The Boy Wonder will have to wait to join the Hundred Club. Michael Owen and his Liverpool team-mates were brought down to earth last night as Fulham claimed a well-deserved point on chilly Merseyside.
This goalless stalemate had the Kop grumbling in frustration, but, in truth, the home support could have few complaints. Liverpool may have struck the woodwork twice, both courtesy of flicked headers from the inspirational Steven Gerrard, but Fulham, slick and sophisticated, were superb.
As consolation, and with Owen still perched tantalisingly on 99 club goals, a four-point lead at the top had to suffice.
Talk of Owen's impending century had overshadowed preparations for Fulham's visit, though the England striker was not even born the last time the Cottagers visited this arena to contest a league fixture. That was back in 1968 with the Reds romping to a 4-1 win thanks to a brace from Roger Hunt, whose tally of 245 league goals tally for the club will presumably be another of Owen's targets.
Those hoping the visitors would be swamped by an avalanche of home goals - they lost 10-0 here 15 years ago in a League Cup tie - had perhaps forgotten Fulham's rugged display at Anfield last season.
Then a first division club, Jean Tigana's side lost that cup tie only in extra-time when class finally told and the visitors, as their winger Luis Boa Morte admitted, "ran out of steam".
Arriving on a run of seven unbeaten league games, Fulham count themselves equals these days. Their start suggested as much. With fresh legs pumping, Boa Morte was soon tearing on to Sean Davis's pass and turning inside John Arne Riise near the corner flag. But, with Riise sprawled on the turf, Boa Morte overhit his cross.
Only a wonderful challenge from Gerrard stopped the Portuguese trying again moments later. Fulham were as neat and composed as the rave reviews suggested, with their French under-21 international Steed Malbranque a constant threat, loitering menacingly as he does behind the leading scorer Barry Hayles and Louis Saha. The latter's neat pirouette away from Sami Hyypia was followed by a sharp skimming shot which Jerzy Dudek dived to save.
Saha then skipped away from the Finn, his quick feet eventually mesmerising even himself with John Collins pouncing on the loose ball before blazing his shot over.
Liverpool were visibly rattled. Their passing, normally so assured, slipped into the sloppy as busy opponents hassled and cramped their style, with Collins's eagerness to wander infield congesting midfield and stifling the home side's attacking intent.
Yet, as half-time approached, Liverpool belatedly stirred. Jamie Carragher's throw was flicked on by Emile Heskey for Owen to spin and shoot, with Edwin van der Saar flopping on to the unconvincing left-foot shot.
The striker then tore on to Danny Murphy's slide-rule pass, but, with only the goalkeeper to beat, he hit the Dutchman's outstretched legs.
As Owen drew a blank, Gerrard tried his luck, leaping to flick Gary McAllister's free-kick on to a post. Van der Saar watched helplessly as that effort spun to safety but he picked himself up to punch McAllister's corner to the edge of the area where the England midfielder cushioned a first-time lob back towards goal. Sufficiently alert, the Dutch international touched the shot over the bar.
After the interval, Riise's cross narrowly eluded Patrik Berger and the previously anonymous Murphy's sprints down the right momentarily checked Collins's influence.
There was clearly joy to be had down that flank and, latching on to Carragher's pass, Owen bamboozled Alain Goma and fizzed the ball across the six-yard box. Heskey, with Andy Melville in attendance, miskicked in front of the open goal.
The Kop barely had time to vent their frustrations at that miss when McAllister and Gerrard repeated their dose from the first half, the former pinging a free-kick into the area where his team-mate's flick rebounded back off the post. But, Fulham retained a threat on the break.
After watching Owen head meekly into Van der Saar's hand and the goalkeeper tear back into his area to tip Murphy's shot behind, Boa Morte raced the length of the pitch unchallenged only to drag a shot wide.
Man-of-the-match Melville said manager Tigana had warned the players about the danger the Owen-Heskey partnership would pose but he felt they coped with the threat well.
"It is a big scalp for us because they have been scoring a lot of goals lately," he said. "We just got away with a point tonight. Owen is very difficult - he is never still. I thought we dealt with Heskey and Owen well."
LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Riise, Murphy (Biscan 81), Gerrard, McAllister, Berger (Litmanen 66), Heskey, Owen. Subs Not Used: Kirkland, Diomede, Wright.
FULHAM: Van der Sar, Finnan, Melville, Goma, Brevett, Boa Morte, Davis (Legwinski 59), Malbranque, Collins, Saha, Hayles. Subs Not Used: Clark, Taylor, Knight, Stolcers.
Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).
