0-3

ANYONE who thinks the English FA Premiership is a two-horse race had better think again.

Liverpool gave their own view yesterday, and an emphatic one it was, three goals in the first eight minutes burning off Aston Villa's pretensions.

They were simply awesome for half an hour yesterday, the pace and incisiveness of their attacks tearing apart the defence which had been the best in the Premiership.

Robbie Fowler, who took his total to 29 goals for the season, and Steve McManaman were devastating, but it was hard to find a Liverpool player who was less than excellent.

Apart from Dwight Yorke, Villa, by contrast, were collectively below par in some cases more than one degree.

By the half-hour, the Villa supporters were giving their view of their defenders performance, with a mournful chant of "Oooh Ahhh Paul McGrath," even though it would have taken more than the absent Irishman to rescue them.

It said everything about Villa's day that Savo Milosevic and Ugo Ehiogu were booked in the final two minutes,

Savo Milosevic for kicking the ball away, Ehiogu for a scything tackle from behind on Fowler.

Milosevic will now serve a suspension before the Coca-Cola Cup final, but, for reasons best known to himself, Keith Cooper decided that Ehiogu should be booked for ungentlemanly rather than violent conduct leaving the player on 19 points instead of 21.

Ridiculously, unless he is booked playing for the reserves on Tuesday a handy escape route for Villa he will be at risk in Villa's next two matches.

"If what Ehiogu did was only two points, the whole system needs looking at," Brian Little. the Villa manager, said afterwards the first time a manager has been known to complain that one of his own players was not dealt with firmly enough.

Liverpool could not have had a better start, taking the lead with a splendid goal after 78 seconds. After around 20 passes, Stan Collymore's low cross found John Barnes and he flicked the ball to Steve McManaman who finished his intelligent run with a volley low below Bosnich's right hand.

Collymore had a shot saved but, by the fourth minute, Villa's defence had been breached again. Another intricate series of passes ended with Jason McAteer supplying McManaman who transferred the ball to Fowler. Fowler, received it with his back to goal, turned away from Steve Staunton. and beat Bosnich with a rising drive from 30 yards.

Four minutes later, Fowler timed his run to avoid an offside flag and accept Rob Jones' pass down the left. He cut in and, shooting from a narrow angle, beat Bosnich who did no more than deflect the ball on its way.

At 3-0 Villa at last went forward, for the first time and Andy Townsend showed that they were taking part in the game with a shot over the bar.