He is a machine made for scoring. With this game drifting into anticlimax for Liverpool, Fernando Torres again showed why he is the outstanding goalscorer in European football, exploding into life with just seven minutes to go to deliver a typical viper-strike from the left channel.By beating Craig Gordon at the near post, Torres ensured a happy end to a troubled week at Anfield and if Liverpool are to mount a serious challenge for their first title in 19 years, Torres will be at the heart of it.
Coming into his fifth year, Rafael Benitez is under serious pressure to mount a challenge. However, those efforts are being undermined by the farcical contortions of the club’s efforts to sign Gareth Barry from Aston Villa. Benitez is apparently frustrated by his chief executive Rick Parry and the failure of the American owners Hicks and Gillett to wrap up the Barry deal. Add to that the agitation of Xabi Alonso for a move away from Anfield - possibly to Arsenal - and it makes for an unhappy ship.
Certainly, Liverpool were foggy-headed from kick-off, carrying a heavy hangover from their abysmal performance in the goalless midweek Champions League qualifier against Standard Liege.
Sami Hyypia was chosen ahead of Dan Agger in the centre of defence, presumably to counteract the aerial prowess of Daryl Murphy, and swiftly gifted El Hadji Diouf a chance to score, messing up a back header that fell way short. Jamie Carragher cleared up something he was going to have to get used. Indeed Carragher spent the half screeching at the new Italian left-back Andrea Dossena, trying to curb his forward movements. Poor Dossena was in turn shouted at by Benitez, who demanded he make more attacking runs.
The problems were not just in defence. The much vaunted £40 million pairing of Torres and Robbie Keane in attack failed to click, and Torres only scored after Keane had been substituted. Roy Keane wants to sign a top-class centre- half but Nyron Nosworthy and Danny Collins were composed in dealing with the pair. Robbie Keane played deeper, trying to collect and run at the defence. He failed to make much headway in the early stages though and only had a snap shot wide after a neat bit of juggling to show for his efforts.
Sunderland, in contrast, have made a substantial improvement over the summer. Roy Keane has bought more astutely than in previous transfer windows, and the radical restructuring has had clear benefits.
Steed Malbranque was outstanding on the right flank, looking trim and sharp, combining well with right-back Pascal Chimbonda, also signed from Tottenham. The other acquisition from White Hart Lane, Teemu Tainio, was ferocious in defensive midfield.
Working off that solid platform was Diouf, who might well prove the bargain of the summer. The best chance of the half came when his cross, from the left, picked out Murphy. The Sunderland striker had a free header but could not get enough on it.
Liverpool grew in self-belief in the second half, and the half-time introduction of Alonso, in place of Damien Plessis, was certainly instrumental to that. Plessis had not played poorly and has the makings of a really serious player. But Alonso is that already.
Having escaped when Diouf mis-hit a Tainio cross at the far post straight at Jose Reina, Liverpool surged forward. Yossi Benayoun finally gave Craig Gordon something to think about when his direct run and shot brought out a tidy near-post save. Keane followed up but his effort was blocked.
Gerrard went even closer with an hour played, his attempt to cuff the ball inside the far post from just inside the box blocked by Collins.
Collins almost undid his good work though when he deflected Kuyt’s shot but Gordon was swiftly down to his left and then back up to block the Keane follow up. Belatedly, Liverpool were stirring. And Torres was loading the bullet in the chamber.
Robbie Keane is relishing the prospect of teaming up with Fernando Torres after completing his £20.3million move from Tottenham to Liverpool.
Keane, the 28-year-old Republic of Ireland captain, agreed a four-year deal at Anfield after undergoing a medical at Liverpool's Melwood training ground and could now establish a mouth-watering partnership in attack with Spain striker Torres.
The pair could become one of the deadliest strike combinations in the Barclays Premier League, and Keane is a big fan of his new team-mate.
'He has been a revelation since he came to the Premier League. He was absolutely outstanding last year and also in the Euros with Spain,' Keane said.
'It is hard to leave Tottenham with some of the players they had - like Dimitar Berbatov, who I had a great relationship with - but Torres is probably the best striker in the world right now. Hopefully we can play a lot of games together and do well.'
Keane should play just off Torres in the Liverpool formation, and hopes to bridge the gap between midfield and Torres.
'I see myself as a second striker," he said. 'I can play off the shoulder, link things up and play in the hole. You are always judged on scoring goals as a striker and I have always scored a lot of goals. Hopefully I can continue that here at Liverpool.'
The new Reds frontman turned down Liverpool as a 14-year-old in favour of joining Wolves, and is relieved the opportunity to join the club he supports came up again.
'The last four years have been great for me and I believe I am at my peak,' he said.
Fernando Torres
'I am at a good age and if I didn't come to Liverpool now, maybe the opportunity wouldn't come again. It has worked out perfectly for me and, hopefully, for Liverpool Football Club as well.'
Keane is set to be handed the number seven shirt, famously worn by Anfield legends including Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez revealed: 'We were talking about the number, and the big names that have had this number, so it will be inspirational for him to have it too.'
Benitez expects Keane, who has also played for Coventry, Inter Milan and Leeds, to strike up a fearsome partnership with Torres.
'We were looking for a player with game intelligence and good movement who could play alongside Torres," Benitez tsaid.
'He can play with Torres up front and also on the right.
'He is a player who can give to us a lot of goals - normally he gets about 15 each year. We were looking for the workrate he can give to us, the game intelligence and also the goals.'
Keane added: 'I do not think I let Spurs down. I had six fantastic seasons there and gave them everything. Since day one.
'I always give everything, and that will never change. The Spurs fans were always magnificent to me and I will always have a place in my heart for them.
'But this is a new chapter in my life and one that I am looking forward to. I had six great years at Spurs and thank them for that.
Keane will now wear the No 7 shirt at Liverpool made famous by legends like Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan.
Keane said: 'To wear that shirt is an honour, and something I truly understand. If I can have half as much success in it as Keegan and Dalglish did, I will be a happy man'
He added: 'I've been waiting for this day since I was a kid. Everyone knows I am a massive Liverpool fan, so to be sitting here today in a Liverpool tracksuit is a dream come true.
'I always wanted to be a footballer as a kid, but also to play for Liverpool.
'Maybe you never feel it is going to happen. I could have come here as a teenager, but chose Wolves because I felt there would be more chance of immediate first team football, and that proved to be the case.
'Now I am enjoying every minute and I can't wait to pull on that red shirt.
'This is a massive club and want to do everything I can to make them even more
successful.
'The reasons I left Spurs are that I am a huge Liverpool fan and the chance to play for them may never come around again.
'This opportunity is something I couldn't let go. I am at an age now when I believe I am at my peak, and aim to kick on.
'This is a great opportunity now for me, the whole package that Liverpool has to offer really inspires me.
'I am just grateful to be here. I love the club and this is the one dream I
had still achieve.'
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes the Reds' derby victory over Everton has given them enough breathing space to be able to properly focus on the Champions League.
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Fernando Torres' 28th goal of the season proved to be enough to settle the 207th clash between the Merseyside clubs.
The victory put five points between the fourth-placed Reds and their neighbours in fifth, and with six matches to go that cushion could be crucial in the race for Champions League qualification.
But Liverpool also still have an interest in this season's competition and they face Arsenal on Wednesday in the first leg of the quarter-finals - the first of three matches in seven days as the pair also meet each other in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
Gerrard believes they can go into the tie not having to look over their shoulder in terms of their league position.
"For the time being the pressure is off because we have got the five-point gap, but we have a lot of hard games to come," he said.
"Although we are going to put all our focus on the Champions League, for the league game in between the two matches we still have to put in a big performance and try to keep the gap of five, if not improve it."
The England midfielder was pleased the team were able to quickly get the previous weekend's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United - which ended a seven-match winning run - out of their system.
"Last week was very disappointing - it was a difficult week swallowing that defeat at Old Trafford but it was all about bouncing back and trying to take a positive win into Wednesday," said the 27-year-old.
"The scoreline (at Old Trafford) was more emphatic then we deserved but we have got to forget about that and move on and try to consolidate this fourth position and try to go all the way to Moscow (the host city for the final).
"It was a good win. We were slightly disappointed we didn't make it more comfortable in the first half.
"We created numerous chances to kill the game off in the first half and we just missed putting a toe or a head on a few deliveries into the box and could have scored more, which would have given us more confidence.
"Everton put us under a little bit of pressure in the second half but I never once thought we were going to lose or give the lead away."
Gerrard also paid tribute to match-winner Torres, who scored his 21st league goal in 29 league matches.
The Spaniard latched on to Dirk Kuyt's pass to expertly fire past goalkeeper Tim Howard. "It was no shock to me," added Gerrard. "Give the guy chances and he'll put them away - simple as that."
• More Premier League news club by club
Fernando Torres' 28th goal of the season proved to be enough to settle the 207th clash between the Merseyside clubs.
The victory put five points between the fourth-placed Reds and their neighbours in fifth, and with six matches to go that cushion could be crucial in the race for Champions League qualification.
But Liverpool also still have an interest in this season's competition and they face Arsenal on Wednesday in the first leg of the quarter-finals - the first of three matches in seven days as the pair also meet each other in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
Gerrard believes they can go into the tie not having to look over their shoulder in terms of their league position.
"For the time being the pressure is off because we have got the five-point gap, but we have a lot of hard games to come," he said.
"Although we are going to put all our focus on the Champions League, for the league game in between the two matches we still have to put in a big performance and try to keep the gap of five, if not improve it."
The England midfielder was pleased the team were able to quickly get the previous weekend's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United - which ended a seven-match winning run - out of their system.
"Last week was very disappointing - it was a difficult week swallowing that defeat at Old Trafford but it was all about bouncing back and trying to take a positive win into Wednesday," said the 27-year-old.
"The scoreline (at Old Trafford) was more emphatic then we deserved but we have got to forget about that and move on and try to consolidate this fourth position and try to go all the way to Moscow (the host city for the final).
"It was a good win. We were slightly disappointed we didn't make it more comfortable in the first half.
"We created numerous chances to kill the game off in the first half and we just missed putting a toe or a head on a few deliveries into the box and could have scored more, which would have given us more confidence.
"Everton put us under a little bit of pressure in the second half but I never once thought we were going to lose or give the lead away."
Gerrard also paid tribute to match-winner Torres, who scored his 21st league goal in 29 league matches.
The Spaniard latched on to Dirk Kuyt's pass to expertly fire past goalkeeper Tim Howard. "It was no shock to me," added Gerrard. "Give the guy chances and he'll put them away - simple as that."
