More to come from Liverpool, warns two-goal Heskey

TWO-GOAL Emile Heskey had a chilling warning for the rest of Europe as well as the Premiership — “there is more to come from Liverpool.”

Heskey was the kingpin of Liverpool’s 5-0 Champions League savaging of a painfully inept Spartak Moscow at Anfield, which rekindled the Merseysiders’ chances of reaching the last 16.

Under the eyes of England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, Heskey stole the show and ended with a reminder to club boss Gerard Houllier that central striker is his preferred position.

Heskey has been used in several positions. His best role is up front alongside Michael Owen for club and country but wide on the left for England and Liverpool seems to be the role he’s lumbered with. Houllier even spent £10 million on El-Hadji Diouf to play as Owen’s partner in the summer, but the Heskey-Owen double act that has been together since they played for England Youth, has proved to be the best. Heskey said: “It was great to score those two goals, and to play up front again. That is my normal position and where I want to play, but then the manager knows that.

“There is a lot of competition for places and being on the pitch and playing is the main thing. We have so many good players in the squad I know I can be asked to play on the left and I’m happy to do a job out there.” And with the return trip to Moscow later this month before critical games at home to runaway group leaders Valencia and finally a crunch away trip to Basle, Heskey warns: “There is still more to come from us, the lads are starting to play really well and pass the ball around and cause anyone problems.

“The team has improved generally, the ability of the players too. But that’s a lot to do with the sort of attack-minded training we‘re doing now.”

Heskey started his glory night by brushing Owen aside to pounce and score from a John Arne Riise long ball.

“We both went for the ball, but I got there first and slotted it away. I know he’s (Owen) had a bit of a barren spell, but he wasn’t bothered about me scoring that one.”Owen turned in a stunning display of unselfish front running to cause the havoc that allowed Heskey, and new boys Bruno Cheyrou and Salif Diao to run riot. And it was Owen who made Heskey’s late second.

Midfielder Dietmar Hamann summed up Heskey’s performance against the Russian champions, insisting: “They just couldn’t handle him.”