Liverpool 4, Bolton 0

Dec 2 2007

Liverpool surged to their fifth successive victory - scoring 21 goals in the process - and moved into third place in the Barclays Premier League with a 4-0 drubbing of Bolton.

Sami Hyypia’s early glancing header set Liverpool on their way but Bolton’s response was spirited and defiant until Fernando Torres grabbed his 11th goal of the season a minute from half-time.

Steven Gerrard rammed home the third from the penalty spot after Peter Crouch had been fouled after 54 minutes and Ryan Babel tapped in the fourth with six minutes left.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez started strikers Torres and Crouch together for the first time in the Barclays Premier League as part of four changes from the side that hammered Porto in the Champions League in midweek.

In came John Arne Riise, Lucas Leiva, Crouch and Harry Kewell, who made his second league start in succession.

Bolton made four changes from the side that produced their best display of the season in beating Manchester United last weekend.

Jlloyd Samuel, Gary Speed, Gavin McCann and Lubomir Michalik came into a team that included two ex-Liverpool strikers - Nicolas Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf.

Bolton started with Kevin Davies, usually a striker, on the right of midfield, but moving in to support Anelka when Bolton broke out.

Initially they were under pressure as Kewell and Yossi Benayoun ran at their defence. Ricardo Gardner had to kick away from an open goal from Crouch, and then Jussi Jaaskelainen needed to be alert to scoop away a Torres close range effort after Benayoun’s run.

Bolton come into their own at set pieces, and on nine minutes a Diouf corner was flicked on by Abdoulaye Meite right in front of Jose Reina, but the ball was hastily cleared.

Diouf was booked on 11 minutes for a nasty tackle into Alvaro Arbeloa’s ankle after the ball had gone.

But it was Liverpool who went ahead from a set piece. Gerrard’s 16th minute free-kick was flicked into the bottom corner by Hyypia.

Crouch, with a header over from Gerrard’s corner and then Kewell with a snap shot that flew wide threatened to increase the lead, but generally Bolton were working very hard to stop Liverpool’s build-up from the back.

Anelka and Diouf were always capable of causing problems for Liverpool’s defence, while Campo, Speed and Gavin McCann worked to regain possession.

Torres saw a cross-shot go wide of the far post, but at the other end Davies got away into space on the right to fire in a fierce low shot that Arbeloa hooked away from a gaping net.

On 38 minutes Anelka should have equalised. Reina and Jamie Carragher collided on the edge of the box, and the ball ran for the Frenchman on the right of the six-yard box.

But somehow he managed to miss an open goal from 12 yards, putting his effort into the side netting.

A minute from the break, Torres eased Liverpool’s tensions with a stunning goal. Gerrard’s 35-yard, inch-perfect through ball, sent Torres into the box to clip his 12th goal of the season over Jaaskelainen.

Gerrard surged into the box and saw his fierce drive deflected by Jaaskelainen four minutes into the second-half.

And a minute later, Carragher was replaced by teenager Jack Hobbs, who made his league debut. Carragher had been hurt in that first-half collision with Reina.

But on 54 minutes Gerrard did beat Jaaskelainen, this time from the spot. Crouch looked to be impeded by both Meite and Michalik as he went for a Gerrard cross.

Referee Steve Bennett pointed to the spot and Gerrard drilled the penalty home.

Reina saved from an Anelka snap-shot on 59 minutes, but surely all hope had gone for the Trotters.

Campo was booked for a foul on Benayoun on the edge of the box, and Torres almost scored again when he surged in from the right, beating three men before chipping the ball over the far angle.

Stelios Giannakopoulos replaced Diouf on 65 minutes, and a minute later Ryan Babel took over from Kewell for Liverpool before scoring the fourth goal six minutes from time.