Luton 3 Liverpool 5: Liverpool were forced to pull off a comeback of almost Istanbul proportions to save their FA Cup lives after a wonderfully pulsating FA Cup tie at Kenilworth Road which had just about everything.

There were eight goals, two penalties - one scored by Luton, one missed by Liverpool - in a match which proved the romance of the most famous cup competition in the world is alive and well.

But spare a thought for brave Luton, urged on by their Liverpudlian manager
Mike Newell and who showed that the gap between the Barclays Premiership and the Coca Cola Championship is perhaps not as wide as some people insist.

The Hatters were brilliant, taking a 3-1 lead with football which was intelligent and inspired and played at a frenetic pace.
 
It was so frantic that Liverpool's midfield, with Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso, at times were overrun as goals came from Steve Howard, Steve Robinson and Kevin Nicholls's penalty.

However, Liverpool never give in - and with Gerrard driving them forward and two-goal Florent Sinama Pongolle giving them a striking edge, they fought back to take their place in the fourth round after a game which will live long in the memory.

The game was just 15 minutes old when a smart piece of possession in the penalty area by Peter Crouch saw him neatly elude three defenders before rolling the ball back to Djibril Cisse who in turn eased a pass into the path of Steven Gerrard.

The Liverpool captain struck the ball first time from the edge of the area with his right foot, and it swerved wickedly past Luton goalkeeper Marlon Beresford into the net.
 
We waited for Luton to wilt. We should have known better from a side managed by Newell.

Immediately, they began playing the sort of football which has seen them march from League One to the upper reaches of the Championship - intelligent, controlled play but at a tempo which stunned Liverpool.
 
They might have equalised when Rowan Vine found space down the left and fired in a cross for the unmarked Howard, but the Hatters striker snatched at the chance and bundled the ball past the wrong side of the post.
 
If that was a poor miss then Howard quickly made amends after half-an hour when he latched on to a penetrating through ball from Paul Underwood and kept his nerve to take the ball wide of Carson to lash a right-foot shot into the net.

It was no more than Luton had earned with their spirited response to Liverpool's goal, hustling and harrying in midfield and playing out the ball with precision from defence.

But if the delight began cascading down the stands then Kenilworth Road fairly erupted in the 42nd minute when Robinson spun in the penalty area, evaded Carson and blasted his 15-yard shot home to give Luton a deserved lead.
 
It would have been even better if Steve Finnan had not headed Markus Heikkinen's header off the line.

Liverpool should have equalised after 48 minutes when they were awarded a spot kick after Gerrard was bundled over in the penalty area.
 
Djibril Cisse sent his kick low to the left-hand corner, but Luton goalkeeper Beresford stretched his 6ft 6in frame to save.
 
It got even worse for Liverpool three minutes later when a Sami Hyypia mistake let in Vine, who bore down on Carson. Vine appeared to stand on the goalkeeper's foot just outside the area as the players collided, but the referee adjudged it was a penalty kick and handed Carson a yellow card.

Kevin Nicholls made Liverpool pay, drilling the spot-kick past Carson to give Luton a 3-1 lead.

Liverpool, however, responded after an hour when a strong run from substitute Sinama Pongolle ended with the striker blasting a 15-yard drive past Beresford to get the Reds back into the game.
 
It was breath-taking stuff - which moved up another gear when Xabi Alonso took a chance from fully 30-yards out only to see his shot dip wickedly over Beresford and nestle in the Luton net.
 
It was 3-3, and again Liverpool were masterminding yet another amazing comeback.
 
Still there was more as Luton tired, and in the 73rd minute it was Sinama Pongolle again - this time rising to send a powerful header past Beresford.

That was three goals in 11 minutes; yet still Luton had the energy for a thrilling finale, goalkeeper Beresford joining the attack in the last frantic moments.

His adventure only allowed Alonso to score Liverpool's fifth with a shot from all of 60 yards which trickled over the line.
 
What a finish. What a fantastic cup tie!