Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 win over Portsmouth thanks to goals from Bolo Zenden, Djibril Cisse and Fernando Morientes but Peter Crouch yet again failed to score and even missed a penalty, converted by Zenden.
Liverpool reverted to a 4-4-2 formation with skipper Steven Gerrard back in the centre of midfield, with Zenden and Luis Garcia wide.
Getting the ball into the box was the clear message, with Crouch the obvious target. And after a Hamann shot was deflected wide, he almost broke his duck.
Gerrard's corner fizzed into the area and Crouch met it firmly 12 yards out only to see Ashdown make a stunning reflex save with his left hand.
Luis Garcia at this point was little more than a passenger after taking a bang in the ribs.
He was hobbling around when referee Peter Walton awarded a penalty on 22 minutes after Zenden had slipped the ball past Andy Griffin in the box and gone down when his run was blocked by the full back.
Up stepped a determined Crouch take the spotkick, but crucially he had to wait while Morientes replaced Luis Garcia.
With the Kop willing him to score, Crouch saw his spot kick saved by Ashdown, but the ball bounced up for Zenden to rush in and head Liverpool into the lead.
With Pompey still angry with what had looked a soft spotkick, Liverpool needed to reshuffle with Cisse now out on the right and Morientes partnering Crouch in the centre.
Pompey were even more annoyed soon after when it looked like John Viafara was impeded by Warnock in the box but the official waved away appeals.
Ashdown then came to Portsmouth rescue again when he made another impressive save from a Morientes header before Viafara then went down again in the box as he raced for a Robert cross, again Warnock looking to have made contact with the big midfielder, but again referee Walton waved play on.
The luck was not with Pompey but Liverpool were in no mood for mercy and went further ahead on 39 minutes when Hamann's ball out to the right sent Cisse surging past Vignal and hitting a first time cross-cum-shot that soared over Ashdown and into the far corner of the net.
The Frenchman took the acclaim but the effort looked more of a cross than a genuine attempt to chip the keeper from that sort of acute angle.
Crouch tried an overhead kick, then mishit close in after Morientes had set him up before racing onto a back heel from the Spanish star only to see Ashdown producing a flying save from his ferocious 18 yarder.
Liverpool sent on Alonso for Cisse and Hamann got himself booked for a foul on Viafara before Steve Finnan reminded the Kop that the game was not over by clearing off the line from Brian Priske.
If Crouch had not been able to break his own duck, he created the third for Morientes by soaring at the far post to head a Gerrard cross down for Sami Hyypia to get a touch before Morientes turned the ball home from close range.
