Sunday 6 January 2008 16:00 FA Cup 3rd Round
"Luton Town"	1 - 1	"Liverpool"
	(0-0)
GOAL
Riise 76 og		Crouch 73
Team: 1. Dean Brill, 3. Alan Goodall, 6. Chris Coyne (c), 5. Chris Perry, 21. Keith Keane, 10. Darren Currie, 16. David Edwards, 25. Matthew Spring, 8. David Bell, 20. Calvin Andrew, 19. Drew Talbot. Subs: 12. Richard Jackson, 4. Don Hutchison, 15. Steven O'Leary, 14. Steve Robinson, 29. Paul Furlong.		Team: 30. Charles Itandje, 23. Jamie Carragher (c), 3. Steve Finnan, 4. Sami Hyypia, 6. John Arne Riise, 14. Xabi Alonso, 19. Ryan Babel, 11. Yossi Benayoun, 21. Lucas Pezzini Leiva, 15. Peter Crouch, 18. Dirk Kuyt. Subs: 40. David Martin, 46. Jack Hobbs, 20. Javier Mascherano, 10. Andriy Voronin, 42. Nabil El Zhar.
SUBSTITUTIONS
		Babel (Voronin 70), Alonso (Mascherano 73), Benayoun (El Zhar 85)
OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)
Booked:		Booked: Alonso 44, Riise 68, Hyypia 83
VENUE		MANAGERS
Kenilworth Road (capacity ) Attendance: 10,226		Kevin Blackwell (Luton Town) Rafael Benitez (Liverpool)

  Notes:

  - John Arne Riise scored an own goal on 76'

  LUTON 1-1 LIVERPOOL: THE REPORT

  For the minnows of English football the third round of the FA Cup is always a time to dream that they could draw one of the giants of our game.

  It can pit a side struggling in the lower echelons of the football league against one of the cosmopolitan glamour clubs that strut their stuff week in week out on the Premier League stage.

  So when Luton were drawn at home to Liverpool for the second time in three years the romantics in the game's community were given a tie that would see two sides from very different ends of the football spectrum go head-to-head.

  Back in 2006 it was an FA Cup classic. The lower division outfit powered into a 3-1 lead, and were on the verge of a what would have been a huge giant-killing act, before finally succumbing to the superior qualities of Rafael Benitez's side by a 5-3 scoreline.

  This time around it was different. For all their financial troubles, Luton gave as good as they got and when the full-time whistle blew they had achieved an unlikely draw - and the chance to replay in front of a packed crowd at Anfield.

  In a barnstorming first-half Liverpool were first to show and Ryan Babel could have given Rafael Benitez the perfect start in the first minute but his fierce strike was well saved by Dean Brill after the Dutch winger had slalomed past two defenders.

  But they didn't have it all their own way in the opening exchanges and Dave Edwards should have given the home side a dream start on five minutes but he fired his effort straight at Charles Itandje after he beat the Reds' offside trap to race clear.

  Dirk Kuyt then fired over following a neat interchange with Peter Crouch before Hyypia flashed a header wide from a corner.

              

                     Crouch celebrates his goal at Luton  (Photo: BBC)



  Three minutes later, however, Drew Talbot's cross is put into his own net by John Arne Riise as the Hatters earn a replay  (Photo: BBC)

  

                        Chris Perry and Peter Crouch  (Photo: Empics)

  An end-to-end half saw Luton go close after some great play from Drew Talbot, when the forward outfoxed Hyypia and surged into the box, but thankfully, Itandje was well placed to block his cut-back.

  Peter Crouch then had two great chances to give Liverpool the lead but after his first effort was well saved by Dean Brill, he was unlucky to see his curled effort from 18 yards just wide.

  Kevin Blackwell's side ended the first period strongly and could easily have gone ahead but despite good approach play from Drew Talbot and Calvin Andrew they did not find that elusive opening goal.

  At half-time an upset looked a very real possibility, but Liverpool upped their game following the break and should have led on 48 minutes.

  Kuyt found space on the right hand side of the penalty area but when his drilled cross-shot found Yossi Benayoun on the stretch at the far post, the Israeli somehow contrived to stab his effort wide of a relieved Dean Brill's goal.

  There was more urgency about Liverpool's play and three minutes later the Reds had another chance, but Brill pulled off an astonishing one handed save to keep out John Arne Riise's deflected strike from 25 yards.

  Luton responded with two golden opportunities to pull off an upset but after Darren Currie crossed from the left Drew Talbot headed over from six yards with the goal gaping.

  And on 71 minutes boyhood red Currie nearly fired the goal he had probably dreamed about last night, but his perfectly executed volley flew within a whisker of the far post.

  With over an hour gone, the home side had more than held their own against the Reds, but just when the Hatters' support began to believe they could defy the odds and cause an upset, Liverpool took the lead.

  It came as following a mix-up in the home side's defence that allowed substitute Andriy Voronin to race clean through, and although the Ukrainian forward's effort was well saved by Brill, Peter Crouch was on hand to fire into an empty net.

  It looked like a case of job done, but within three minutes the hosts rekindled their hopes with an opportunist goal from Dave Edwards.

  The midfielder beat Riise at the near post to steer home Talbot's cross from the left to send the home crowd into raptures.

  Both sides then had chances to win it with Riise firing agonisingly wide of the far post and Edwards looping a stunning volley just over, but in the end a draw was a fair result and the sides will have to do it all again in a replay at Anfield.

  Teams

  Luton Town: Brill, Goodall, Coyne (captain), Perry, Keane, Currie, Edwards, Spring, Bell, Talbot, Andrew. Subs - Robinson, Furlong, O'Leary, Jackson, Hutchison.

  Liverpool: Itandje, Riise, Hyypia, Carragher (captain), Finnan, Babel, Alonso, Leiva, Benayoun, Crouch, Kuyt. Subs - Hobbs, Mascherano, El Zhar, Voronin, Martin.

  Referee: Howard Webb

  Conditions: fine

  Attendance: Unknown

  Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Jamie Carragher

  Breakdown

16:02 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Luton get the Cup tie underway
1 min : Almost a dream start as Babel cuts in from the left and drives a low shot towards the bottom corner which Brill does well to save
4 mins : Finnan's back pass is overhit and the ball goes behind for the first corner of the match
5 mins : Great chance for Luton as Edwards goes through on goal but Itandje makes a smart save
11 mins : Kuyt is next to have a chance but he blazes the ball high and wide
17 mins : Great run from Babel down the right and his cross finds Kuyt but the chance goes begging as Luton clear
23 mins : Talbot skins Hyypia down the left but is thwarted by Itandje as he drives a cross into the centre
30 mins : Both sides enjoying possession in what is a lively and open contest so far
36 mins : Crouch's drive from long range is well held by Brill
38 mins : Talbot blasts a drive well wide when well placed on the left side of the box
43 mins : First Booking: Xabi Alonso:
16:48 GMT : Half Time Reached
17:06 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Liverpool get the second period underway with the scores still goalless
48 mins : Andrew almost sets up a chance for Talbot but Itandje is out to smother the danger
49 mins : Kuyt has space on the right and his cross shot is missed by Benayoun at the far post. Good chance
50 mins : Riise's drive takes a deflection and forces Brill into a great save. The Luton keeper also stops the follow up from Lucas
54 mins : Luton miss a brilliant chance when Talbot heads over from close range with only Itandje to beat
58 mins : Andrew tries an ambitious effort from distance but skies the ball well over
67 mins : First Booking: John Arne Riise
70 mins : Substitution: Ryan Babel off, Andriy Voronin on
73 mins : Goal: Peter Crouch. Crouch slots into an empty net after Brill saves from Voronin
73 mins : Substitution: Xabi Alonso off, Javier Mascherano on
76 mins : Own Goal: John Arne Riise. Riise diverts the ball into his own goal under pressure from Edwards
82 mins : First Booking: Sami Hyypia:

  © Copyright of Official Site Liverpool FC