Owen returns to form in style

Michael Owen signalled a stunning return to form with a thrilling hat-trick against Manchester City at Maine Road.

With just one goal in open play this season, Owen’s place in the Liverpool team had been questioned – but the doubts were removed in a scintillating 90 minutes which saw the 22-year-old single-handedly wreck the home side’s 24-match unbeaten home record.

Gerard Houllier has remained faithful to England’s number one front-man throughout his recent problems, but the decision looked to have backfired when, anticipating Sun Jihai’s ill-advised back header in the opening stages, Owen raced clear – but only managed to fire straight at Peter Schmeichel.

Lesser players might have buried their heads and hidden away, but City boss Kevin Keegan, who worked with Owen when he was in charge of the national side, confirmed yesterday the young striker was not one to worry about failure.

And how those words came back to haunt him as Owen proceeded to rip his team apart – aided by some woeful defending – immediately after that first chance had been wasted.

There were plenty of blue shirts around as Danny Murphy swung over the following corner.

But somehow Kevin Horlock only managed a stooping header across the six-yard box, Niclas Jensen tried to hack clear.

However the City midfielder just belted the ball straight into team-mate Steve Howey, the rebound presenting Owen with an opportunity he could not miss.

The relief was clearly evident in Owen’s face and the smile returned again after 64 minutes when Sylvain Distin played him onside as Steven Gerrard threaded a perfect ball behind the City defence.

Sun chased back, but Owen had the edge and clinically despatched his shot into the corner with Schmeichel helpless.

The same pair were involved again in the final minute when Gerrard’s long punt downfield arrived at Owen’s feet with Schmeichel still backpedalling after wandering up for a home corner.

Again Sun came off second best and Owen completed his one-man demolition job by lashing home a shot off the near post.

As statements go, it was a pretty powerful one and on this evidence any defenders likely to be facing Owen in the next few weeks are set to have their sleep disturbed.

In fact, it could have been more for the 22-year-old. As the first half drew to a close, Owen ran onto John Arne Riise’s long ball, then drew Sun into a lunging tackle and skipped round the Chinese international only for Schmeichel to block his shot again.

The great Dane was also at full stretch to keep out a flying Sami Hyypia header as the City defence struggled to cope with the visitors’ fluid movement.

Without suspended skipper Ali Benarbia, the home side barely carved out a chance.

Jerzy Dudek was only called into action once, collecting a swerving Jensen shot with a degree of comfort.

Aiming to prove a point against his former club, Nicolas Anelka was trying hard, flashing one vicious effort wide but, as seems to happen on too many occasions, the best hope of an equaliser fell to Darren Huckerby.

The former Coventry man may have plenty of pace, but his eye for goal remains suspect. Shaun Wright-Phillips wriggled a cut-back through to find him in a superb position.

But, with space to do far better, managed to get the ball stuck between his feet and allowed Jamie Carragher to clear.

An even better opportunity came City’s way five minutes after the interval when Dudek spilled Horlock’s low drive at the feet of Eyal Berkovic inside the six-yard box.

With two Liverpool defenders in close attendance, the Israeli sensed Anelka might be better placed and flicked a chip across goal which Dudek, still on the floor, plucked out of the air.

Huckerby’s darts around to not great effect were ended by the arrival of Shaun Goater on the hour, just a minute after El Hadji Diouf had replaced Milan Baros.

Owen’s second left City facing the kind of uphill battle they thrillingly conquered in their last home game against Blackburn. On that occasion they only had 10 men, so it should have been a doddle.

However, Liverpool, enjoying a measure of good fortune, survived. Marc-Vivien Foe and Kevin Horlock both wasted decent opportunities, substitute Chris Shuker was denied by Danny Murphy’s last-ditch tackle and Anelka’s powerful shot from a short Berkovic free-kick was beaten away by Dudek.

It was another City attack which provided the launchpad for Owen’s hat-trick strike.

Form is temporary, class is permanent.