Liverpool stroll into next round
Steven Gerrard hit a hat-trick in the Reds' 5-0 win
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Tuesday, 15, Jan 2008 10:34
Liverpool put aside fears of a Cup upset as they completed an easy 5-0 home win over troubled Luton in their FA Cup third-round replay.
Once the Reds broke the deadlock just before the interval the Hatters' resistance collapsed allowing Rafael Benitez's side to pile forward in search of more goals.
Ryan Babel looked lively from the start and the young Dutchman came close to engineering an early lead for his side after opening up a yard of space and sending a curling shot against the post.
In-form striker Fernando Torres was another dangerous attacking outlet for the hosts and he could have done better than to blaze well over when played in a few minutes later.
Despite their pressure it was not until first-half injury-time that Liverpool established an advantage as Babel latched onto Torres' perfectly weighted through-ball and slammed a low finish across Dean Brill.
Six minutes after the restart and captain Steven Gerrard nodded in Peter Crouch's headed centre to double the lead and effectively kill off any lingering Luton ambitions.
Sami Hyypia's glancing header at the near post just before the hour made it 3-0 before Gerrard followed in an effort from Torres to poach his second and his side's fourth.
A ferocious shot from distance completed the skipper's hat-trick and ended a sad night for the cash-strapped visitors.