Fowler lights the flame as Liverpool catch fire

Playing the sort of electric football once taken for granted by generations of Liverpool crowds, but which has been seen only in fits and sparks for the past decade, Gerard Houllier's emerging team last night lit up Anfield. For Crystal Palace it was the opposite, the bright hopes of a first ever League Cup final obliterated by a first-half Liverpool goal burst that would have destroyed teams better than one sitting six points above the relegation zone in the first division.

From the 13th minute to the 18th Liverpool scored three goals of quite stunning creativity and accuracy, thereby leaving Palace's 2-1 lead from the first leg with the status of a redundant statistic. With Robbie Fowler in superb form, though not scoring until the 89th minute, Vladimir Smicer, Danny Murphy and Igor Biscan, with his debut goal for the club, left Palace wondering what hit them and Clinton Morrison in particular wondering why he had offered Liverpool shooting lessons after the match at Selhurst Park.

As in that game Liverpool could have scored several more, but only Murphy did so, in the 52nd minute, and a bad night for the Palace keeper Alex Kolinko ended in the 83rd minute with his dismissal for clattering Fowler outside the box.

Liverpool thus reached their first final for five seasons and Houllier is staring at a first silver return on his £60 million investment. Liverpool will meet Ipswich Town or Birmingham City in Cardiff a month today.

Injuries and suspensions had played their part in both managers' selections. Well-publicised was the fact that Liverpool would be without Michael Owen, but Nick Barmby and Emile Heskey were relegated to the bench. Fowler and Jari Litmanen stepped up, Fowler sporting the captain's armband.

In midfield Smicer returned and there was a place for Biscan, too. This meant Steven Gerrard, one of England's great midfield hopes, was at right back. Gerrard's first task was to launch himself violently at Palace winger Andrejs Rubins.

The Palace manager, Alan Smith, had had to make changes from the Selhurst game. Fan Zhiyi was injured and midfielder Hayden Mullins was suspended. Whether either would have, or could have, combated Liverpool's ferocious start is debatable.

It actually began with a Kolinko save, in the fifth minute from Murphy following a cute one-two with Litmanen. Murphy's shot was destined for the bottom corner until Kolinko got a fingertip to it.

Fowler was at the centre of everything. Displaying the sort of touch with which he made his name, Fowler sent Liverpool on their way with a magnificent pivot and pass in the centre circle that invited Smicer to scamper clear of his marker Wayne Carlisle. This Smicer did. Carlisle resisted the temptation to pull Smicer down and the Czech ran on to beat Kolinko comfortably. Thirteen minutes and the aggregate score was level.

The noise inside Anfield soared. In their next attack Litmanen received the ball on the left, looked up and found Murphy entering the Palace area on the right. The ball was at the height to be volleyed. It could be said Murphy paid the pass due tribute by spanking it into the top corner.

Now Liverpool were on their way to Cardiff and the way they were playing they could have got their on their own steam. Yet it got better. Another attack, again with Fowler its focus, another goal. Fowler produced a back-heel that baffled the Palace defence and had Biscan charging onto it. Running away from the yellow shirts, Biscan slid the ball beyond Kolinko, the third cool finish in five minutes.

At this stage Liverpool's quality was marvellous to behold. Six minutes after the third, McAllister almost added a fourth that would not have flattered the home team. McAllister's raking 25-yard drive, however, cannoned back off Kolinko's left-hand upright.

Houllier's men eased off slightly for a while then, allowing Morrison a sniff at the near post and Simon Rodger a long range effort, but before half-time Litmanen contrived a spectacular miss from a deft Smicer cross. Rather than heading for goal six yards out, Litmanen chose to try and find Fowler. Mistake. A fourth would surely have finished Palace off.

But it was not long coming. Seven minutes after the interval, while everyone else stood still simply watching the ball, Murphy decided to run after it. Good decision. As Kolinko came off his line Murphy slotted in the goal that ended the contest with 38 minutes to go. Kolinko's red card was pretty meaningless, though Fowler would not describe his first goal since mid- December the same way.

Liverpool: Westerveld, Gerrard (Hamann 68), Carragher (Ziege 76), Henchoz, Hyypia, Biscan, Murphy, Litmanen, McAllister, Fowler, Smicer (Barmby 70). Subs Not Used: Nielsen, Heskey. Goals: Smicer 13, Murphy 15, Biscan 18, Murphy 51, Fowler 89.

Crystal Palace: Kolinko, Smith, Harrison, Austin, Thomson, Carlisle (Pollock 57), Rubins (Gray 75), Rodger, Black, Forssell (Gregg 83), Morrison. Subs Not Used: Ruddock, Kabba. Sent Off: Kolinko (83).

Referee: P Durkin (Dorset).