If Graeme Souness was anguished before, he will be livid now. Plummeting down the league, Blackburn were humbled and humiliated by Liverpool here last night to depart this competition in furious frustration.
The Rovers assistant manager Tony Parkes was left desperately attempting to calm Souness down on the touchline as Harry Kewell side-footed in the visitors' fourth goal late on. By the time Barry Ferguson and Dwight Yorke had pulled back two late goals many of the paltry crowd, some 14,000 down from September's league contest between these sides back when times were kinder, had left.
Indeed, the only similarity with that notorious spat was the sight of Lucas Neill red-carded and the margin of Liverpool's victory. The holders march on; Rovers continue to simmer in discontent.
Jamie Carragher, whose leg was broken by Neill that afternoon, is now walking again, albeit with the aid of crutches. With appropriately perverse timing, the Australian returned to the Rovers starting line-up for the first time in a month though - more aptly as far as the chortling visiting fans were concerned - he did not last the half.
Near the interval he clipped the ankle of teenager Florent Sinama-Pongolle in the box as he was about to ease his shot beyond Brad Friedel. Danny Murphy thumped the spot-kick home.
That Liverpool spent even six minutes in arrears came as something of a shock to the system given the disjointed mishmash that had preceded Blackburn's opener. For 35 increasingly chilly minutes only Steven Gerrard's effervescence and the odd flash of brilliance from Anthony le Tallec had warmed the hordes of travelling supporters. Rovers barely managed to emulate that.
Barry Ferguson's swerving free-kick, which clipped the bar with Chris Kirkland beaten, provided rare and desperately needed inspiration. Andy Cole duly nodded back for David Thompson to gather with the former Liverpool midfielder's cross ideal for Dwight Yorke, peeling away from Igor Biscan and Stephane Henchoz, to head down and in off a post.
After the interval and with the home side's rearguard horribly ragged, Heskey ran riot.
First El Hadji Diouf spun a cross over from the left and the striker planted a majestic header beyond Friedel's desperate dive. They then repeated the trick, Diouf's cross and Heskey nodding his second into the corner.
Harry Kewell was tripped by Vratislav Gresko to win a second penalty but Heskey's weak attempt was saved by Friedel.
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Neill, Babbel, Martin Taylor, Gresko (Johansson 84), Reid (Gallagher 82), Ferguson, Tugay, Thompson (Emerton 59), Cole, Yorke. Subs Not Used: Jansen, Yelldell. Sent Off: Neill (40). Goals: Yorke 35, Ferguson 81, Yorke 90.
LIVERPOOL: Kirkland, Biscan, Henchoz, Hyypia (Riise 45), Traore, Le Tallec, Gerrard (Hamann 81), Murphy, Diouf, Heskey, Sinama Pongolle (Kewell 45). Subs Not Used: Finnan, Dudek. Goals: Murphy 41 pen, Heskey 49, 61, Kewell 79.
Referee: M Riley (West Yorkshire)
