By Peter Whitfield, PA Sport
        Two-goal Stan Collymore sent Liverpool marching to the top of
     Premiership and plunged his former club deeper into relegation trouble at                              
     Anfield tonight.
        Collymore and Robbie Fowler gave Liverpool a two-goal cushion and,
     although Kevin Campbell scrambled a goal back before the break, Des Lyttle
     headed an own goal six minutes into the second half to put Liverpool back
     in command.
        Forest skipper Stuart Pearce briefly raised his side's hopes of
     salvaging a point with one of his free-kick specials on the hour.
        But, within two minutes, substitute Patrik Berger, on for Fowler, hared
     down the left wing and Collymore was there to supply the near-post finish
     when the cross came in.
        Liverpool's win took them two points clear of leaders Arsenal while
     Forest were left deep in trouble at the bottom.
        Liverpool boss Roy Evans named an unchanged side following Saturday's
     5-1 victory over Middlesbrough and Forest boss Frank Clark made one change
     from the side that held Newcastle to a goalless draw eight days ago  Vance
     Warner coming in for flu victim Steve Chettle.
        Forest found themselves under siege from the start and Chris Allen
     headed off the line when Mark Wright met Stig Bjornebye's third-minute
     corner with a firm header.
        The visitors looked to be in for a torrid night and Crossley did not
     help their cause by gifting Liverpool a sixth-minute lead.=20
        The Forest keeper's goalkick scarcely left the ground and, when Fowler
     nodded on, Collymore bore down on goal. Crossley raced off his line to
     clear but failed to make contact with the ball, leaving Collymore to roll
     the ball into an empty net.
        Forest briefly rallied and Alfie Haaland went close with a downward
     header from Ian Woan's cross.
        But Liverpool quickly regained the initiative and Fowler tested Crossley
     with a downward header from Bjornbye's cross and then dragged his shot
     narrowly wide after latching onto Steve McManaman's crossfield ball.
        Fowler made it 2-0 in the 26th-minute with a simple far-post tap-in
     after Collymore's cross from the left byline looped over Crossley.
        Crossley saved with his legs to deny Fowler after McManaman's pass
     carved open the Forest defence and dived low to his right to save
     Collymore's low drive as Liverpool stepped up the pressure.
        But Forest clawed their way back into the game in the 33rd minute, Kevin
     Campbell stabbing home from close range after Woan's corner sparked off a
     goalmouth scramble.
        Liverpool's response was a fierce, long-range effort from Ruddock which
     Crossley did well to tip over at full stretch.
        Collymore was a foot wide with a low drive from the edge of the area
     three minutes after the break before Forest once again gave Liverpool a
     helping hand.
        Fowler challenged Crossley for Jason McAteer's 50th-minute cross and the
     ball looped to the far post, where Lyttle, attempting to clear, could only
     head into his own net.
        Fowler was limping slightly and was replaced by Patrik Berger in the
     56th minute and, four minutes later, Forest were controversially back in
     the game.
        Referee Graham Barber decided John Barnes had fouled Haaland just
     outside the Liverpool box. The decision was hotly contested but Pearce
     ignored the fuss and stepped up to curl his left-foot shot wide of
     Liverpool's defensive wall and into the bottom right corner.=20
        If Forest entertained hopes of salvaging a point, they were swiftly
     snuffed out. Berger charged down the left within two minutes of Pearce's
     strike and, when he drilled a low cross to the near post, Collymore was on
     hand to tuck the ball past Crossley.


     EVANS CALLS FOR MORE FROM COLLY

        Roy Evans urged Stan Collymore to turn on the class every week after his
     double strike against former club Nottingham Forest sent Liverpool marching
     to the top of the Premiership.
        Collymore scored Liverpool's first and last goals in a 4-2 win at
     Anfield which took the Reds two points above Arsenal.
        And Collymore who had a hand in three of Robbie Fowler's four goals
     against Middlesbrough on Saturday, was a provider for his strike partner
     again laying on the Fowler goal which gave Liverpool a 2-0 lead midway
     through the first half.
        But Evans warned his =A38.5 million pound striker that with Czech star
     Patrik Berger waiting in the wings Collymore needs to deliver week-in
     week-out.
        "Stan was sharp tonight and it was nice to see him get a couple of goals
     and lay one on for Robbie but he has got to do that on a consistent basis.=
        It has got to be week-in week-out, not spasmodic. He has got to leave me
     in a position where I can't leave him out of the side. The opportunity is
     there for Stan. It's up to him to take it."
        Evans was relieved that Liverpool had taken their chance to go top even
     if they allowed Forest to claw their way back into the game.
        "We stuttered a bit but it's a good result and it's nice to go top,"
     said Evans who was further boosted by news of Coventry's 2-1 win over title
     rivals Newcastle United at Highfield Road.
        "It's good to be up there but there is a long way to go," warned Evans.=
        Forest boss Frank Clark was unhappy that his side contributed to their
     own downfall with Mark Crossley badly at fault for Collymore's sixth minute
     opener and Des Lyttle heading in an own goal to make it 3-1 five minutes
     into the second half.
        "We were second best for most of the second half and we finished up
     well-beaten but we helped create our own problems, " groaned Clark.
        Crossley was guilty of a disastrous double blunder which gifted
     Liverpool their early lead. The Forest keeper fluffed a goal kick and when
     Fowler's header sent Collymore clear Crossley charged off his line to meet
     him only to miss his attempted clearance leaving Collymore to role the ball
     into an empty net.
        "The first goal was horrendous, and to Stan of all people. That's
     generosity to an old team-mate gone mad," muttered a grim faced Clark.
        "We then missed a couple of chances we should have done better with but
     we came in at half time 2-1 down and still in the game.
        "Then we conceded another horrendous goal (Lyttle's own goal) and, at
     3-1 down against Liverpool you're really up against it."
        Stuart Pearce pulled a goal back with one of his free-kick specials
     after an hour but substitute Patrik Berger, on for Fowler, laid on a second
     for Collymore within two minutes and Clark had no complaints about the 4-2
     scoreline.
        "We got ourselves back in it at 3-2 but we never looked comfortable.
     They always looked as if they would get another goal."
        Evans revealed that Fowler had been taken off as a precaution after
     suffering a knock on the ankle when challenging Crossley for the Jason
     McAteer cross that led to Lyttle's own goal while Mark Wright was
     substituted at half-time because of flu.

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