Liverpool 2 Bolton Wanderers 3: The holders are no more. Bolton Wanderers wrested Liverpool's grip on this trophy last night, leaving it late before slamming shut another door to European competition.
Youri Djorkaeff's last-minute penalty earned Wanderers only their second win in this arena since 1954.
Vladimir Smicer's magnificent curled equaliser seconds earlier was rendered irrelevant, preceded as it had been by a stunning 25-yard free-kick from Jay-Jay Okocha which had dipped beyond a fragile defensive wall and beyond a static Jerzy Dudek.
For Gerard Houllier, this season is becoming littered with false dawns. It took just four minutes for Houllier to curse his selection and send the substitutes out to trot on the sidelines.
The Liverpool manager had made six alterations to his team from Sunday's league outing and Bolton seven, the most cumbersome of whom slipped the notice of the home defence to ease the visitors ahead. Mario Djorkaeff's fourth-minute corner bypassed the muddle at the near post and Jardel did not need to leap to meet the centre with a header.
With their advantage established, Wanderers could revert to what they have become best at, defending stubbornly, and might even have added a second on the break when Henrik Pedersen planted a header wide.
Liverpool briefly stirred before they lulled back into mediocrity. Most of their first-half opportunities stemmed from fouls on the edge of the visitors' penalty area; John-Arne Riise skimming his first free-kick through the defensive wall to be parried by a panicked Kevin Poole. Smicer, in front of goal, could only batter the loose ball over the bar as the goalkeeper sprawled at his feet.
Thereafter, Riise's radar went awry until Danny Murphy took over free-kick duties and chipped an effort on to the roof of the net. That prompted howls of frustration hardly appeased by Emerson Thome's block on Anthony le Tallec's curled attempted after Jon Otsemobor had marauded into the area. Emile Heskey air-kicked as the ball ricocheted free.
An early spin away from Ivan Campo at the start of the second period served notice of his Heskey's intent, though the Spaniard picked himself up to blaze wastefully into the Anfield Road end seconds later. Bolton could ill afford such profligacy, encamped as they were in their own half. Ricardo Gardner did well to deny El Hadji Diouf, the Senegalese failing to recover a poor first touch, before Campo nodded Heskey's shot from the goalline.
That prompted the belated introduction of Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Harry Kewell, to be followed by Steven Gerrard, and the predictable turn of the tide. Riise skimmed the bar from a tight angle as the Kop clamoured for parity. On cue, Salif Diao spun a cross for Murphy, arriving unmarked at the far post to head beyond the despairing Poole. Extra time loomed but Bolton were ahead again in the 89th minute when Diao fouled Kevin Davies in the box and Djorkaeff sent the penalty off a post.
LIVERPOOL (4-1-3-2): Dudek; Otsemobor, Biscan, Traore (Gerrard, 67), Riise; Diao; Diouf (Kewell, 59), Murphy, Smicer; Le Tallec (Sinama-Pongolle, 59), Heskey.
BOLTON WANDERERS (4-3-3): Poole; Barness, N'Gotty (Charlton, 83), Thome, Gardner; Ba, Campo, Okocha; Djorkaeff (Nolan, 90), Jardel (Davies, 62), Pedersen.
Referee: M Riley (Leeds).
Guardian Service
