knee injury but regained fitness and a return to the first team in the 3–0 League Cup victory at Millwall. In the next round he scored two goals to knock out holders Middlesbrough, and in late November he started a UEFA Champions League game at Monaco. After becoming a fixture in first team squad, Mellor burst into the starting team with some style. With Liverpool and Arsenal level at 1–1 with 90 minutes gone at Anfield in November 2004, he cracked in a sensational 30-yard volley to win the game for Liverpool. Things got better still for Mellor ten days later when Liverpool were being held 1–1 by Olympiacos in a game they had to win by two clear goals to progress to the Champions League knock out stages. He was brought into the game to replace Milan Baroš and within two minutes, he scored with a typical goal poacher's finish. Then, a cushioned header from Mellor set up Steven Gerrard to rifle in the third Liverpool goal and seal Liverpool's place in the last 16. He scored his second and what proved to be his final league goal for Liverpool in December 2004 in the 3–1 win over Newcastle at Anfield. In March 2005, Mellor was ruled out for the remainder of the 2004–05 season after undergoing surgery on both knees. This robbed the young striker of his chance of European glory as his teammates succeeded in bringing a fifth European cup back to Anfield. Although Mellor played no part in the knock out stages, his contribution to that year's success was massive. Mellor returned to action for the Liverpool reserve side in the 2005–06 season coming on as a substitute in their 2–0 victory at Manchester United in December 2005. He was back on the scoresheet in his first start in a year as Liverpool cruised into the quarter-finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup after a 3–0 win over Runcorn. In January 2006, Mellor joined Wigan Athletic on loan for the remainder of the season. In his first match against Middlesbrough, he scored the winner during injury time in a 3–2 victory. However, further knee injuries that required more surgery ended his spell at Wigan after three games. In 2006, despite a relative lack of first-team football at Liverpool, Mellor was voted into 90th position in a poll to find 100 Players Who Shook the Kop, ahead of