HT Liverpool 2-1 Oldham: Reds rally after Simpson screamer

A Craig Bellamy goal and a Steven Gerrard penalty got Liverpool out of a worrying hole against their League One visitors in this FA Cup third round tie.

If Oldham expected an easier passage given the home side made eight changes from their midweek encounter at Eastlands, then the sight of Gerrard and seven other full internationals on the Liverpool team-sheet suggested otherwise.

And given the other three names in the team were all England Under-21 internationals, it offered a sobering perspective on the gulf these days in modern football, between the haves of the Premier League, and the have-nots of just about everywhere else.

The top sides are now so powerful they can carry a reserve team bursting with international players from around the world, which contrasts somewhat with the financial experience of the lowly visitors, who have been on the brink of insolvency for some years.

So a visit to Anfield is not only one for the memory bank, it's one for the money bank too - the FA Cup offering a taste of the daddy bears' porridge, even if the fairy tale tends to end there in the modern day competition.

Not that anyone had apparently told Oldham of the usual script these days of plucky underdogs being savaged when they venture into the lair of the ferocious big beasts.

They are made of hardy stuff at Boundary Park - they have to be to play at England's coldest ground - and even the presence of sometime England skipper Gerrard amongst the opposition held no fears for them.

Indeed, it was a remarkable performance from the League One side, to belie their position some 50-odd places below their rivals.

They showed no fear as they dared to take the game to Liverpool, and stun them with a quite astonishing opening goal.

The home side can hardly say they weren't warned either, because Paul Dickov's plucky team created three outstanding chances before their fourth produced, for a few seconds, a seismic shock in the making.

As early as the 10th minute, that mountain of a man Shefki Kuqi bulldozed his way through challenges with Sebastian Coates and Jamie Carragher to find himself in front of goal, but he blazed his shot wide when he probably should have scored.

Soon after, on-loan Norwich defender Tom Adeyemi found himself flying into the box unchallenged to get on the end of Robbie Simpson's corner, and how his header didn't go in is still a mystery.

Simpson was a dynamic presence in the Oldham side all night, and he combined with the young right back to find himself in front of goal on 23 minutes, only to toe-poke his right foot shot wide when - as he illustrated soon after - his left was clearly a better option.

The striker claimed a little bit of history and enjoyed a moment that will stay with him for the rest of his life, when he did rather better with his next chance on 28 minutes.

There seemed little danger when he turned onto a gentle midfield ball from James Wesolowski, but Liverpool backed off too far, and he smashed the bouncing ball into the far corner to embarrass Pepe Reina.

Sadly for Oldham, their fairy tale ran out before the remaining minutes of the game, in fact, it was over before half-time, which was a shame given their adventure and spirit throughout the tie.

They deserved their moment of glory, and perhaps to bask in it a little longer than the two measly minutes Liverpool allowed before levelling.

Mind you, it was some goal from the livewire Bellamy, who has been one of the Reds' players of the season so far.

As Jonjo Shelvey took the ball on the left and cut inside to shoot, Bellamy somehow stooped to get his head onto the ball and divert it into the corner, with a stroke of genius.

Oldham refused to submit, and pushed themselves forward yet more, but on the stroke of half-time their dream seemed to have died, when Liverpool claimed a soft penalty after Maxi went down under Adeyemi's push as he pursued Gerrard's cross.

After four Reds have missed from the spot this season, it was no surprise to see the skipper taking responsibility, and he smashed the pen into the roof of the net via the crossbar to ease Anfield nerves.