Palace feel Liverpool backlash

Morrison spent much of the match staring at his own goal as Liverpool mounted a siege of Alex Kolinko's penalty area. So effective was the barrage that it killed the match as a contest by the end of the first half.

What had taken 78 minutes to achieve in the first contest was completed in only 13 last night when Vladimir Smicer picked up where he left off at Selhurst Park - giving his side some real hope.

Fowler was the architect of his run when he collected, spun and supplied the perfect invite for the Czech to get beyond Wayne Carlisle and stroke the opening goal home.

Jari Litmanen was partnering Fowler for the first time, while Emile Heskey's recovery from a thigh injury left him on the bench, and the Finn was clearly in no mood to be upstaged.

A clever exchange with Danny Murphy almost produced a goal before Litmanen broke free on the left and surveyed the options across the box before flighting a perfect pass. Murphy arrived late but took the volley early and on the full toss. It soared into the net at the near post and within the space of two minutes, Liverpool were suddenly ahead on aggregate.

The tete-a-tete turned tit-for-tat within seconds, though, as Fowler, imbued with new self-confidence, showed that he did not even need the benefit of foresight to set up a third on 18 minutes.

His back to the Palace goal, he played a brilliant through ball with the heel of his boot which allowed Igor Biscan to power beyond the failing legs of Jamie Smith and Dean Austin.

Although he is more used to protecting his own defence than tearing the opposition one to shreds, the Croat displayed no hesitancy as he brushed his shot under the goalkeeper's body and into the net.

While the inquisition among Palace players continued before the restart, the Anfield faithful were already taunting Morrison for his unwise words.

'Clinton, Clinton what's the score?' came the chant to the delight of the stadium.

In fairness, the Palace fans retaliated immediately with an unlikely claim that they would end up winning 4-3. That scenario, however, belonged to the catalogue of Palace dreams, where their win over Liverpool in an FA Cup semi-final 11 years ago takes pride of place.

Instead, the nightmare continued to worsen and it was Litmanen's turn to take the mickey when he could have headed over the line from four yards but instead tried to gift a goal to Fowler.

It was a bizarre sight with only 36 minutes on the clock of a game which had the potential to take his club to their first final in five seasons.

Fowler is not the kind to be killed by kindness though and he was to have the last laugh all to himself.

Before that finale, however, he knocked on for Murphy, whose 51st-minute finish encapsulated the flow of self-belief which was coarsing through the whole side.

When Fowler went one-on-one with Kolinko in the 83rd minute, the keeper was left with little option but to bring him down once he had knocked the ball ahead into a scoring position.

The Palace man walked off to an early bath and just as time looked to be running out, his tormentor got his name on the scoresheet.

Fowler's moment arrived courtesy of Murphy's pass and the striker finished clinically, nutmegging substitute goalkeeper Matthew Gregg.

Houllier has now spent in excess of £60million in his attempt to bring back even a smidgen of the glorious past for which Liverpool fans yearn.

While a place in the final of the Worthington Cup is not quite the return most of them have been praying for as reward for their unstinting faith, there were no complaints about the manner of the performance which has taken them to within 90 minutes of their first trophy in six years.

Revenge over Crystal Palace was one thing. Making up for lost time in Cardiff against Ipswich or Birmingham in three weeks is now imperative.

Houllier and his expensively assembled team cannot afford to fail.