Ahmed Fathi's first Premiership start with Sheffield United ended in a disastrous 4-0 away defeat to Liverpool on Saturday. Sheffield's manager Neil Warnock gave Fathi a more defensive midfield role as the Egyptian played the full 90 minutes. Veteran striker Robbie Fowler converted two penalties for the Reds in the first half before teammates Sami Hyypia and Steven Gerrard completed the rout after the interval. Liverpool looked confident and cool following their impressive 2-1 away victory over Spanish giants Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Fathi in Sheffield's jersey The Reds secured their third place for this week with 53 points, four ahead of Arsenal who will take on Chelsea in the Carling Cup final on Sunday. Elsewhere, Jerome Thomas bagged a brace for Charlton who crushed visitors West Ham United 4-0. Meanwhile, Mark Viduka and Yakubu Ayigbeni gave Middlesbrough a 2-1 home win over Reading. Later in the day, Everton outplayed Watford to win 3-0.