Source: Daily_Mail
Liverpool 4 Portsmouth 1: Benitez's men get back on goal standard
Allowances have to be made for the opposition, but Liverpool are firing on all cylinders again and finally showing an appetite and aptitude for claiming a place in next season's Champions League.A rout of sorry Portsmouth lifted them to within a point of fourth place and was packed with positives following two dismal, dispiriting 1-0 defeats at the hands of Wigan and Lille.For once, there were few anxieties for manager Rafa Benitez, but he may have been concerned by a gate of 40,316, Liverpool's lowest in the league for five years, and the sight of Steven Gerrard flirting with trouble once more. Goal machine: Fernando Torres was back to his imperious best against Pompey A week after having to deny making a V-sign to referee AndreMarriner at Wigan, the Liverpool skipper tangled with Michael Brown ina chase for possession and appeared to catch the Portsmouth midfielderwith a flailing arm.MATCH FACTSLIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Reina 7; Johnson 7 (Kelly 70min, 6), Carragher 7, Agger 7, Insua 6; Aquilani 7, Mascherano 7; Maxi 8, Gerrard 7 (Benayoun 74, 6), Babel 7; Torres 7PORTSMOUTH (4-4-2): Ashdown 5; Finnan 6, Rocha 6, Wilson 7, Hreidarsson 6 (Owusu-Abeyie 76); Brown 6, Diop 5 (Mokoena 64, 6), O'Hara 6 (Webber 85), Belhadj 6; Piquionne 5, Dindane 5Booked: DindaneMan of the match: Maxi RodriguezReferee: Stuart AttwellReferee Stuart Attwell took him aside for a word of warning, andBenitez, who subbed Gerrard after the incident, may care to do the sameto avoid losing his inspirational midfielder to a suspension, just whenhe is needed most. Overturning their Europa League first-leg deficit against Lille atAnfield on Thursday may provide weightier evidence of an overdueLiverpool revival, but there was cause for optimism in the way theBarclays Premier League's bottom side were taken apart by afree-flowing brand of football and merciless cutting edge.A ruthless touch in front of goal has been missing all too oftenthis season, but not last night as Liverpool racked up more than twogoals in a league game for the first time since Hull were demolished6-1 in September.Alberto Aquilani claimed his first goal in Liverpool colours,Fernando Torres showed he is edging back to his lethal best and MaxiRodriguez provided a timely reminder that Benitez's knack of unearthinga transfer bargain has not deserted him after all. Hard to beat: Portsmouth goalscorer Nadir Belhadj tries to evade Glen JohnsonSnapped up on a free from Atletico Madrid, Maxi is beginning tosuggest it may be possible to get something for nothing with hisdirect, purposeful running and ability to play a part in the slickestof passing moves.Portsmouth were blitzed by three goals inside six first-half minutesand thankful not to be on the end of an even heavier hammering aftersurviving four penalty appeals and seeing Torres and Ryan Babel hit thepost and bar.Attwell had already failed to spot a handball by Ricardo Rocha inthe area, and waved away penalty claims for pushes on Gerrard andTorres, when Liverpool went ahead with a 26th-minute goal that wasgift-wrapped by hapless keeper Jamie Ashdown.Standing in for the injured David James, Ashdown made a hash of hisfirst clearance and fared no better when Rocha returned it to him for asecond attempt. Sensing his unease, Gerrard closed him down anddeflected his kick into the path of Maxi, who unselfishly teed upTorres for a typically assured finish.The celebrations had barely died down when Torres turned provider for Babel to score only his third league goal of the season. Controlling a Glen Johnson cross at the far post, the Liverpoolstriker lost then regained possession before rolling the ball towardsBabel, who cleverly made space for an unerring shot into the far corner.There was no way back for Portsmouth when Liverpool added a third goal on 32 minutes. Off the mark: Alberto Aquilani opened his Liverpool account with the third goal against PortsmouthIt all clicked into place, as Torres back-heeled the ball for Aquilani to squeeze a shot inside the near post.Torres thundered a shot against the post, and Ashdown made partialamends for his earlier blunder by tipping a Babel drive on to the barin the 51st minute.Pepe Reina had been a virtual spectator but suddenly sprang intoaction as Portsmouth finally fashioned an opening in the 55th minute,with a fierce first-time shot by Brown from 10 yards. Reina proved his pedigree with a stunning one-handed reflex stop. Liverpool did score again in the 77th minute, as Torres controlled apinpoint pass from Aquilani and twisted past Rocha before drilling alow shot inside the near post.Portsmouth got on the scoresheet two minutes from time when Nadir Belhadj converted from Frederic Piquionne's cut-back. Liverpool 4 Portsmouth 1: AS IT HAPPENEDLiverpool can't afford to sack Benitez! Firing would trigger £16m pay-offLiverpool set to keep hold of Gerrard and Torres after £100m investmentI'm going nowhere! Benitez rubbishes claims he's set to leave LiverpoolLIVERPOOL FC