WITH a bare minimum of fuss Liverpool last night moved into the last 16 of this season's English League Cup where, predictably, a far greater challenge awaits.

Having brushed first division Charlton Athletic aside, Liverpool will now contest a place in the competition's fourth round with Arsenal, at Anfield, in a fortnight's time. The football of both clubs is currently so rich and fluent it should prove to be a most compelling evening.

Roy Evans has such a pleasant demeanor it is rather difficult to think of him concealing anything even resembling a ruthless streak. But after the recent hammering ate Blackburn Rovers, the iron fist was withdrawn from the velvet glove, much to the annoyance of Phil Babb and Patrik Berger who were moved from pitch to substitutes bench to accommodate the return of Neil Ruddock and Jamie Redknapp.

Redknapp's recall for the first time since last May's FA Cup final was richly deserved; a triumph for his patience. Stan Collymore please note.

It was a nice game in which to come back for Charlton were outrageously generous when it came to providing Liverpool with the space in which they tend to prosper. It was textbook stuff lifted from the training ground, even if the addition of a gloss finish to a pleasing undercoat did prove unusually problematical - well, for 15 minutes at least.

Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler had missed relatively simple chances before Liverpool eased their way in front, Mark Wright rising unchallenged at the back post to head in Stig Bjornebye's corner. Charlton's finger had been removed from the dike and the flood warning promptly began to echo around a half empty stadium.

Three minutes later, after successive defenders had declined invitations to effect a simple clearance, Liverpool's advantage was doubled when Redknapp's mis-hit and mis-timed shot rolled just inside a post.

Of late, Liverpool have offered hope to even the most wayward of lost causes. And so it was again. Midway through a frantic opening half of much cavalier football Shaun Newton lashed in a ferocious rising volley from 20 yards to restore the evening's competitive edge.

Sadly, from a neutral standpoint, Charlton never looked to be truly capable of drawing inspiration from that one moment of delicious enterprise.

McManaman continued his single-handed demolition of the Charlton rearguard and, fittingly he it was who engineered Liverpool's crucial third goal just three minutes into the second half. His low cross from the right was stabbed home by Fowler. Again it was a mis-hit shot, again it found the bottom corner.

Charlton gamely tried to close the gap, but to no avail. with 17 minutes remaining, Fowler claimed his second when he rose to head in another fine Bjornebye cross.

. Roy Evans reacted angrily last night to suggestions that striker Stan Collymore was poised for a £6 million move to Aston Villa.

A report in a national newspaper today suggests that Villa will announce the arrival of the controversial striker at a news conference. But Evans said after last night's match: "It's not true. If there is a press conference, I'll not be there."

Collymore, whose Anfield career has been clouded in controversy since his £8.5 million move from Nottingham Forest, indicated he would be training at Melwood today.

Collymore was back on the bench last night. However, he had to stay there for the entire game as Evans stuck with his starting line-up throughout the 90 minutes.