Elliot Rokka scores twice against his old club
Former Tranmere winger Elliot Rokka grabs the first of his two goals against a young Rovers side.
Tranmere Rovers 2 Runcorn Linnets 7
Report by Dave Bettley with pictures from Ben Jackson
Linnets are the first team through to the last four of Liverpool Senior Cup after romping to victory at Prenton Park.
They scored seven for a second time this season against youth team opposition, following on from the 7-0 home victory over Bury in the Izuzu FA Trophy.
But credit to a young Rovers side for hitting back from two goals down to level in the first half.
Runcorn restored their lead before the interval and went on to grab four more goals, including three in a destructive last seven minutes.
Beaten finalists in 2023, they have reached the semi-finals in three out of four attempts.
A much-changed Linnets side, captained by Ryan Brooke, had to wait for more than half an hour to start making superiority count.
Naim Arsan scored from the spot for the second time this season, Linnets having converted nine penalties overall.
Naim Arsan drove home a 32nd-minute penalty after Ryan Brooke had been fouled from behind.
Two minutes later, Elliot Rokka weighed in with the first of his two goals - a maiden strike in Linnets colours against one of his former clubs.
Arsan's cross from the left was touched on by Dec McLoughlin for Rokka to make no mistake.
It began to look all too comfortable for the visitors.
But against the run of play, Tranmere's Sam Mann replied in the 38th minute, McLoughlin having brought down Jacob Garnett in the Runcorn area.
Mann's penalty was well saved by Yusuf Mersin but the Rovers' No.9 netted from the rebound.
Within four minutes, Mann had squeezed in an equaliser from a tight angle, having been forced wide on the right.
However, just into stoppage time, McLoughlin laid off a through ball from Markell Foulds, who played in central defence, for Rokka to complete his double at close range.
Isaac Graham's goal came on the rebound to a Ryan Brooke shot.
Tranmere held out until the 69th minute when Isaac Graham unleashed a thunderous 20-yard shot to restore Runcorn's two-goal cushion.
Midfielder Harry McGee, having surprisingly recovered from the injury sustained in Saturday's 4-0 victory at Shifnal Town, maintained his more than useful scoring run after 83 minutes with a fifth goal in eleven Linnets outings.
McGee's shot from outside the box went straight in, despite fellow substitute Lewis Crane making a play for it.
Scott Bakkor netted the sixth of Runcorn's seven.
With four minutes left, leading marksman Scott Bakkor , who had also been introduced off the bench, snapped up a right-wing Joe Ferguson cross to the near post to make it 19 goals for the season.
The stylish McLoughlin, a threat throughout the tie, meandered through a flagging Rovers defence to complete the rout in the 87th.
Runcorn Linnets: Yusuf Mersin, Joe Ferguson, Matty Rain (Joel Street, 46 mins), Markell Foulds, Harvey Washington (Peter Wylie, 46 mins), Lewis Doyle, Naim Arsan, Isaac Graham (Harry McGee 61 mins), Ryan Brooke (Scott Bakkor, 82 mins), Declan McLoughlin, Elliot Rokka (Lewis Crane, 61 mins). Subs not used: Jacques Welsh, Alex Ellams (GK).