Emile Heskey's two second-half headers Wednesday gave Liverpool a 4-3 victory at Blackburn and a place in the final 16 of England's League Cup.
Heskey, who upped his season goal total to four, scored both headers -- in the 49th and 61st -- from inside the box, each time beating Blackburn's American 'keeper Brad Friedel.
Heskey could have had his third in the 75th, but Friedel stopped him on a penalty attempt diving to his left, and then thwarted him again as he tried to kick in the rebound.
Australian Harry Kewell got the fourth in the 79th with Barry Ferguson and Dwight Yorke scoring late for Blackburn.
The goals may help the big center forward out of a scoring slump.
"It always does well for your confidence to get goals," Heskey said. "So it's nice to get on the scoresheet."
"You want to stick them in and get the hat trick, but we came away with the win so we're happy."
In two other all-Premier League showdowns, Aston Villa defeated Leicester 1-0 as German substitute Thomas Hitzlsperger got the deciding goal 14 minutes from the end.
Everton won over Charlton 1-0 on Tobias Linderoth's winner in the 42nd.
Five other Premier League teams were also in action against lower-division rivals.
The biggest mismatch appeared to be Chelsea, which fielded a side costing about PD75 million (US$127 million) against second-division Notts County, whose lineup cost about 1/75th that much.
Chelsea won 4-2 with goals from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, two from Eidur Gudjohnsen -- one on a penalty -- and a fourth from Joe Cole. Tony Barras and Mark Stallard scored for Notts County.
Middlesbrough took a 2-0 lead on goals by Massimo Maccarone and Gaizka Mendieta with Jimmy Bullard scoring for first-division Wigan in the 75th.
Portsmouth and Forest were tied 2-2 after regulation time, but Portsmouth pulled away in extra time on goals by Jason Roberts and Yakubu Ayegbini. Eugen scored Forest's two goals.
Tied 1-1 after regulation, Lee Hughes got the winner in extra time in first-division West Brom's 2-1 victory over Newcastle. West Brom got its opening goal on a first-half own-goal by Shola Ameobi. Laurent Robert scored for Newcastle in the 65th.
Bobby Zamora scored the winner for Tottenham in extra time in the 1-0 win over West Ham.
Wales coach Mark Hughes is trying to downplay talk of possibly becoming Tottenham's new coach.
Hughes' Wales side faces Russia next month in two Euro 2004 playoff games with the survivor advancing to the European Championship finals next year in Portugal.
Wales is trying to reach its first final of a major tournament since 1958.
"I have had no contact with Spurs, nor do I expect there to be any," he said. "Do not get me wrong, it is flattering to be linked with a big club like Spurs, but I really see such speculation as recognition for the work I have done as Wales manager, which perhaps Welsh managers have not had in the past."
Mark Bosnich arrested
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich has been arrested for an alleged assault on his former girlfriend Sophie Anderton.
The Press Association, Britain's domestic news agency, said Bosnich was detained on Tuesday night in west London after a ``domestic'' incident involving Anderton.
The new agency reported Anderton was taken to a hospital with bruising and later discharged.
The Australian was treated for depression last year after being suspended from Chelsea for failing a drugs test.
RSS