Liverpool vs Anderlecht

FULL-TIME: Job done for Liverpool. Slick and professional, and some confidence-boosting goals for two of their mis-firing strikers.

So, Liverpool's passage to the knock-out stages seems all-but complete. The defence of their trophy will be a prolonged one.

"You'll never walk alone" rings out from the terraces. It has been a very professional performance from the home side tonight.

The crowd are delighted with Cisse's strike; the young Frenchman seems to have become an Anfield favourite since his return from the horrific injury he suffered at the start of last season.

GOAL! Cisse makes it 3-0 as he sprints on to Kewell's pass and slides the ball under Proto as the keeper came out to meet him. Game over.

SHOT! Cisse cuts inside from the left and fires in a low, right-foot shot, but Proto gets down quickly to save to his right.

BLOCK! Zewlakow exchanges passes with Wilhelmsson inside the penalty area, but Carragher flies across to put in a superb block as the Anderlecht man tried to send over a low cross.

Kewell skips round two challenges as he approaches goal, through the middle. The Aussie tries to slide a pass in to the feet of Cisse, but the off-side flag stops the Frenchman in his tracks.

SUB: Bassegio replaces Mpenza. Anderlecht use their final change, a striker for a striker.

Carragher brings down Mpneza out on the left wing. Free-kick.

Liverpool have got in to a lot of good positions in wide areas in the second half, but have been fairly unproductive.

GREAT CROSS! Superb cross from Zenden on the left wing, across the six-yard box. Cisse and Garcia slide in at the far post, but combine to send the ball wide.

SUB: Gerrard off, Kewell on. Benitez takes the chance to rest his captain as the result seems under little threat. Kewell gets his first outing of the season at Anfield as he attempts to come back from injury.

What seemed to happen was that Sissoko and Jestrovic barged each other in a challenge. As the Anderlecht striker trotted away, he seemed to say something to the Liverpool midfielder that was heard by the referee, who promptly showed him the read card.

Jestrovic was mystified as to why he had been shown the red card. A committee of Anderlecht players surrounded Kim Milton Nielsen after the decision; they were as confused as the rest of us.

OFF! Very strange. Jestrovic, the substitute who has only been on the field for a couple of minutes, is sent off. Replays suggest it must have been for something he said to Sissoko after the pair came together in midfield.

HIGH! Gerrard and Risse swap cross-field balls before the Liverpool captain lays a pass in to the path of Alonso. The Spaniard, who scored last week, skies a shot high and wide from 25 yards.

Cisse's introduction will be an attempt to exploit the space that Anderlecht will leave at the back as they press for a way back in to the match.

Cisse's first contribution is to win his side a corner when he breaks down the right and tries to cut in to the penalty area.

SUB: Crouch off, Cisse on. Crouch is warmly applauded as he leaves the field, and he shows his appreciation by clapping his thanks to the crowd.

Zenden is found in some space down the left channel; he only has Garcia to aim for inside the penalty area, but his cross is too deep and runs out for a goalkick.

SUB: Pujol replaces Vanderhaeghe; Jestrovic replaces Serhat. Two attacking changes from the visiting side as they bid to get back in to this game.

And they almost did get sloppy; Zetterberg sends a good ball over the top of a rather static Liverpool back four, and it needs a strong Riise challenge on MPenza to prevent a shot on goal.

Reina has kept 10 clean sheets in 17 games before tonight, and there is every chance he'll add to that unless Liverpool get sloppy.

There is something of a party feel inside the stadium tonight now that the result seems comfortable.