Hammers crushed as Fowler finds net

Even the normally lethal Emile Heskey looked blunt beside Fowler at the weekend, though his physical presence and industry make him a more natural foil and therefore essential pick.

To add insult to Owen's injury, the very player whom he himself identified as the missing link at Liverpool has put himself at the service of his rival. Owen once compared Vladimir Smicer's ability to play just behind the forward line for Liverpool with the impact Paul Scholes has in that role for England.

After benefiting from Smicer's range of spearing passes and darting runs on Saturday, Fowler knows exactly what was meant. Smicer was unmarkable - hurting the West Ham defence and scoring a magnificent goal from 25 yards.

With Steven Gerrard performing at his best in breaking up play behind, and running forward in support, poor Joe Cole looked like a little boy lost in the middle.

Paolo Di Canio's confidence has a major impact on Harry Redknapp's side and it says everything you need to know about their performance when the biggest talking point was the Italian's absence through flu.

The game was a battle which pinpointed the need to ally athletic strength with skill. That is likely to be reflected when Sven Goran Eriksson announces his England squad to play Spain in two weeks' time.

On this form, naming Fowler is beyond debate, although the player himself believes that he requires more match practice before he can be considered to be back to his best.

'I was crying out for a run in the team,' he admitted. 'I feel I'm getting close to my best but I'm not entirely happy with what I'm doing. I'm a perfectionist and I won't be completely content until I'm playing the football I was playing before my injuries.'

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, speaking of Fowler, said: 'The evolution of the last two-and-a-half to three months has been spectacular.'

He might have been talking about the whole team. What becomes of Owen remains to be seen.