Perhaps now they will stop trotting out that tired line about there being no easy games left in the European arena. Last night Liverpool, as expected, swamped an enthusiastic but ordinary Kosice team to move into the second round.

Liverpool prodded and poked a defence which had proved to be wafer-thin in Slovakia and, in truth, every forward thrust carried the promise of a breakthrough.

Of course when a 22-carat opportunity did fall to a Liverpool striker it was missed. Sixteen minutes in, Marek Spilar was adjudged to have hauled down Owen inside the area, the latest centreback to underestimate the 18-year-old's astonishing turn of speed.

Fowler's penalty was underhit, allowing the goalkeeper Ladislav Molnar to save by dropping down smartly to his right.

Kosice's resistance was to be extended until the 23rd minute when they were undone, fittingly, by a traditional English free-kick routine: Paul Ince rolled the ball to Redknapp who steered in low and hard from 18 yards.

At last, the floodgates were opened. Within 10 minutes of the second-half opening the Merseysiders were four goals to the good.

After Ince had stabbed in from no great distance, Fowler was to profit handsomely from Molnar's curious decision to permit a Stig Bjornebye cross to pass across the face of his goal.

Almost immediately Redknapp whacked in a thunderous drive from in excess of 35 yards to present Liverpool with a third goal in as many minutes.

Liverpool: James; McAteer (Heggem, 65 min), Babb (Matteo, 63), Carragher, Bjornebye; Leonhardsen, Redknapp, Ince (Staunton, 71), Berger; Fowler, Owen.

Kosice: Molnar; Jerich, Dzurik, Spilar, I Kozak; Sovic (Lapsanksy, 62), Nemeth (Kozlej, 62), Kral (Jambor, 57), J Kozak; Zvara, Semenik.

Referee: P Garibain (France)