THE QUALITY of Michael Owen, so precious to his club and to England, lifted the supposed clouds hanging over the Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier yesterday. Scoring twice and creating a third goal for Harry Kewell, Owen kept his head while many around him were losing theirs, and delivered a fourth consecutive victory over Everton for the red half of Merseyside — a record under Houllier’s management.

But if you looked into the eyes of the French manager after the game, you would have seen that he remains hounded by the ferocity of criticism, the threat — at least from outside Liverpool — that his job is on the line. What on earth are we thinking of? It is August, the season has barely got into stride, and even the kids in the street are taunting one another as to how long Liverpool will retain their manager.

Some people say there are no pressures in the millionaires’ game of football: again, look at the features of Houllier and remind yourself that he is one of the most likeable men coaching football and, after his heart attack two years ago, one of the more susceptible.

As a game of football, this 169th Merseyside derby was compelling without being a classic. Three goals was never the true margin of disparity, because although Liverpool had the greater depth of quality, Everton were hungrier, at times more compact and the more direct.

That amalgam, fused on to the team by manager David Moyes, was too blatantly apparent in the first tackle of the match, which was grotesque. Gary Naysmith chased after El Hadji Diouf. The ball was three yards away, Diouf was already over the touchline and off the field, yet Naysmith carried on with his intent and took the player with both feet off the ground. A yellow card for such malice was futile.

Surprisingly, the players got a grip and the contest assumed a familiar pattern. Everton, in a very British style, stood four-square at the back and across midfield and hurriedly tried to get the ball to their sprinters, Tomasz Radzinski and Wayne Rooney. They had the better of the opening quarter, but the tackle that changed the match came after 23 minutes from Igor Biscan. The emergency centre-back kept pace with Radzinski inside the penalty box. He knew he would have to tackle, he knew he would have to be incisive and clean, and he was all of those.

Liverpool’s style, much more continental and complex, took longer to evolve. It centred on deploying Steven Gerrard as the sole anchor, the ball-winner in midfield, and in front of him a line of three physical lightweights — Diouf on the right, Kewell on the left and Vladimir Smicer the commander of the trio. The style requires them to alternate, to use brain as well as feet.

Where time is granted to no man is in the penalty box, and it is where Owen excels. Before a crowd of 40,200, he scored an exquisite goal from his first chance, indeed the first time he was able to face the opposition net with the ball in front of him. It was created by Kewell, cutting in this time from the right and withstanding a heavy challenge from David Unsworth. Seeing Owen lurking behind Alessandro Pistone, Kewell delivered the ball swiftly. The finish from Owen, left-footed across the body of goalkeeper Steve Simonsen, was inch-perfect, against the base of the far post and into the net.

The relief under a near cloudless sky was evident. This was Liverpool’s first goal in free play this season.

Yet immediately after that, and also after the second goal, Rooney was twice foiled by Jerzy Dudek. There is less mercy in Owen’s finishing.

The second goal came on 52 minutes. This time Owen’s partner Milan Baros, also having a fine game, was the creator. He slipped inside Joseph Yobo, held off Alan Stubbs and laid the ball back invitingly for Owen to pick his spot.

Even then, Liverpool had the luck. Thirteen minutes from time a free kick from Mark Pembridge bamboozled Dudek, hit the underside of the crossbar and rebounded to safety.

Three minutes later Owen drew Simonsen out of his goal and attempted to complete his hat-trick with a chip, and when Yobo prevented that from crossing the line, the rebound fell as a gift to Kewell. Liverpool’s new Australian forward had done what some great Anfield names, among them Kevin Keegan, had never done: score in the Merseyside derby.

As Moyes lamented that Liverpool took the chances and Everton wasted theirs, Houllier simply had an air of gratitude. “Michael is 23,” he said of Owen. “Big games take big players to be decisive.” Indeed they do. The psychological burden so heavy around Liverpool might now be lifted.

Everton: Simonsen, Pistone, Yobo, Stubbs, Unsworth (Gravesen 45), Watson, Linderoth (Ferguson 71), Pembridge, Naysmith, Radzinski, Rooney.

Subs Not Used: Weir, Chadwick, Turner.

Booked: Naysmith, Watson, Rooney.

Liverpool: Dudek, Finnan, Biscan, Hyypia, Carragher, Gerrard, Diouf (Riise 89), Smicer (Murphy 72), Kewell, Baros (Heskey 73), Owen.

Subs Not Used: Diao, Kirkland.

Booked: Kewell, Finnan, Baros.

Goals: Owen 39, 52, Kewell 80.

Att: 40,200

Ref: M Riley (W Yorkshire).

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