
Five-star Reds crush Fulham - 16 Mar 2006
Liverpool rediscovered their touch in front of goal to beat Fulham 5-1 and close to within two points of Manchester United.
Robbie Fowler's first goal of his second Anfield spell set them on their way and Fernando Morientes broke his long barren spell by adding the third.
Peter Crouch then touched in a late fourth after coming on as a substitute to ensure that the club's much-maligned attacking trio all got their names on the scoresheet.
In between, Collins John scored his 11th goal of the campaign to level before Michael Brown's unfortunate own goal restored Liverpool's advantage.
Liverpool had gone 11 matches since they last found the net twice, but Fulham are such abject travellers that this game was always going to present an opportunity for goals for Rafa Benitez's side.
Despite heavy defeats to Arsenal and Everton in their last two outings, Fulham retained their commitment to attack and they were rewarded when they became only the third visiting side to score a Premiership goal at Anfield this season.
They had other chances, too, most notably a powerful header from Zat Knight early in the second half which beat Jose Reyna and smacked against a post, but their problems are at the other end of the field.
The Cottagers crumbled so badly in the closing stages that Liverpool carved them open at will and could easily have made the final scoreline even more humiliating.
Liverpool began the game on the front foot but weak early efforts from Morientes and Fowler suggested that it was going to be another difficult night for the strikers.
However, the confidence came flooding back once Fowler had given the Liverpool supporters the moment they had been craving since his return from Manchester City in January.
Harry Kewell's corner from the left was flicked on by Luis Garcia and Fowler, untroubled by the attentions of any Fulham defenders, headed in firmly at the far post.
Further chances followed for both Fowler, who glanced a header wide from a Djimi Traore cross and Morientes, who fired into the side-netting from a narrow angle.
Liverpool were knocked out of their stride by a mistake from Daniel Agger, whose loose ball fed Luis Boa Morte. He released John, who finished calmly, threading a low shot beneath Reyna.
More Fowler magic restored the home side's confidence, though, as he played in Kewell and the Australian's low cross was turned into his own goal by Brown.
Fulham continued to press with John firing wide and Steed Malbranque missing the target with a snap-shot from eight yards, and after Garcia's thumping shot struck the crossbar Knight's towering header hit the post.
Benitez withdrew Fowler to a chorus of boos from the Kop, replacing him with Djibril Cisse, and the switch paid immediate dividends when the Reds grabbed the killer third goal.
Steven Gerrard's cross was met powerfully in the air by Cisse and although Tony Warner smuggled the ball off the line, Morientes was on hand to slam it back into the roof of the net.
On came Crouch for Morientes and the England striker's first involvement brought his sixth goal for the club, as he cleverly flicked in Gerrard's low cut-back.
Fulham's heads dropped and they conceded a fifth goal in injury time when Stephen Warnock rifled in a low shot for his first Liverpool goal.
Chris Coleman's side, who have taken only three points away from home, welcome neighbours Chelsea to Craven Cottage at the weekend as they protect an eight-point advantage over Birmingham. They are not out of danger yet.