Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez achieved his first win at the Reebok Stadium at the fourth time of asking as Bolton Wanderers suffered a third successive Premier League defeat.
The Reds had not previously won at their bogey ground since 2002 but, thanks to Jussi Jaaskelainen's generosity and some good fortune in the first half, the Merseysiders cantered to victory.
Bolton captain Kevin Nolan had suggested in the build-up to the match that Liverpool could not become title contenders until they started to win at places like the Reebok Stadium.
And while top spot domestically won't happen this season, Liverpool can draw confidence from their performance for the rest of the season. Wanderers though certainly aren't having much luck at the moment.
Ordinarily, Liverpool would have rested star names before their Champions League game with Internazionale. But that game has been put back by a week and, with no FA Cup tie to contend with next weekend, Benitez fielded a formidable squad.
No-one played better than Ryan Babel who deserved his 60th minute goal after Dirk Kuyt's initial shot had cannoned back into play off a post.
And Fabio Aurelio sealed a vital victory with a superb 20-yard left-foot shot. Substitute Tamir Cohen's first ever Bolton goal was nothing more than consolation.
Had Bolton managed to strike first, as they should have done, it may have been a different result.
Instead, Gary Megson's side are now hovering above the drop-zone and will see UEFA Cup ties get in the way of their relegation battle.
However, Bolton could have been two up before Liverpool's freakish opener. After Javier Mascherano had felled Ricardo Gardner with a crude tackle, El Hadji Diouf curled a free-kick deep into Liverpool's penalty area.
Caught on the gale-force wind, the ball eluded both defenders and attackers, bounced once and up against the crossbar.
Having failed to deal with one routine set-piece, the visitors' back line was found wanting again after nine minutes.
Ivan Campo drifted his corner to the back post where Joey O'Brien headed the ball back into the six-yard area. However, Diouf did not respond quickly enough to the sharp chance and Steven Gerrard was able to clear the ball away from danger.
Two minutes later the England midfielder fired the visitors ahead. O'Brien's loose pass was quickly turned into attack with Gerrard shooting more in hope than expectation from 18 yards.
But courtesy of Jaaskelainen's fumbling fingers and the back of his head, the ball found its way into the net.
The unsettled Finland international, still to agree new terns at the Reebok, then got more of his glove on to Babel's stinging effort from a similar position to prevent it being 2-0.
However, Liverpool were still suspect to any ball played into the area. Kevin Davies ghosted away from his marker to direct Kevin Nolan's superb cross goalwards.
However, Pepe Reina made a brilliant stop on the line to prevent a deserved equaliser.Sami Hyypia's trip on Diouf earned the centre-half a yellow card and again there was hesitancy as Matt Taylor's free-kick came in and Gary Cahill should have directed his header on target.
At the other end Cahill got a vital touch to Babel's goalbound effort while Jaaskelainen foiled the former Ajax star as he closed in again.
But Babel and Liverpool finally extended their lead after half-time as Bolton's changes of formation made them repeatedly vulnerable.