Spartak Moscow - 1 Liverpool - 3 Chilled to the bone but warmed by an immense performance from the irrepressible Michael Owen, Liverpool's Champions League march gathered pace in freezing Moscow yesterday.
A first victory by an English club against Spartak in Russia, inspired by a blistering hat-trick from the England striker, hoisted Gerard Houllier's side to within touching distance of qualification. Back-to-back victories over the Muscovites have breathed life into a once-stuttering campaign; the second phase beckons.
"That was a demonstration of the character that sums up everything about my team," said Houllier, who watched the talismanic Owen score his first Champions League goals in 11 months to seal impressive victory.
"A year ago (his number two) Phil Thompson made history by winning in Kiev while I was just coming out of intensive care, so this is special for me. But Michael deserves the praise for the way he played. I remember a month ago he was getting a lot of stick for not scoring, but he only gets important goals for us."
Having emerged from that most barren spell of his career, Owen has now scored eight times in seven games and was irresistible here, an energetic runner down the flanks when not bearing down on goal. The Russians floundered in his wake.
Liverpool had been in arrears to Alexander Danishevksiy's opener for six minutes when the England forward's pass found Jamie Carragher, in acres of space on the right, who coped admirably as the ball threatened to bobble off the uneven turf. The full-back calmly crossed for Owen, charging unnoticed into the area, to nod his first down and wide of an exposed Maxym Levitsky.
The goal eroded the Russians' poise and Liverpool might have capitalised further before the interval. Dietmar Hamann, outstanding alongside the busy Salif Diao, wrested control of midfield and it was the German's superb pass that had Milan Baros - who earlier fluffed two attempts - squaring with Dmitry Khletov desperately cutting out the centre.
Emile Heskey, later forced to hobble off with a recurrence of a groin problem, headed Danny Murphy's cross wastefully over. At least the striker escaped the racial abuse for which Spartak's fans have become notorious.
Danishevksiy, stretching to connect with Alexander Pavlenko's cross, forced Jerzy Dudek into a smart save, but Spartak's was only a fitful threat. With Djimi Traore and Sami Hyypia commanding at the back, Liverpool retained confidence in Owen's effervescence.
Gregory Vignal, making his first appearance for almost a year, was tripped by Khlestov. Murphy's free-kick was headed against the bar by the leaping Hyypia, with his second attempt blocked in the confusion. But, as Spartak dawdled, Owen emerged from the mess to poke into the unguarded net.
That effectively settled the contest, though there was time for substitute El Hadji Diouf and Murphy to combine for Owen to complete his hat-trick at the far post.
Spartak had offered more in the opening quarter than throughout their surrender on Merseyside three weeks earlier. But when they went ahead it owed more to defensive shortcomings than attacking prowess. Artem Bezrodny's cross should have been cleared but Heskey headed straight to Alexander Pavlenko, who squared for the unmarked Danishevskiy to shoot beyond a static Dudek.
SPARTAK MOSCOW: Levitsky, Kovtun (Kebe 36), Mitreski (Kudriashov 82), Abramidze, Khlestov, Beschastnykh, Pavlenko, Bezrodny, Danishevsky, Sonin (Torbinsky 60), Kalinichenko. Subs Not Used: Cherchessov, Tchuisse, Da Silva, Essien. Booked: Kalinichenko, Pavlenko. Goals: Danishevsky 23.
LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore, Riise, Murphy, Hamann, Diao, Heskey (Vignal 56), Owen, Baros (Diouf 70), Vignal (Biscan 76). Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Babbel, Smicer, Mellor. Goals: Owen 29, 70, 90.
Referee: K Plautz (Austria)
