Tony Cascarino took his leave of Lansdowne Road in the grand manner yesterday as an Ireland selection struck with two goals in the last three minutes to send at least some of those in a crowd of 36,000 streaming away from the stadium happy.

Tradition demands that when the cut-throat business of championship football is set aside the principals in testimonial games are afforded room and time to indulge themselves.

Yet in a fine game which in spite of the proliferation of replacements in the second half maintained an admirable pace throughout, there were no obvious giveaways as Cascarino, in his last appearance in a green shirt, delivered for his legion of supporters.

His first in the 83rd minute at a stage when the scores were level 1-1 was a trademark goal, curled in with his left foot after Phil Babb had deflected Mark Kennedy's cross to his feet.

And then, with the game won, he crowned the occasion, this time with the aid of Jamie Redknapp's deflection after Steve Finnan's precise cross had put the visitors in trouble in the first instance.

Steve Staunton, the other beneficiary on a day when two of the central personalities in Ireland's golden years were suitably honoured, had by then departed the scene but not before reminding Mick McCarthy that he still has much to offer the national team.

It was a spectacular end to a game which was one of the better end-of-season attractions. Liverpool, as is their wont, were competitive at least in the opening half before the arrival of 12 substitutes devalued the occasion somewhat.

The enduring charisma of Liverpool in Ireland as much as the pedigrees of Cascarino and Staunton brought out the fans in their droves and with the trauma of their late Premiership collapse which cost them a place in next season's Champions League set aside at least temporarily, they scarcely disappointed.

The crowd had to wait until the start of the second half for the arrival of Michael Owen but even without the golden boy, they made the perfect start with a goal from Emile Heskey after only four minutes.

Shaking off Richard Dunne's challenge with disturbing ease, the big man confronted Alan Kelly in a one-on-one situation before sliding the ball wide of the goalkeeper. That was the kind of artistry which had eluded Gerard Houllier's team in their last four Premiership games but now the effect on their Irish supporters was mesmeric.

At that point McCarthy may have feared for the chances of his weakened team avoiding an embarrassing defeat, but out of that disquieting start they fashioned an impressive recovery.

Stephen McPhail, nudging the ball with consummate skill, looked wholly composed in the task of complementing Mark Kinsella in central midfield and Dunne improved after that early error to deny Heskey and Robbie Fowler a clear-cut chance for the rest of the half.

There was, too, an impressive contribution from Gary Breen who, sensing that he had a point to prove, was at once authoritative and comfortable on the ball.

Steve Carr proved that the vicissitudes of a long season have not blighted his form for Ireland's upcoming games and it required two expansive early saves by Sander Westerveld, to deny Staunton a goal at a time when the game hadn't yet been diluted by the need to give those on the bench a chance of stretching their legs.

That was as close as Ireland came to scoring in the opening 45 minutes although Niall Quinn was unlucky when, reaching for Robbie Keane's cross, he volleyed the ball narrowly over the top.

With the introduction of Owen for the second half, Liverpool lost no time in the attempt to consolidate their advantage but the England centre forward, sent clear by Fowler, should have done better with only Dean Kiely, a replacement for Alan Kelly, to beat in the 56th minute.

From that point, Ireland were in control and the visitors had already survived uneasily on a couple of occasions when Dominic Foley, a relatively new name to the home supporters, equalised in the 72nd minute.

Mark Kennedy, quite superb in his delivery of the ball, provided the cross and Foley's header struck the underside of the crossbar before dropping over the line. For Kennedy, revelling in the challenge of undoing his old club, it was the start of a purple patch and he repeated it shortly afterwards to set up Cascarino's first goal.

Owen, in suspicious space, converged on David Thompson's through-pass to restore the visitors to equality in the 85th minute and at that point, a draw looked likely.

But the home team, revelling in the earlier departure of Sami Hyppia and Frode Kippe, had other thoughts. Robbie Keane withdrawn and later recalled, headed them into the lead, again from another superb Kennedy cross, before Cascarino wrote a fitting postscript to it all in injury time.

Republic of Ireland: A Kelly (Blackburn): S Carr (Tottenham), G Breen (Coventry), R Dunne (Everton), S Staunton (Liverpool), J McAteer (Blackburn), M Kinsella (Charlton), S McPhail (Leeds Utd), M Kennedy (Manchester City), N Quinn (Sunderland), R Keane (Coventry). Substitutes: P Babb (Liverpool) for Staunton (42 mins), D Kiely (Charlton) for Kelly (45 mins), S Finnan (Fulham) for McAteer (45 mins), D Duff (Blackburn) for Keane (53 mins), K Kilbane (Sunderland) for McPhail (55 mins), A Cascarino (Red Star, Paris) for Quinn (54 mins), D Foley (Watford) for Dunne (65 mins), Keane for Breen (74 mins).

Liverpool: S Westerveld: R Song, S Hyppia, F Kippe, D Traore: D Thompson, D Murphy, S Gerrard, T Camara: R Fowler, E Heskey. Substitutes: M Owen for Heskey (45 mins), J Redknapp for Gerard (45 mins), J Carragher for Kippe (45 mins), S Henchoz for Hyypia (45 mins), E Meijer for Fowler (64 mins), J Miles for Camara (74 mins).

Referee: G Perry (Dublin).