SOCCER / English FA Cup / Birmingham City 0-7 Liverpool: Birmingham's hex on Rafael Benitez had always looked like a figment of the imagination. Not that anyone at St Andrew's could have imagined the Spaniard would inflict a first victory over Birmingham in such humiliating circumstances.
Within four minutes the contest was over as Liverpool tore into their vapid hosts, though far greater pain followed as the European Champions exposed Birmingham's glaring deficiencies with alarming ease, running up their biggest win under Benitez.
Indeed, such was the misery of this thumping defeat that come the end Steve Bruce and not the Birmingham defence was most in need of protection. The Birmingham manager, sheltered by a significant police presence for virtually the entire second half, suffered the ignominy of an irate fan running in his direction before the interval. The supporter was belatedly stopped in his tracks.
Benitez's side cut through Birmingham effortlessly. This was nothing short of shooting practice for his side, who cantered to their 22nd FA Cup semi-final and their first for five years.
Having gorged on the feast served up by Newcastle's and Fulham's benign defences, Liverpool arrived in buoyant mood. Two victories and eight goals in the space of four days imbued confidence in weary limbs; this was Liverpool's 53rd match of the season and their second in 72 hours following the triumph at St James' Park on Sunday.
Home fans were still taking their seats when Sami Hyypia, afforded the freedom of the Birmingham penalty area, headed past a startled Maik Taylor after 54 seconds. Not for the first time this season Bruce placed his head in his hands, gripped by a sense of disbelief.
With just over four minutes on the clock the lead was doubled. Again there was no protection for Taylor as Peter Crouch stooped to head in his 11th goal in his last 24 appearances.
The announcer's pre-match attempts to clear-up uncertainty about whether there would be a replay in the event of a draw after 90 minutes had been rendered risible before Liverpool had the chance to break into a sweat. This was no laughing matter for Birmingham fans, though. Few would have arrived envisaging a place in the semi-finals for the first time in 31 years but at the very least they expected to see effort from their embattled side. Not even the absence of nine first-team players was an excuse for their torpor in the early stages.
Crouch twice came close to adding a third before the eighth minute. Frustrations threatened to boil over at that point as fans vented their anger, though their misery would be compounded later in the half when Crouch inevitably doubled his tally. Shortly after that third goal a Birmingham supporter slipped past the stewards and made his way towards Bruce. The offender was escorted from the pitch though he had made his feelings known.
Indeed the biggest concern on the Liverpool bench was Mohamed Sissoko's goggles. The Mali international was sporting protective eye-wear after he suffered retina damage in Lisbon a month ago, though his apparent discomfort prompted them to be discarded midway through the first half. His inclusion from the start was unexpected, though he had justified his place within seconds, flicking on Gerrard's free-kick for Hyypia to nod in.
Sissoko was also involved in Liverpool's second goal, feeding Gerrard on the right. The captain swept a fine ball into the area that Crouch, darting ahead of Kenny Cunningham, headed powerfully towards goal. Taylor made a hash of his attempts to keep the ball out, gifting Liverpool a second goal. The third, from the right boot of Crouch after Luis Garcia evaded several challenges, inflicted further embarrassment.
The rout continued after the interval as Fernando Morientes slotted home inside the six-yard box after Steve Finnan, Garcia and Gerrard combined.
With 20 minutes remaining John Arne Riise joined the party, blasting home an unstoppable fifth.
Liverpool hardly needed any help though Birmingham obliged all the same; Olivier Tebily turning Harry Kewell's cross into his own net before Djibril Cisse made it seven.
BIRMINGHAM: Maik Taylor, Melchiot, Cunningham, Martin Taylor (Tebily 45), Painter, Pennant, Johnson (Bruce 75), Clemence, Clapham, Forssell, Dunn (Kilkenny 71). Subs not used: Vaesen, Lazaridis. Booked: Clemence, Johnson, Bruce.
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore (Kewell 22), Alonso, Gerrard (Cisse 71), Sissoko, Riise, Crouch (Morientes 56), Luis Garcia. Subs not used: Dudek, Kromkamp. Goals: Hyypia 1, Crouch 5, 38, Morientes 59, Riise 70, Tebily 77 og, Cisse 89.
Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).
