Birmingham ran Liverpool close in last season's Worthington Cup final but there can be no question the Reds deserved to win this time as Michael Owen continued his love affair with the FA Cup.

Owen picked up where he left off in the FA Cup final in May as he scored another double at Anfield with Nicolas Anelka scoring his first for the club to seal the win.

Owen's two first-half goals, one with his right foot and the other with his left, takes his goals tally in all competitions for club and country to 23 in 27 games.

Birmingham can have no complaints this time and they were soundly beaten.

Their chairman David Gold had claimed before this game that Liverpool had "stolen" the Worthington Cup from them.

City still maintain they should have been awarded a penalty at the end of extra-time when Andrew Johnson went down under a challenge from Stephane Henchoz.

Their sense of injustice heightened when the penalty shoot-out took place at the Liverpool end and the Reds won when Sander Westerveld saved Johnson's spot-kick.

Birmingham, though, failed to gain their revenge and instead they travelled home down the M6 knowing they had lost to a much better side.

After Steve Vickers had headed wide from an early Curtis Woodhouse free-kick, Liverpool took charge.

Steven Gerrard fired the first warning shot for Birmingham when he cracked a drive just over Ian Bennett's crossbar from 20 yards out.

Owen, who started alongside Anelka for the first time, then stirred and he cut inside two Birmingham challenges before shooting just past Bennett's right-hand post.

Liverpool inched closer and they almost took the lead when Pole Arik Bak, who was making his full Blues debut, headed Danny Murphy's corner against his own crossbar.

The Reds need not have worried and they opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Vladimir Smicer headed the ball to Murphy, who in turn set up Owen, and the England striker struck home right-footed.

Murphy twice tried for a second before Smicer drove narrowly wide of Bennett's right-hand post.

It seemed inevitable a second goal would come and it did on 25 minutes when Anelka intercepted the ball and fed Owen on the left, who scored with his supposedly weaker left foot.

It was a similar finish to that which won the FA Cup last May and it took his goals tally for the club to 102.

The Kop hailed Anelka's part in the goal and the Frenchman was then denied his first goal for Liverpool when he had a shot blocked.

Anelka turned creator again just after half-time when Liverpool should have scored again from a counter-attack.

The Reds had a man over as Anelka broke upfield and he supplied Murphy on the left only for the midfielder to shoot wide.

Birmingham just could not contain Owen and he turned Vickers beautifully and escaped down the right to set up another Liverpool chance.

His cross was deflected into the path of Murphy who wastefully blazed over from 16 yards out.

Liverpool's patient passing then opened up Birmingham on the left only for Smicer to shoot straight at Bennett.

Owen demonstrated his predatory instincts again when he broke through on the right and fired a half-volley against the crossbar with Bennett beaten.

With the tie won, Owen came off with 13 minutes remaining to an ovation from the home fans to be replaced by Emile Heskey.

His withdrawal did not spare Birmingham further pain and four minutes from time, Anelka netted his first goal for his new club on his full home debut when he collected Gerrard's pass to score.

Teams:

Liverpool: Dudek, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Riise, Murphy, Hamann, Gerrard, Smicer (Berger 82), Owen (Heskey 77), Anelka.

Subs Not Used: Kirkland, Wright, Litmanen.

Goals: Owen 17, 25, Anelka 86.

Birmingham: Bennett, Gill, Purse, Vickers, Burrows, Andrew Johnson, O'Connor (Hughes 80), Woodhouse (Marcelo 66), Bak, Mooney, Horsfield.

Subs Not Used: Eaden, Michael Johnson, Vaesen.

Booked: Woodhouse, Andrew Johnson, Bak.

Att: 40,875

Ref: M Halsey (Welwyn Garden City).