LONDON, 23 January 2004 — Kenny Miller was the Wolverhampton Wanderers hero for the second time in five days on Wednesday when he struck in the last minute to secure a 1-1 home Premier League draw against Liverpool.

The Scottish international forward, whose first-ever Premier League goal was enough to beat league leaders Manchester United 1-0 on Saturday, earned another point for the struggling Midlands side when he drove home a left footer following a cross by Denis Irwin. It was an unlikely result after Liverpool had dominated throughout.

French midfielder Bruno Cheyrou, who scored his first league goal for the club to secure a 1-0 victory over Chelsea two weeks ago, doubled his tally to put them ahead three minutes before halftime at Molineux.

He clipped in a shot from six metres after a superb through ball by defender Steve Finnan to give Liverpool a deserved lead. The visitors continued to press after the break and Emile Heskey and Michael Owen were both denied by good saves from Michael Oakes. Danny Murphy also hit a post late on but Wolves kept working and got their reward at the death.

Okocha Signs Off in Style as Bolton Win

Jay-Jay Okocha gave Bolton Wanderers the perfect farewell present on Wednesday when he scored twice en route to a 5-2 victory over Aston Villa in a pulsating League Cup semifinal first leg at The Reebok.

The Bolton captain opted to delay his departure to Tunisia where he is to play for Nigeria in the African Nations Cup and his decision paid dividends with the first and last goals of a breathless, action-packed encounter.

Beckham Sent Off as Real Beat Valencia in Cup

In Madrid, Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 on Wednesday in a King’s Cup quarterfinal first leg victory spoiled only by the late sending-off of England captain David Beckham.

Sevilla scored an even more emphatic victory in the night’s other quarterfinal first leg, as they cruised to a 4-0 win at home to a weakened Atletico Madrid side.

Goals from Raul, Ronaldo and Luis Figo had already put Real in charge of the heavyweight clash at the Bernabeu when Beckham picked up a second booking in the 87th minute for a challenge from behind on Pablo Aimar. League leaders Valencia made a dazzling start against their chief rivals for the league title, fizzing passes in front of the Real defence and twice going close in the opening few minutes.

Albelda looked odds on to score when he controlled the ball inside the box but the Spanish international midfielder’s shot drifted just wide. Mista then wasted a clear chance with a header that was well wide of the Real goal. Real took the lead when Raul met a Santiago Solari cross with a glancing header in the 32nd minute.

Valencia pressed for an equalizer in the second half but Ronaldo blasted in Real’s second in the 81st minute and Luis Figo made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Carlos Marchena had brought down Raul.

Two minutes later Beckham was sent off for the first time since joining the Spanish champions and was given a rousing ovation as he left the field. He was swiftly followed by Valencia midfielder David Albelda, who was also booked for a second time in a separate incident.

Inter and Juve to Meet After Cup Wins

In Rome, Italian champions Juventus will meet Inter Milan in the semifinals of the Italian Cup after the pair cruised into the last four with wins on Wednesday.

Inter beat Udinese 3-1 in front of just 2,700 fans at the San Siro after their first leg had ended goalless while Juve striker Fabrizio Miccoli gave his team a 1-0 win over Perugia to ensure a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Despite protests from fans still smarting at their team’s 1-0 home defeat to Empoli in Serie A on Sunday, a result which prompted the resignation of club president Massimo Moratti, Inter were unrecognizable from the sterile side that stuttered to a scoreless draw in the first leg in Udine last week.

Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde put the home side ahead in the 17th minute, bending a free kick round Udinese keeper Olivier Renard from a wide position. Udinese striker Dino Fava restored the balance just after the half hour, heading in Alberto’s cross.