ALTHOUGH LIVERPOOL conceded the Premier League title to Manchester United at Selhurst Park last night after a 2-1 defeat to Wimbledon, hopes of better things to come emerged in the person of 18-year-old Michael Owen.
Making his first Premier League appearance as a second half substitute for Patnk Berger, the English youth international revived his side with a coolly taken goal alter Stig Bjornebye had put him through in the 74th minute and was deeply involved in Liverpool's better movements from then on.
Stan Collymore suffered first-hand experience of the bumpiest pitch in the Premiership in the seventh minute when, having evaded Alan Kimble to the right of the penalty area, he prepared to shoot only to stub his toe.
Steve McManaman found similar difficulty running with the ball. Yet he remained crucial to Liverpool's chances of disturbing Wimbledon's solid, settled defence.
Determined to end the season with some sort of flourish, Joe Kinnear used three strikers last night with Robbie Earle never far off making a fourth.
And they managed to maintain an untidy pressure that kept Liverpool's defenders busy without causing them much concern. The opening quarter saw David James hold a free-kick from Neal Ardley and Vinnie Jones was booked for deliberate hand-ball.
Liverpool looked marginally more dangerous at the break but with Robbie Fowler suspended there was not quite the usual hunger near goal.
Berger wasted two promising situations on the left with centres that were either over-hit or misdirected. In the 26th minute he out-witted Kenny Cunningham with a sharp swerve but ended with nothing more than an optimistic appeal for a penalty, accompanied by a dark glance from Jones, after falling over the defender's recovering challenge.
Soon after that Wimbledon were denied a goal only by the agility of James in pushing wide Dean Holdsworth's header alter Jason Euell had glanced on Ardley's cross.
After 41 minutes Liverpool fell behind to an all-too-predictable goal. Their defence froze as Ardley's free-kick sailed over high from the left, and Euell soared in at the far post to head past James on the bounce.
Even then Liverpool should have been level by half-time. Jason McAteer's centre was hard and true, giving Berger a free header as he met it. Unlike Euell, however, the Czech headed wide.
James kept them in the contest in the 47th minute with a point-blank save from Earle's volley, Holdsworth having hooked Kimble's centre back across the goalmouth.
In the 56th minute the truth of Liverpool's vanishing season was more or less confirmed. A careless clearance from Bjorn Kvarme went straight at Ardley, whose cross beat Neil Ruddock and was headed emphatically into the near corner of the net by Holdsworth. McAteer did find Wimbledon's net on the hour but was well offside.
