`Rest' brings out best in Owen

As Roy Evans' and Gerard Houllier's press conference broke up, Evans held open the door, half turned to the fragmenting gathering and said: "A good team performance, don't forget that."

Evans was indicating that he hoped to see such an assessment in print although he knew he was on to a loser when somebody muttered: "Good team performance - not a great line, that."

Evans was aware, of course, that the headlines had already been written and as he acknowledged, not for the last time, they would be "all about Michael".

As Michael James Owen had just scored a quartet of goals after playing second fiddle in midweek, and after being rested and restored after a run of six league games without a goal, this Anfield Saturday was always going to be about Michael. Eighteen years, 10 months and 10 days may be a ripe age for a comeback, but having been relegated to the bench against Valencia this was the perception.

Fear of physical burn-out and emotional fatigue were cited as explanations for that decision - "mental freshness," according to Houllier, being the reason Robbie Fowler stepped down here - although as Owen, match ball in hand, pointed out, with the score at 0-0 on Tuesday he had been sent on for the last 15 minutes and that is not what he considers to be a rest. "Two or three weeks sitting around doing nothing, I think that is what you call a rest," he said, spikily.

Owen had just been asked: "Michael, do you feel tired?" and his reply was unambiguous. "No, I don't, and it annoys me when people start saying that that `his four goals' are going to prove the manager right for dropping me for 75 minutes. I think it is a load of rubbish.

"It's not as if I have changed my game. I've been playing that way virtually every week for Liverpool but I was given a good piece of advice before the game from, I'll not name him, and he said `you don't have to change anything, a goal will come and then you will start scoring again'."

Would Owen tell the management if he did feel tired? "Yes I would, I'd do the team justice. I would tell them, I think it's only wise and professional to do that."

Wise, professional and 18, Owen even found time to please Evans by saying: "The most important thing was that it was a great performance by the lads, not just one player."

The greatness of the Liverpool display was hard to gauge, however, mainly because of Nottingham Forest's singular lack of conviction. Passion is the least expected of a side managed by Dave Bassett yet their capitulation was alarming, especially when the likes of Charlton and Barnsley had done so well recently at this now noiseless, neutered venue.

Bassett felt a similar scenario might have unfolded after Dougie Freedman's fierce 18th-minute drive had equalised Owen's electrifying 11th-minute opener - his first goal at Anfield this season - but any hope of some Forest fire was extinguished when Owen and Patrik Berger exploited an embarrassing Steve Chettle miskick to provide Steve McManaman with the chance to score his first of the season. McManaman spanked the ball nervelessly past Dave Beasant.

That came five minutes after Freedman's equaliser and the contest was over before half-time, when Owen received the benefit of Jason McAteer's hefty challenge in midfield and ran around the blundering Jon Olav Hjelde to stroke the ball in with his "weaker" left foot.

Owen's second hat-trick of the season came from the penalty spot after Karlheinz Riedle had tricked Alan Rogers and the fourth goal, 13 minutes from the end, came from a long throw by David James. Beasant saved his first effort but Owen seized the rebound.

Liverpool: James, McAteer, Staunton, McManaman (Thompson 78), Owen, Riedle, Heggem, Berger, Ince, Bjornebye, Carragher. Subs Not Used: Fowler, Harkness, Kvarme, Friedel. Goals: Owen 10, McManaman 23, Owen 38, 71 pen, 77.

Nottingham Forest: Beasant, Rogers, Chettle, Hjelde, Stone, Gemmill, Shipperley, Bart-Williams, Freedman, Armstrong, Bonalair. Subs Not Used: Louis-Jean, Crossley, Lyttle, Gray, Harewood. Booked: Hjelde. Goals: Freedman 18.

Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).