It was the perfect response to criticism following their dismal 2-1 opening-day defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Johnson was similarly impressive at White Hart Lane, winning the penalty from which Steven Gerrard scored Liverpool’s goal.

And the England international, 25 tomorrow, said: “It has been absolutely brilliant for me so far at Liverpool. The lads and everyone at the club have been fantastic.

“It has been great for me and helped me to settle in here quickly, and that has shown in my performances already so I am delight-ed. It was great to run out at Anfield, and to get the three points and keep a clean sheet made it a perfect night for me.

“To score a goal made it even better. Obviously it was brilliant to score my first for Liverpool and to do it on my home debut was amazing, but the win was more important to get us out of the starting blocks.

“It was great to be part of the home side here for a change. As an opponent the hairs stand up on the back of your neck when the fans at Anfield sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ so to hear them singing it for you is very special.

“At a club like Liverpool you don’t want to lose any match, so to lose the first game of the season was disappoint-ing. But the lads showed great character to put that behind us and hopefully we can go on a good run now.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee has been charged by the Football Association with improper conduct after a clash with fourth official Stuart Attwell during the defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.

Lee was upset with the decision of referee Phil Dowd not to award a penalty when Andriy Voronin appeared to be fouled by Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the closing moments of the match.