Match report from The Daily Post

AS on Saturday, Luis Garcia had the final say at Upton Park. Sadly he now won't be having a say in the FA Cup final.

An evening of shadow boxing commenced as the two finalists reached into the depths of their squads for the dress rehearsal.

And shadow boxing is precisely what seemed to take place between West Ham United's Hayden Mullins and Liverpool substitute Luis Garcia eight minutes from time.

A wayward elbow into the back from the Spaniard encouraged the home player to respond by unwisely shoving his opponent in the chest. Garcia fell a little too easily to the floor, enraging Hammers manager Alan Pardew and sparking an unseemly confrontation between both sets of players.

It all seemed a bit silly and unnecessary, particularly as there had previously been no hint of rancour during an entertaining encounter. So when referee Howard Webb showed the red card to Mullins and Garcia - who had been on the field for only two minutes - there was a sense of astonishment around Upton Park.

Webb later verified both dismissals were for violent conduct, meaning an automatic three-match ban and no Cup final for either. For Garcia, who watched the remaining moments in tears, the official's confirmation was not required.

Both Pardew and Anfield counterpart Rafael Benitez pleaded clemency and their clubs will lodge appeals with the FA today. But, by the letter of the law, referee Webb was correct and those pleas are likely to fall on deaf ears in Soho Square.

How ironic that before the game Benitez had praised the match-winning talents of Garcia, Liverpool's man for the big occasion.

The red mist overshadowed an encouraging performance from Djibril Cisse, although ironically the Frenchman could yet benefit from his colleague's indiscretion.

The Frenchman's two goals from the previously unchartered waters of the left side of midfield may be among his last for the club but, with Robbie Fowler cup-tied and Garcia now unavailable, the path has opened for the striker to sign off in a positive fashion.

Certainly, following his insipid showing as a second-half substitute against Chelsea on Saturday, the Frenchman owed Liverpool's supporters, his team-mates, his manager and not least himself a decent display.

Cisse's goals earned a ninth successive win for Liverpool that closed the gap on second-placed Manchester United to three points and, in recording their first success in the capital since beating Charlton Athletic in March last year, kept them on course to record their highest-ever points total in Premiership history.

With last night's starting line-up bearing only a passing resemblance to those poised to step out at Cardiff a fortnight on Saturday, neither manager will have garnered much worthwhile information from the encounter.

However, the open nature of the game bodes well for that showpiece occasion, with Cisse's profitable showing perhaps giving Benitez at least one pointer of a possible weak point in the Hammers rearguard.

All told, the Liverpool manager made eight changes to the team that defeated Chelsea at the weekend.

Fowler returned alongside Fernando Morientes in attack while Jerzy Dudek was given only his fourth start of the season in goal in place of the benched Pepe Reina.

Sami Hyypia was left out of the starting line-up for only the fourth time this season in place of Djimi Traore, who partnered Jamie Carragher in defence.

West Ham don't have the same depth of squad as Liverpool but nevertheless sported five alterations from their semi-final winning side, with both Dean Ashton and match-winner Marlon Harewood omitted, the latter on the substitutes' bench.

The game was preceded by an immaculately-observed minute's silence in tribute to former Hammers manager John Lyall, who died last week.

Despite his unaccustomed role, Cisse showed more endeavour and application in the opening moments than he did during his entire lamentable 21-minute substitute appearance at Old Trafford on Saturday.

A direct run down the left ending in the Frenchman cutting inside and firing a powerful shot from 20 yards against the chest of stand-in West Ham goalkeeper James Walker, which preceded the rare sight of Cisse heading Dietmar Hamann's corner over the bar, should have acted as a warning of what was to come for the home side.

But on 19 minutes Liverpool went ahead through Cisse. It was a goal made my a typically forceful run from central midfield by Mohamed Sissoko - excellent in the first half - that ended with the Malian toe-poking a pass into Cisse's path who, with no defenders closing him down, released a venomous low drive that beat Walker at his near post.

The goalkeeper might have done better with his attempts to save but it was a deserved lead for Benitez's side, a Yossi Benayoun cross-shot held by Dudek the only moment of mild panic for the visitors until the closing minutes of the half.

While Cisse prospered, strike rivals Fowler and Morientes failed to fully exploit the huge spaces left by West Ham's defence and created by Sissoko's constant involvement.

Fowler, although seeing one clever chip drift narrowly over, appeared a touch off the pace.

Morientes, in need of goals if only to improve his stock among Liverpool's demanding support, could have done without a rare strike being ruled out for offside.

West Ham took a long time to examine Liverpool's experimental line-up and it was only in the final minute of the half they began to rouse themselves. Teddy Sheringham headed narrowly wide from Benayoun's left-wing cross then, from Bobby Zamora's delivery on the other flank, the Israeli nodded over the bar.

And within a minute of the restart Pardew's side drew level with a goal that, though well-worked, could have been prevented. With Liverpool minds seemingly still in the dressing room, Zamora exchanged passes with Sheringham before rolling the ball across the face of goal for the unmarked Nigel Reo-Coker to tap in.

Sissoko stormed down the opposite end and crossed from the left for the unlucky Morientes to see his improvised volley crash against the underside of the crossbar and clear. However, the Spaniard's next contribution was far more positive as Liverpool regained the lead on 54 minutes.

Morientes fed Fowler on the halfway line who instantly clipped a ball over the top for Cisse to chase. In a similar position against Blackburn, the Frenchman blasted straight against the goalkeeper, but fortune was smiling as his similarly-directed effort was mishit through the legs of Walker and rolled over the line.

Dudek palmed clear a Matthew Etherington free-kick soon after but it was Liverpool who were the more likely to score again with West Ham's defence looking decidedly jittery whenever the visitors gained meaningful possession.

Fowler then wasted a chance to seal victory in the 79th minute, Cisse could have claimed a hat-trick in the final moments but was denied by Walker and Lionel Scaloni fired a speculative effort over as West Ham went in search of an equaliser.

Liverpool may have won the phoney war last night. But they will now travel to Cardiff without the player their manager believes every successful team should contain.

WEST HAM UNITED (4-4-2): Walker; Ferdinand, Collins (Fletcher 46), Ward, Scaloni; Benayoun (Harewood 77), Mullins, Reo-Coker, Etherington; Sheringham, Zamora. Subs: Hislop, Ephraim, Reid.
SENDING-OFF: Mullins (violent conduct).

LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): [Line-up at LFChistory.net]

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