Classic Cup tie hard on the heart but good for the soul

RAFAEL BENITEZ shook his head slowly and let out the faintest of chuckles.

"I don't like comebacks," he said. "They are not good for my heart."

Perhaps not, but they are the heartbeat of the FA Cup and it is doubtful whether in the 134-year history of the competition there has been a more therapeutic 90 minutes for the good of the game than Liverpool's 5-3 victory at Luton.

Sure, the romantics would have preferred brave Luton from the Coca-Cola Championship to have been better rewarded for a gung-ho performance which was a credit to their Liverpudlian manager Mike Newell, but if football was always like this there would not be an empty seat in the land.

Not that either manager was exactly happy.

The pain of losing a 3-1 lead and the chance of one of the biggest cup upsets was too much for Newell, who stood without emotion in the Luton dugout as delirium cascaded from the stands around him.

"It's no consolation to have performed so well," said Newell. "We have been beaten. We are disappointed. We feel a bit hard done by."

Benitez, by contrast, lamented the tendency of his side, who had taken the lead through captain Steven Gerrard, always to do things the hard way.

"We looked as though we thought it would be easy after the first goal," said Benitez. "We gave them a lot of opportunities. We need to learn that if you're better than the other team you have to finish them off."

Gerrard was more scathing. "It may have been a great cup tie for the neutral but we aren't happy with our performance," he said.

The fact is Luton played way beyond the form which had seen them lose five of their last seven matches while Liverpool performed below the form which had seen them win 10 and draw one of their previous 11 matches.

Result: A classic cup tie full of tension and drama, two penalties, one missed by Liverpool, one dispatched crisply by Luton, two fabulous goals from Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, one a dipping volley from 30 yards and the last a 60-yard effort after Luton goalkeeper Marlon Beresford had joined the attack, leaving his goal unguarded, in a desperate finale.

The penalties inevitably provoked controversy. Benitez insisted Luton's Paul Underwood should have been sent off for the nudge which bundled over Gerrard, although Djibril Cisse saw Luton goalkeeper Beresford save his resulting spot-kick.

Newell claimed Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson should have received a red card, rather than the yellow flourished by referee Mark Clattenburg, for the collision with saw Rowan Vine take a tumble, this time Kevin Nicholls making no mistake with the penalty.

In truth, neither incident deserved to detract from a match which must have had particular poignancy for Newell.

Just seven months ago Newell, a former Anfield youth team player and season-ticket holder, was in Istanbul to watch his beloved Reds perform comeback heroics of even greater magnitude to beat AC Milan and lift the Champions League trophy.

On Saturday night the promising and canny young manager felt the full force of Liverpool's resolve, but you suspect in years to come he will appreciate the lessons learned.

Such as the decisiveness of Benitez in bringing on Florent Sinama-Pongolle for the ineffective Mohamed Sissoko, a move which sparked Liverpool's revival with two Pongolle strikes after they had been humbled by goals from Steve Howard, Steve Robinson and Nicholls.

Also the need for his own side to match their adrenalin with composure. At 3-1 up it was time for Luton to defend rather than continue to surge forward. But that would have robbed a packed and antiquated stadium, plus millions watching on television, of a match which provided evidence of why football is the most popular sport on the planet.

The goals, Alonso's volley being the pick, were wonderful. The passion was undeniable. There was humour, too, a Luton fan in a touchline seat fielding the ball and offering his hand to Gerrard before he returned it for the throw-in. Gerrard, with a big grin, shook it warmly.

Liverpool might well go on to win the trophy. Newell, after this, will be even more determined to continue his two-and-a-half year revival at Kenilworth Road by taking his side into the Premiership via the play-offs.

Now that would be some comeback.