When a team are one defeat away from alienating their most blinkered loyalists all they can ask for is a level playing field, a fair wind and, most crucially, accommodating opponents. While it would be stretching a point to suggest that Sheffield Wednesday had begun to unfurl the white flag before their arrival at Anfield, only fleetingly did they toy with the idea of deepening Liverpool's mid-season crisis.

Sadly, too much was expected of the South Yorkshire club for it was only after they had shipped the two goals which always seemed likely to decide the outcome that they began to play.

However, Wednesday's attempts to rip a hole in Liverpool's tissue-paper defence fell only fractionally short of being embarrassing.

While he never looked like scoring Robbie Fowler did actually have a foot in both of Liverpool's goals, steering into the path of Parick Berger after 19 minutes and then beginning the move which ended with Michael Owen's close-range drive 15 minutes later.

Liverpool: James, Heggem (Kvarme 83), Babb, Staunton, Bjornebye, Carragher, Redknapp, Ince, Berger, Fowler, Owen (Riedle 88). Subs Not Used: Friedel, McAteer, Thompson. Booked: Bjornebye, Berger. Goals: Berger 19, Owen 34.

Sheff Wed: Srnicek, Atherton, Jonk, Walker, Carbone, Booth, Hinchcliffe, Thome, Rudi (Humphreys 86), Alexandersson (Briscoe 58), Sonner. Subs Not Used: Clarke, Stefanovic, Magilton. Booked: Hinchcliffe.

Referee: A Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).