Liverpool's season, seemingly dead on its feet after the FA Cup defeat by Coventry last Saturday, was given the kiss of life at St James' Park last night. After 90 minutes of goalless action, Michael Owen, in the fifth minute of extra-time, popped up on the end of a sweeping move initiated by Steve McManaman and featuring a glorious first-time pass from Robbie Fowler to chip the ball sweetly beyond Shaka Hislop.
Seven minutes later, Fowler ensured Liverpool's semi-final place, drilling the ball low past Hislop after receiving it from Jamie Redknapp.
Despite Liverpool's supposed crisis of confidence, Roy Evans had insisted that changes from the Coventry game "would not be wholesale", a statement he stuck by. Out went Bjorn Tore Kvarme, unsurprisingly, and Karlheinz Riedle. But David James, the man under most pressure, retained his place in goal as Evans had said. Brad Friedel, the American he was at such pains to sign, was again on the bench, therefore. But Owen was back.
Kenny Dalglish also made changes from Sunday's FA Cup team, David Batty returning and the young Irishman Aaron Hughes being given a full debut. But Faustino Asprilla, so disappointing against Everton, was missing, as was Stuart Pearce.
Dalglish clearly wanted no repetition of the way McManaman had dictated the tempo when the sides last met 10 days ago, and Hughes's principal task was to stifle him. As early as the 10th minute, the 18-year-old was shown the difficulty of the job when a beautiful McManaman dummy left him static and startled. Had McManaman released the ball right to Fowler, rather than left to Oyvind Leonhardsen, Liverpool might have gone ahead.
Within 60 seconds, that error should have been punished by Batty, after the Liverpool defence had parted obligingly, but Batty's shot was straight at James. While Batty had done well on his approach, his inability to find an attacking colleague spoke eloquently of Newcastle's barren front line. There was a time when Ian Rush could do it all on his own, but no more.
Liverpool, themselves much derided for over-passing, were content to break freely and quickly. From one such move around the half-hour, Leonhardsen was presented with another inviting opportunity from Jason McAteer's in swinging centre, but the Norwegian's glancing header flew inches wide.
Liverpool's greater threat was further emphasised before the interval when Owen burst through a series of unconvincing challenges only to blaze over from 12 yards; and then, after McManaman had briefly lost Hughes, Hislop had to be alert to stop Fowler.
Perhaps sensing a certain inevitability about Liverpool's progress, Dalglish brought on two forward movers at half-time, Temur Ketsbaia and Jon Dahl Tomasson, to try to renew Newcastle's momentum. In a noisy opening to the second half, the switch-around proved effective, rousing the crowd and bringing Newcastle's best moment of the match so far.
Rush, with company at last, found Tomasson springing the Liverpool offside trap down the left; checking inside, the Dane spotted Ketsbaia unmarked at the far post. Tomasson picked him out with his cross, but the Georgian made a hash of his volley, slicing it wide from inside James's six-yard box.
At least Newcastle had interrupted Liverpool's flow, though Hislop was required to make a sharp block at the feet of Leonhardsen as the hour passed. As Newcastle settled, John Barnes's influence in midfield grew.
Yet, even with increasing possession, Newcastle found penetration a problem, defenders and midfielders frequently collecting the ball and then looking baffled at the lack of options. Five minutes from the end of normal time, though, John Beresford muffed a golden chance to send the tie Newcastle's way. It was to prove an expensive miss.
Newcastle Utd: Hislop, Watson, Beresford, Peacock, Albert (Tomasson 45), Hughes, Batty, Lee, Barnes, Gillespie (Ketsbaia 45), Rush. Subs not used: Given. Booked: Watson.
Liverpool: James, McAteer, Harkness, Babb, Matteo, McManaman, Leonhardsen, Ince, Redknapp, Owen (Riedle 115), Fowler. Subs not used: Carragher, Friedel. Booked: Redknapp, Matteo. Goals: Owen 95, Fowler 103.
Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury).
