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*Owen hat-trick hits Völler and Villa*

Until Rudi Völler left his seat in the directors’ box just before the final whistle he had been little more than a face in the crowd. But, as he made his way through dark and unfamiliar street she may well have found himself on the sharp end of some typical scouse joshing.

If the caretaker manager of Germany, who play England in a World Cup qualifier next month, had come to Anfield to assess the form of Dietmar Hamman and Markus Babbel, he will, presumably, have departed mulling over the possible consequences for his country of the startling renaissance of Michael Owen.

As Völler looked on impassively, Owen single-handedly took Aston Villa apart with a fine hat-trick to take his tally to six goals in his last three games for club and country.

“Michael is coming back to what he was before all his injury problems; he is beginning to menace, to scare, defences again,” said Liverpool’s manager Gérard Houllier.

After the trauma which had unfolded 11 days earlier at the Dell - three sloppy goals conceded without so much as a hint of collective defiance - there was a real sense of urgency about Owen and his team-mates last night.

Had the Villa defence been able to boast a similar degree of defiance, they would not have been undone quite so early for barely five minutes had elapsed when Liverpool made a memorable breakthrough.

It was a goal constructed at great speed and beautifully executed, Owen stabbing in powerfully from no great distance after Emile Heskey had outmanoeuvred and outpaced George Boateng and Gareth Barry before crossing exquisitely from the by-line.

It was to get worse for Villa and quickly. John Gregory’s boys were actually starting to play well when they succumbed for a second time.

Both Luc Nilis and Dion Dublin had gone close but success away from home is built on defensive resilience and there was little of that as the red tide rolled ever forward.

It was Owen again, this time arriving unannounced at the far post to head in a Vladimir Smicer corner after the Villa goalkeeper David James had reminded supporters of his former club that his fondness for flapping at anything above waist height has in no way been diminished by his relocation in the Midlands.

Although Villa continued to attack with panache and enthusiasm, Villa had come apart at the back and there was an air of inevitability about Owen’s third goal after 33 minutes, a text-book finish after Alpay Ozalan’s composure had deserted him.

Had Villa folded in the traditional manner they would, of course, have been forgiven but, commendably, they opted to carry the fight to their tormentors, swamping midfield in the forlorn belief that Liverpool would eventually be undone either by complacency or, more probably, boredom.

But, by attempting to retrieve the night, Villa did leave open the prospect of yet more punishment and, as legs began to tire, Owen’s ceaseless running did serve as a timely reminder that gifted goal-scorers are likely to prosper when those charged with containing them are otherwise engaged.

But, as it turned out, Villa scored the only other goal, Steve Stone’s late strike giving them something to reflect on - well, that and a season which has still to yield a victory.