Liverpool were able to pay Emile Heskey a compliment without the need to convey their impressions in words. From the opening minute, they were petrified of the Birmingham City striker and it was obvious early on that there would be only one winner in this Premiership match. Heskey produced a superlative performance up front, Birmingham gave their best display since moving into the Premiership in 2002, and Liverpool . . . well, they were lucky to score nil. This was one of those days that will be discussed and analysed long after the present crop of players have retired to become television pundits. Heskeys display fits easily into a wider context. He made his reputation with Liverpool he won five winners medals with the club in 2001 until his move for £6.25 million to Birmingham nine months ago. Now, having become the man around which this Birmingham team is built, Liverpool must be wondering how they sold such a colossal player for such a relatively small amount of money. Heskey did not score but his presence enabled others to provide the goals. Walter Pandiani scored the first from the penalty spot in the 38th minute after Heskey had been fouled by Sami Hyypi. Julian Gray scored the second in the 45th minute after a curling cross from the right by Jermaine Pennant. What makes Birminghams exhibition even more impressive is that the blustery conditions were not conducive to good football. It was so windy even Steve Bruces hair was in danger of being messed up. Not that he cared. The Birmingham manager was too busy purring like a cat to worry about his appearance. In the 21/2 years that we have been in the Premiership we have had some great days to look back on, Bruce said. But, considering the quality of the opposition, that is as good as we have played in the Premiership for an entire 90 minutes. A team as good as Liverpool could not manage a shot on our goal until the last minute and we dominated in terms of possession. I just could not pick out a man of the match. All of them have played to their maximum. How true that is. Pennants pace and skill on the right flank gave Birmingham a new dimension, taking the pressure off Stephen Clemence and Damien Johnson in the midfield. Clemence, playing against the team for whom his father won three European Cup winners medals a generation ago, was so composed and focused that Steven Gerrard grew increasingly frustrated. Gerrard is easily Liverpools best player and when he does not perform, nor do his team-mates. Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, played the role of little-boy-lost afterwards. It was a day of British weather and his team were made to suffer by a very British performance. We are very disappointed, Benitez said. We did not win second balls, we did not pass well and we never kept possession. We have played a very bad game. I do not know if it is the worst performance of the season but it is a very bad day for us. We seem to have more problems when we play away from home. We maybe need to be more physical. That maybe true but Benitez could not explain why Maik Taylor, the Birmingham goalkeeper, was not forced into making a serious save. Only when, when Jamie Carraghers header was cleared off the line by Johnson, did Liverpool look like scoring, but that was in the final minute when Birmingham had all but won. The truth is that Birmingham were better in every department and, in this form, at this stadium, and in these conditions, would have defeated most teams in the world. Heskey, Pennant and Clemence were so good that they overshadowed an equally impressive performance by Kenny Cunningham at the heart of the Birmingham defence. If only Howard Webb, the referee, was able to rise to the occasion. He was, alas, as bad as Liverpool and made little impression except a negative one. Fortunately, there was Heskey to ensure that the main talking points from this match were positive. He has not played for England since the 2004 European Championships in Portugal but now it seems certain that he will be recalled for the national teams World Cup qualifying matches over Easter. "I do not pick the England team, but it does surprise me that he is not involved because he is something different to what we [England] already have in there," Bruce said. "Defoe, Rooney and Owen are all great players but they are all similar. Emile is one that gives you a different option. I think he may well have been back in for the Holland game last week had he not been injured. "I do not think he has got anything to prove but he has been everybody's kicking block. "If you ask people like Michael Owen who have played with him, they will say that he is a great person to work alongside. Pandiani has come off the pitch and said the same." It is a fair point. Those who know Heskey best - i.e., those who have played with him - are too wise to criticise him because they appreciate his ability. The sight of the Liverpool defenders struggling to deal with him, backing off and losing their poise, says everything that we need to know about him.
It seems that only Sven-Goran Eriksson has missed the point about Emile Heskey. Birmingham City (4-4-2): Maik Taylor; Melchiot (Tebily, 18), Cunningham, Upson, Clapham; Pennant (Nafti, 84), Johnson, Clemence, Gray; Heskey, Pandiani (Blake, 89). Substitutes: Bennett, Anderton. Liverpool (4-4-1-1): Dudek; Finnan (Pellegrino, 79), Hyypia, Carragher, Traore; Baros, Hamann, Biscan (Smicer, 46), Riise (Nunez, 63); Gerrard; Morientes. Substitutes: Warnock, Carson. Referee: H Webb (South Yorkshire). | 
