Liverpool 5 Fulham 1Rafael Benitez last night snuffed out Real Madrid's lingering hopes of luring him to the Bernabeu by agreeing a new, four-year contract with Liverpool worth around £10 million and which will effectively extend his stay on Merseyside by an extra year to 2010. His side duly maintained the optimistic mood in these parts by dismissing Fulham as the Kop chorused his name.
Confirmation that Benitez is to remain at the club will be greeted more with relief. With Liverpool's attempts to attract investment continuing, and the size of the manager's summer transfer budget still to be determined, the emergence of interest from Real and Internazionale in the 45-year-old Spaniard had cast a disconcerting shadow over the European champions.
Real's intent was most threatening given that Benitez began his career at the club and retains emotional ties with them. Indeed a poll conducted in the newspaper Marca confirmed that 34 per cent of Real fans favoured a move for the former Valencia coach.
With that in mind, it is understood the recently appointed Real president Fernando Martin was willing to double Benitez' wages and offer him considerable clout in the market.
Those attempts have now been deflected. The manager's agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, spent yesterday in talks with Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry with the contract likely to be signed today.
The extension will be symbolic, designed as it is to underline the future longevity of Benitez's stay at Anfield.
Benitez, never one to fuss or seek attention, will have been relieved that one of his signings quickly established himself as the centre of attention in his stead. The Kop had waited with bated breath for Robbie Fowler to make his mark since returning, suffering two disallowed goals en route, but here was belated reward.
Just as the hosts' customary aggressive opening was threatening - just as typically - to peter out, Fowler slipped away from his marker at the far post as Harry Kewell's corner veered into the six-yard box to nod Luis Garcia's flick-on into the net. It was his 172nd goal for Liverpool, the first of which had been registered against these opponents in a English League Cup tie in 1993.
Yet while the long wait for a striker to register in the league this year was over for Liverpool, there was familiar frustration to endure at the home side's inability to capitalise on their lead.
Fulham, so hopeless at Everton last Saturday, had made five changes in a bid to prise a first away success of the season and where they had wilted so miserably at Goodison Park, they rallied here.
There was bite to their counterattacks, Luis Boa Morte duly clipping Collins John into the area for the forward to guide a low shot through Jose Reina and improve Chris Coleman's mood on the bench. The Dutch striker and Steed Malbranque might have added a second before the interval, the pair dragging shots into the side-netting.
By then, however, all too familiar fragility had reared in the visitors' back-line. A series of short passes between Garcia and Fowler contrived to liberate Kewell on the right side of the area, with the Australian's cross prodded helplessly into his own net by Michael Brown as Fernando Morientes hovered.
Zat Knight had been prone on the turf as the ball dribbled into the net, the centre half clutching a hamstring after stumbling but he emerged strapped for the second half. Yet he retained enough spring to leap and thump Wayne Bridge's free-kick towards the corner just after the hour only for Reina to touch the attempt away.
Liverpool might have extended their lead immediately after the restart, Morientes heading Garcia into space on the edge of the area only for the winger's wonderful curling shot to rebound from the angle of post and crossbar. Yet the hosts' luck soon turned.
Steven Gerrard nutmegged Brown and centred for the substitute Djibril Cisse. The Frenchman's header was well saved by Tony Warner but in the melee which erupted, Morientes rammed in his first goal since December.
There was still time for Peter Crouch to tap in a fourth, and in injury-time Stephen Warnock scored his first Liverpool goal.
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Traore, Luis Garcia, Gerrard, Hamann, Kewell (Warnock 88), Fowler (Cisse 68), Morientes (Crouch 81). Subs not used: Dudek, Hyypia. Goals: Fowler 16, Brown 34 og, Morientes 71, Crouch 89, Warnock 90.
FULHAM: Warner, Rosenior, Knight (Christanval 69), Pearce, Bridge, Radzinski (McBride 78), Malbranque, Brown, Pembridge, Boa Morte, John. Subs not used: Crossley, Helguson, Niclas Jensen. Booked: Brown, Bridge. Goals: John 25.
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
