IF EVER there was a sign as to just how important this victory could be, even the normally poker-faced Rafael Benitez allowed himself to celebrate Liverpool’s stoppage time winner at Fulham.

Unlike his counterpart at title rivals Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, who hides his shrewd tactical knowledge and intimidating persona behind the jubilant jigs of a geriatric grandfather each time his team scores, the Spaniard usually looks down coolly at his pad and writes another note.

But the relief was such on this occasion, the passion riding so high and the belief that Yossi Benayoun’s goal – which his manager later acknowledged could prove to be the most important of the season – might just be enough to give Liverpool the confidence to bring the title back to Anfield, that even newly-crowned manager of the month Benitez allowed the mask to slip just for a moment.

The ecstatic travelling Kopites were less inhibited in their celebrations, chanting “And now you’re gonna believe us, we’re going to win the league” for such a long time after the final whistle that Fulham officials had to ask them to leave over the club’s public address system and Liverpool’s players were forced to cancel their usual post-match warm-down on the pitch for fear of over-exciting their adoring public.

It’s a long time since those Liverpool supporters have sung such words, and with such belief rather than just hope – but now they have their best chance in almost two decades to be crowned English football’s supreme club.

If they’re to do so it will be under the stewardship of a man so very different to the Premier League’s most successful title winner, the aforementioned Mr Ferguson.

In the pre-match press conference at Melwood ahead of the trip down to Fulham, Benitez was asked to take part in that great Merseyside tradition of choosing a horse for the Grand National but despite being pushed by the reporter and asked just to select a name off a list, the Spaniard would not play ball.