find a way through during this brief period of supremacy, the outcome may have been different; we will never know.

"I'm proud of them - they gave it everything they had," said Aldridge.

As it was, much as they had done in Porto three days earlier, Liverpool simply soaked up the pressure. This time, however, they were to shake off the drips and score.

After 11 decidedly uneasy minutes Tranmere caved in, Danny Murphy arriving almost unannounced at the far post to head home a fine Michael Owen cross from the left.

Thereafter there was to be much ado about nothing until Liverpool strolled forwards to double their advantage on 27 minutes.

Sami Hyypia's long and forceful clearance was craftily controlled by Murphy, who then simply ran the ball square into the path of Owen who, quite naturally, scored from no great distance.

But, Tranmere never, ever give up, however lost the cause may appear to be.

Within 60 seconds of the second half opening they were back in the frame, Steve Yates heading home Koumas's cross at the far post.

Liverpool would have been forgiven had they moved into panic mode, for in the previous round Southampton had given up a three-goal advantage at the same venue. They did not.

On 52 minutes, the tireless Steven Gerrard rose inside a crowded area to head in a Gary McAllister corner.

Still Tranmere were not done and five minutes later, just seconds after being introduced, the substitute Wayne Allison moved the outcome back into the melting pot when he collected Robbie Fowler's weak back-pass and converted.

It was not until Fowler atoned for that error from the spot 10 minutes from the end, after McAllister had been hauled down by Yates, that Liverpool were home, dry and dreaming of another day trip to south Wales.

Tranmere: Achterberg, Hinds, Allen, Jobson (Challinor 60), Yates, Parkinson, Henry, Koumas, Roberts, Rideout (Allison 57), Barlow. Subs Not Used: Murphy, Scott Taylor, Morgan. Booked: Allen, Henry, Roberts. Goals: Yates 47, Allison 58.

Liverpool: Westerveld, Babbel, Wright, Hyypia, Carragher, Barmby (Biscan 66), McAllister, Gerrard, Murphy (Smicer 83), Fowler, Owen (Litmanen 87). Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Vignal. Booked: Gerrard. Goals: Murphy 12, Owen 27, Gerrard 52, Fowler 82 pen.

Referee: A Wiley (Burntwood).