Owen despair hits new low

A surging run and low cross from substitute Milan Baros found Owen in space six yards out, but a moment's hesitation enabled Moritz Volz to pull off an unlikely block.

The chance went begging, and Liverpool's last hope of a breakthrough went with it.

Steven Gerrard, taking over penalty duties from Owen, who had missed his last two spot-kicks, should have settled Liverpool's nerves early in the second half after Bobby Petta handled, but the skipper's low shot was expertly parried by Edwin Van der Sar.

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier's dismay at the final whistle as he shook his head before disappearing down the tunnel could well have been a consequence of Owen's negligible impact as much as his side's overall failings.

Houllier already has worries to spare, after making his way off to the same chorus of boos that greeted last Monday's 1-0 defeat by Charlton, and the dilemma over Owen's uncertain future is unlikely to rank as the least of them.

The present scarcely offers any greater reassurance, given the way any sense of purpose drained out of Owen and left his marker Alain Goma claiming that, as the prospects of a goal continued to recede, he all but threw in the towel.

Fulham's former Newcastle centre back painted a bleak picture of Houllier's worsening predicament and warned that facing his old club at home on the final day of the season may not work to Liverpool's advantage in their quest for fourth place.

Goma said: 'Owen did not get much service, and it affected him more and more as the game went on. Passes and crosses just weren't coming through for him, and it meant he did not have any opportunity to shine.

'It did not surprise me, though, because it seems he has been quiet for a while. You could see the disappointment in his manner. He seemed to lose heart. He became quieter as the game wore on, and we saw less and less of him.

'The same could be said of Liverpool as a whole. It is very apparent that their confidence is low at the moment. It was a great point for us, and we deserved it, but you have to say it is a good time to face Liverpool at Anfield.

'It is going to be difficult getting fourth place now, and I can see it being very close between Liverpool and Newcastle. It will be interesting when Newcastle come here, but they should be encouraged by the way Liverpool failed to hurt us today. If Newcastle approach it the way we did, Liverpool will have their work cut out.'

Fulham boss Chris Coleman, who dropped Zat Knight and Sean Davis from his squad after discovering they had broken a curfew the previous Saturday, said: 'To be only five points behind Liverpool with four games left is incredible, and I would consider it a magnificent achievement to finish in the top eight.'

Knight and Davis apologised to Coleman and their team-mates for their indiscipline and will be reinstated next weekend.