It's a Kop out for Clarets!

BURNLEY fans awoke this morning believing anything is possible after dumping mighty Liverpool out of the FA Cup.

The six-time winners suffered an almighty shock as Steve Cotterill's heroes made a mockery of the yawning gulf between the two clubs in terms of stature.

Take no notice that Reds manager Rafael Benitez chose to make eight changes from the team that lost to Manchester United last weekend.

Pay little attention to the fact Benitez makes no apology for fielding several fringe players as he juggles his side's priorities.

Concentrate on the cold hard facts, which scream that Burnley deservedly beat a Liverpool line-up containing eight players with Premiership pedigree AND European experience.

And just for good measure, after Djimi Traore committed hari-kari in his own six-yard box to score one of the most bizarre own goals the famous cup competition has ever witnessed, Burnley then had to contend with Czech striker Milan Baros - Euro 2004's top scorer - for the final half hour.

However, despite all this and more, Clarets goalkeeper Brian Jensen did not have one single save of note to make.

No wonder Burnley supporters are cock-a-hoop after their greatest cup victory since trouncing Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 at White Hart Lane over 20 years ago.

This truly was a night to treasure and one that every Burnley fan inside a buzzing Turf Moor will recall for decades to come.

Cool-as-you-like Cotterill insisted: "If you look through their team you had Dudek, Hyypia, Nunez, Traore, Biscan and Pongolle playing and then Baros and Mellor came on.

"As regards the other lads, like Darren Potter, David Raven and Stephen Warnock, we know about them too because we see them at reserve games when there's only a couple of hundred people watching.

"But you would take any one of them on loan because they are good players too, so it was a great night for the club - one of those glory nights I suppose."

Supposition doesn't come into the equation!

Cotterill's carefully constructed game plan worked a treat as the disjointed visitors struggled to string passes together under siege from Burnley players, who tore into them like a pack of ravenous wolves.

Even the old adage about a sticky pitch being a good leveller would be unfair, since two of Burnley's most impressive performers, Richard Chaplow and Jean-Louis Valois, floated across the clinging surface despite lacking match fitness.

However, it is perhaps churlish to single out individuals for honours, as every claret and blue shirted player matched the Reds man for man in an absorbing cup clash that proved well worth the 11-day wait.

Burnley sprung from the traps and Dudek was twice forced into evasive action inside the opening five minutes, first turning Chaplow's low drive for a corner and then parrying Micah Hyde's volley as it flew through a ruck of defenders.

It was exactly the start Cotterill would have hoped for, with Frank Sinclair also coming close with a header over the bar from a wicked Valois corner.

Jensen was forced to change his yellow goalkeeper's shirt for a dark grey one mid-way through the half, although the clash was hardly noticeable as Liverpool remained at arm's length.

And after a mini-scare, when Igor Biscan's header was blocked before it could test the Danish keeper, Burnley were back on the offensive as Hyde's fierce volley flew just wide.

Sami Hyypia was an absolute colossus at the back for Liverpool, constantly clearing the danger as the Clarets slowly turned the screw.

And it was the Finn's long ball that caused the first flutters in the home ranks as Lee Roche misjudged the bounce and allowed Florent Sinama Pongolle a clear run at goal.

Biscan provided an obvious option in a dangerous two-against-one situation, but thankfully the young French striker chose to go it alone and Roche recovered to intervene with the help of Jensen.

Stephen Warnock failed to beat the Burnley keeper with a weak chip 60 seconds after the restart.

And when Pongolle looped a header onto the roof of the net, it appeared the half time break might work in the visitors' favour.

But 52 minutes in came the decisive moment that must have led to Traore waking up in a cold sweat throughout the night.

Chaplow raced onto Ian Moore's flick header and looked to find Roche at the far post with a low cross.

Traore, who was back-tracking, incredibly tried something akin to a Cruyff turn inside his own six-yard box, but only succeeded in dragging the ball back with his left heel and into the net past a stunned Dudek.

Turf Moor erupted, Traore kicked the turf and shortly afterwards Benitez turfed the Frenchman off to save his blushes.

That brought Baros's introduction, but Burnley still looked to put the game beyond Liverpool.

Hyde ballooned over from 18 yards and then, following Roche's cushioned header, Chaplow forced a fine save from Dudek with a low scuffer that was creeping inside the post.

Bizarrely, no corner was given and that was the last seen of Burnley offensively as they retreated to protect what they had.

In a nervy finale, John Welsh and Biscan both dragged shots wide before former Real Madrid wide man Antonio Nunez lost his cool in a flare-up with Tony Grant and earned an instant red card for connecting with a forearm smash.

With the Spaniard went Liverpool's last hopes and Burnley earned a sixth successive clean sheet at home by blocking Warnock's last-ditch free kick.

It is now 572 minutes since Spurs striker Jermain Defoe became the last player to breach the Clarets defence at fortress Turf Moor.

Since then, six 1-0 victories have been earned from 10 games and the Clarets are still to concede a goal in 2005.

If that continues, anything really is possible.

LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Hyypia, Whitbread, Nunez, Warnock, Traore (Baros 65), Biscan, Raven, Welsh (Mellor 76), Potter, Pongolle.

Subs not used: Otsemobor, Harrison, Smyth.

GOAL: Traore (own goal) 52

REFEREE: M Clattenburg. Top drawer. 9

BOOKINGS: Raven 63, Chaplow 70, Valois 76, Mellor 85, Baros 90

SENT OFF: Nunez 87

ATTENDANCE: 19,033

STEVE COTTERILL