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Michael Owen may just have been watching the credits roll on his England career as coach Fabio Capello swatted away the merest notion of him being enlisted for World Cup combat to confront Ukraine.

England strikers dropped like fallers at Aintree's first in - but Capello still refused to countenance the recall of a marksman proven over time at the highest level.

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Capello has a case in this instance because Owen is still in recovery from the latest in a string of injuries, but the Italian is nobody's fool and surely it would be folly to erase the 29-year-old from his plans on a permanent basis?

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Wayne Rooney brings out the comedian in Fabio Capello - whether he is talking about the "crazy man" who saw red at Fulham or the "crazy joker" in the pack who can be England's World Cup wildcard.

And Capello had plenty of reasons to smile and indulge in his own brand of wise-cracking in Wembley's basement after Rooney displayed all the positives contained within his unique football package as were dismissed by England.

Capello's Slovakian counterpart Vladimir Weiss, who once fell victim to a fledgling Paul Gascoigne when playing for Czechoslovakia at Wembley in 1990, admitted his side had been given "a slap behind the ear."

Rooney delivered the decisive slaps - but in a good way as opposed to . He was, like England's new kit, whiter than white.

Slovakia were perfect cannon fodder for England to work over ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Wednesday, but in Rooney and Steven Gerrard Capello had two players who would have excelled against any opposition.

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Fabio Capello's light-hearted jibe at was undoubtedly laced with enough of a hint of menace to get an unequivocal message across to England's players about the dangers of indiscipline.

And having addressed events arising from Rooney's red card at Fulham - which included an impromptu punch-up with a defenceless corner flag - and , Capello can now focus on the football.

The Italian's mind will be on discipline of different kind, namely tactical, and ensuring England's currently flawless progress towards next summer's World Cup in South Africa gathers further momentum in Saturday's friendly against Slovakia and the qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Wednesday.

in February acted as both a reality check on the increasing - and mostly justified - optimism surrounding Capello's progress and a lesson in what will be required to win the World Cup.

England can take another giant stride towards South Africa in the next few days - and the Slovakia friendly will prove a vital exercise as Capello puts his plans into place.

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Martin O'Neill is a noted criminologist who once used .

So who better than O'Neill to sift through the clues and intrigue of the Premier League title campaign as Liverpool's push gained ominous momentum by thrashing ?

O'Neill, normally a picture of hyperactive perpetual motion, looked drained by the harrowing experience as he assembled the various strands of what is becoming an increasingly complicated season finale.

He then made a somewhat unconvincing argument for Manchester United retaining their crown as he said: "I'd have to say the best manager in the world will not let a couple of defeats get under his skin."

O'Neill may well be right - but after a weekend that saw the champions demonstrate incompetence and in equal measure at Fulham, there is no doubt which team is currently being carried along with greater impetus.

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Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry captured the Champions League mood perfectly with the words: "It's that time of the year again."

It is the time of the year when England's big four dominate the draw for the later stages of Europe's elite tournament - and the time of the year when that draw pairs Liverpool and Chelsea.

- after three meetings in the semi-finals since 2005, plus an encounter in the group phase.

If the draw brought looks of resignation from the Liverpool and Chelsea camps in Nyon, as well as offering up a hazardous encounter with Villarreal for Arsenal, an air of satisfaction may just have descended on Old Trafford after a troubled week.

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Rafael Benitez can now add a lucrative five-year contract and the increased control he craved at Liverpool to his two other landmark victories in the last seven days.

Benitez's stock could only have been higher as five months of protracted, complicated and occasionally fractious discussions entered their final phase on Wednesday afternoon if he had been able to bang down the Champions League and Premier League trophies on the negotiating table.

He may yet be able to do that come May - but the manner and scale of Liverpool's wins against in Europe and at home made this the perfect time to underscore the mood of optimism currently coursing through Anfield.

After being granted greater influence over Liverpool's transfers, a source of irritation for several seasons, and the club's under-achieving youth academy at Kirkby, there was .

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Sir Alex Ferguson was like an old streetfighter lying bloodied and beaten in his corner - defiantly insisting his victorious opponent had never laid a glove on him.

was selling the message that Manchester United were the better side against Liverpool at Old Trafford. No-one was buying that when a 4-1 scoreline in favour of the visitors slightly contradicted his argument.

Liverpool's win was as impressive as it was deserved and the even the lavish victory margin provoked few arguments, despite Ferguson's protestations.

And while this triumph for Rafael Benitez's side may not have blown the door to the Premier League title wide open, there is little doubt the emphatic manner of the win has pushed it slightly ajar.

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Liverpool's players only just stopped short of forming an orderly queue to talk up their chances of rekindling the flames of a flickering title challenge at Manchester United on Saturday.

And who could blame them? This was Liverpool basking in the warm afterglow of a blistering execution of Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

as they prowled the corridors of Anfield, optimism shaped by a and adrenalin following a performance Real found impossible to live with.

Liverpool and manager Rafael Benitez will need to hold every one of those positive thoughts as they visit Old Trafford for what now represents the defining moment of their Premier League season.

And if they needed a dry run to demonstrate exactly what is required to fashion the win that is their only option at Manchester United, the display against Real provided it.

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Jose Mourinho left Old Trafford a loser - but "the Special One" was still pure box office as he threw his weight behind the growing belief that Manchester United can successfully pull off their historic pursuit of five trophies.

It was not just Manchester United's Champions League win against Inter Milan that was a complete lock-out. The same applied to Mourinho's after-match inquest.

Mourinho's charisma is such that the doors were slammed shut on Old Trafford's media theatre as demand for spaces outstripped supply while he held court.

It took a dash through a briefly unlocked door and a dart beneath a cameraman's armpit to catch Mourinho's words. Undignified but undoubtedly worthwhile: especially when it came to hearing his verdict on his old foe Sir Alex Ferguson's attempt to write fresh chapters in United's history.

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, the Champions League demolition of the Real Madrid's fallen Galacticos provides him with more than enough to fill the gap.

Benitez's claim is a because he is always afforded huge credit for his expertise in Europe. It is simply countered by puzzlement at his difficulty in mastering the subtleties and peaks and troughs of a long Premier League campaign.

Liverpool's advance into the last eight of Champions League provided further compelling proof that Benitez has few peers as a strategist on this stage.

And if Benitez wanted to deliver specific evidence that he is worthy of the greatest respect for his achievements in this tournament, then Liverpool's stunning display at a typically raucous Anfield can be produced as Exhibit A.

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Manchester United gave Chelsea and Liverpool an inch - then took a crucial, hard mile towards retaining the Premier League title.

For 11 minutes all the conditions that traditionally constitute a surprise were in place as Newcastle's own fight for survival threatened to stir the mix at the top end of the table.

The unwelcoming Tyneside night. The surface made treacherous by a hailstorm. The desperate opposition clinging to the gift of an early goal courtesy of an awful error by Manchester United's record-breaking goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

It was not just Newcastle United who could sense the shock - the anticipation would have been just as keenly felt by Chelsea coach and Liverpool counterpart Rafael Benitez as they wait desperately for a crack to appear in Manchester United's armour.

But as Manchester United pulled away from St James' Park and out of a freezing Newcastle, they left broken dreams behind them.

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Sir Alex Ferguson bristled and unleashed his best "turn to stone" glare at the mere hint that history might be about to wrap Manchester United in its warm embrace once more.

Ferguson was on familiar territory after against unfortunate Spurs at Wembley after a final that was intriguing without ever fulfilling its early promise.

The question was justified, the answer a perfect example of expectation management from a man who has mastered the art in a silver-lined Old Trafford career.

United have added the Carling Cup to the , have strengthened their grip on the Premier League even after a day off from that particular domestic combat, are in the last eight of the FA Cup and nicely placed to reach the Champions League quarter-final.

So, Ferguson was asked, can United successfully complete the biggest clean sweep of them all?

"It's a media thing" was Ferguson's dismissive, instant response. Far be it from me to disagree with the great man but it is not "a media thing"- it is a genuine, realistic possibility.

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