Red's 2 - 0 United

Torres returned from injury to fire his side in front with a Kop end goal midway through the second half. Substitute Ngog then wrapped up the points with almost the last kick of the game.

A second yellow card with minutes to spare for Nemanja Vidic piled more misery on United, for whom former Liverpool star Michael Owen featured as a substitute.

The only sour note for the Reds was the dismissal of Javier Mascherano, who received a second yellow in stoppage time for a foul on Edwin van der Sar.

The result leaves Liverpool just six points behind new league leaders Chelsea, and just as importantly lifts the mood around Anfield after a difficult month.

For the second season running Liverpool went into this fixture without injured skipper Steven Gerrard in the starting line-up, but Benitez could at least call upon Glen Johnson and Torres on his 200th league game in charge after both passed late fitness tests.

With two of the big guns back, it took Liverpool just five minutes to carve their way through United's defence when Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun combined superbly to tee up Lucas on the edge of the box. The Brazilian's shot was deflected wide for a corner but it augured well for a Reds side supposedly low on confidence.

The Kop were in good form too, pelting beach balls on to the turf before kick off in an ironic nod to the freak goal which cost their side so dearly in Sunderland a week ago. It takes more than Liverpool's worst run of defeats for 22 years to dim the Scouse sense of humour.

The mood around Anfield was almost lifted further on 15 minutes when Torres was hauled down by Patrice Evra. Fabio Aurelio stepped up to try and repeat his set-piece goal at Old Trafford in March but this time he was thwarted by a fine save from van der Sar. First Kuyt and then Torres pounced on the parry but United escaped.

Minutes later Lucas ran beyond the visiting midfield before playing Kuyt through on goal, but the Holland international dragged wide.

United didn't have a sniff until 20 minutes when Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov orchestrated a move which sent Antonio Valencia into space down the right. Rooney connected with the resulting cross but the save was comfortable for Pepe Reina.

A stunning tackle from Jamie Carragher stopped Michael Carrick in his tracks when United next threatened, but it was Liverpool who had by far the better of the first half.

Arguably their best chance came 10 minutes before the break when Benayoun crossed over the heads of Rio Ferdinand and Vidic only for Aurelio to nod a free header straight at van der Sar.

The second half began in a similar fashion when Benayoun teased United's central defenders before laying to Kuyt. The Kop begged for a shot but instead the Dutchman squared back to Benayoun, who by now was surrounded and unable to get a shot away.

Next Torres evaded the offside trap down United's left but elected to cross rather than his trademark cut inside. No one was there and the scores remained level.

Liverpool were defending superbly and attacking with force. Carragher was back to his best, while nothing seemed to be getting past Mascherano in midfield. The Argentina captain was even playing his part going forward, knocking Rio Ferdinand flat with a piledriver from 30 yards.

The opener, then, was fully deserved when it arrived on 65 minutes. Benayoun supplied the pass for Torres, who shrugged off Ferdinand's foul before blasting beyond van der Sar and sending the Kop wild.

It could have been 2-0 on 71 minutes when Lucas thundered a left-foot effort high into the stands from a corner. The crowd almost missed it, so busy were they offering Owen a feisty reception during his first foray down the touchline to warm-up.

United's injury-plagued free transfer was introduced on 74 minutes looking to break his goalless record against the club that made him.

Valencia tried to show Owen the way after finding himself in space 10 yards out but fired too close to Reina.

United were pressing for an equaliser but Liverpool looked dangerous on the counter, and Benayoun could have doubled their advantage after skipping past Evra only for Vidic to make a crucial interception.

Valencia hit the bar from close range on 84 minutes but it was as close as the visitors came.

The day ended in drama as both sides were reduced to 10 men. First Vidic went for a cynical foul on Kuyt, then Mascherano was dismissed for a late challenge on van der Sar.

The points were then sealed by David Ngog deep into injury-time after the French ace evaded the linesman's flag and slotted past the goalkeeper.

Liverpool FC 1 - 2 Lyon

Liverpool conceded an injury-time goal which puts their Champions League future in grave doubt.

An injury-ravaged home side had produced a display of spirit and effort which did not deserve to see them finish as losers.

But they have now lost four games in succession for the first time since 1987 as their season plunges into despair.

Captain Steven Gerrard’s groin problem forced him off in the first half, as Liverpool lost this Group E match to a side who now top the group with nine points.

Liverpool led at the break through Yossi Benayoun, but Lyon slowly edged their way towards victory with goals from substitutes Maxime Gonalons and Cesar Delgado.

An air of nervous tension hung over Anfield, such were the levels of distress from fans unused to their side losing with such regularity.

The beach-ball embarrassment of the defeat at Sunderland just about summed up Liverpool’s indifferent season.

Their form has been poor, a situation made worse by having their squad systematically deprived of its best players.

Fernando Torres was again out, while Glen Johnson was missing with a groin injury. At least Gerrard was back - but that lasted only 25 minutes.

Teenager Martin Kelly, Whiston-born and academy produced, made his full debut at right-back, having had just a handful of minutes prior to this as a late substitute against PSV Eindhoven in Holland last December in this competition.

Facing them were a clever, experienced team - full of neat passing, solid possession and pacy movement which threatened a fragile Liverpool.

It needed a close-range save from Jose Reina to keep out a powerful header from Argentina striker Lisandro before patched-up Liverpool - who had David Ngog in Torres’ role - continually wasted possession.

Former Liverpool and Lyon boss Gerard Houllier watched from the directors’ box as the Reds struggled, while co-owner George Gillett was also in the posh seats, fresh from his trip to Saudi Arabia.

And there were signs of Liverpool defiance, a Dirk Kuyt headed disallowed for offside from Gerrard’s deep cross.

That was virtually the only contribution from the skipper, who trudged off to be replaced by Fabio Aurelio. The groin injury sustained on England duty had given way again. No real damage we were told, but facing Manchester United on Sunday looks a long shot.

It needed a performance of defiance, spirit and sheer desire from Liverpool to survive this. And there were signs to warm the Kop.

Defender Cris was booked for a foul on Kuyt, the Dutchman’s knee crashing into his head as he fell. The Brazilian did not last much longer, carried off in a daze.

Liverpool were beginning to show genuine fight now, and somehow France number two ’keeper Hugo Lloris kept out an Ngog effort after fine work by Kelly, Kuyt and Aurelio.

Aurelio had a powerful header saved by Lloris’ left-hand from Kelly’s run and cross, before Liverpool took a 41st minute lead.

Benayoun showed calmness to lift the ball over Lloris from eight yards, after Aurelio’s cross evaded Kelly in the six-yard box.

Ngog was booked for a foul on Jeremy Toulalan, then Lyon skipper Sidney Govou was cautioned for flattening Emiliano Insua.

Benayoun, with a fine header, and Ngog - from eight-yards - could have stretched Liverpool’s lead in the second period, while Lloris needed to be at full stretch to keep out Kuyt’s header from Aurelio’s cross.

Lyon sent on striker Bafetimbi Gomis to partner Lisandro in place of Ederson - and they began to stretch Liverpool.

Bosnian teenager Miralem Pjanic, followed relentlessly by Lucas, was starting to find space to produce the sort of tricks which have helped his country into the World Cup play-offs.

The pressure increased and Lyon equalised in the 72nd minute.

Liverpool failed to clear a corner, Reina made two outstanding saves from Toulalan and Govou before the ball reached substitute Gonalons, who dived to head home.

The hosts then lost young Kelly with an ankle injury, with Martin Skrtel taking over in a defence under increasing pressure.

Benitez sent on Andriy Voronin for Benayoun, to boos from the Kop, as Liverpool searched for a second.

But the decider came in injury-time from substitute Cesar Delgado, arriving at the far post to sidefoot past Reina from Govou’s cross.

Sunderland 1 - 0 Liverpool

Darren Bent’s eighth goal of the season handed Sunderland a victory over Liverpool in controversial circumstances.

The £10million striker’s fifth-minute shot was deflected past keeper Pepe Reina by a beach ball which had been thrown on to the pitch, although the Reds’ protests were in vain.

Bent might have collected at least a hat-trick on a day when Rafael Benitez’s injury-hit side were nowhere near their best, although keeper Craig Gordon had to make a fine double save in injury time to deny Dirk Kuyt and then substitute David Ngog.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez made wholesale changes for this afternoon’s Barclays Premier League trip to Sunderland in the midst of a selection crisis.

With Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres both sidelined by groin injuries and Javier Mascherano suffering the after-effects of his World Cup exploits with Argentina, Benitez had little option but to turn to other options.

Mascherano, Emiliano Insua and Albert Riera dropped to the bench as Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio, Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Babel and, making his league debut for the club, 20-year-old midfielder Jay Spearing came in.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce made only one change to the side which drew 2-2 at Manchester United last time out as George McCartney replaced the suspended Kieran Richardson.

The Reds lined up with skipper Jamie Carragher in the middle of a back three and Glen Johnson and Aurelio operating as wing-backs, while Benayoun and Babel were asked to provide the support for Dirk Kuyt in attack.

But it was the home side who created the game’s first chance with two minutes gone, although Andy Reid sliced his left-foot effort high and wide from 20 yards.

However, they took the lead three minutes later in controversial circumstances.

Lee Cattermole fed Reid on the right and his cross fell invitingly for Darren Bent beyond the far post.

The striker shot towards goal, but his effort hit a large red ball which had been thrown on to the pitch from behind Pepe Reina’s goal, and the deflection completely wrong-footed the keeper, whose protests fell on deaf ears after referee Mike Jones had consulted his assistant.

Liverpool were furious, and their woes might have increased moments later when Black Cats skipper Lorik Cana met Reid’s corner with a firm header, but he could not hit the target.

The visitors responded with 13 minutes gone when keeper Craig Gordon got a punch to Kuyt’s right-wing cross, but did not clear his lines completely, and when the ball eventually fell to Babel 10 yards out, the Scot did well to block his shot on the turn.

The Holland international went close again four minutes later, although his rising drive cleared the bar comfortably, but Reina was relieved to see Bent head straight at him from Reid’s 22nd-minute cross.

Liverpool created a rare opening after 26 minutes when Johnson’s vision earned them some respite at the back.

His raking long ball found Benayoun wide on the left, and the Israel international cut inside before going for goal, although his effort was deflected behind for a corner.

Sunderland dealt with the set-piece, but as Spearing attempted to collect the clearance, he was tripped by Steed Malbranque 22 yards out.

Aurelio curled the resulting free-kick around the defensive wall left-footed, but his effort flew past the upright.

Kuyt was booked for a 29th-minute challenge on Michael Turner, and Reid’s wind-assisted free-kick almost caught out Reina as the back-pedalled towards his line.

The game was becoming increasingly physical and Agger was fortunate to escape with a booking for a crude challenge on Cattermole as he tried to break clear down the right 14 minutes before the break.

Liverpool were repeatedly stretched when the Black Cats attacked, and Benitez was a constant presence in the technical area as he attempted to find a solution.

But things could have been worse for the Spaniard when Bent met full-back Phil Bardsley’s driven cross with a glancing header, but saw the ball sail agonisingly wide with Reina beaten.

Spearing curled a right-footed shot just too high seconds later, but the half ended with the Wearsiders on top.

Bruce made a change at the break when McCartney failed to re-appear and Jordan Henderson was sent on in his place.

Anton Ferdinand moved to left-back and Cana dropped into central defence to accommodate the newcomer in midfield.

Henderson was involved almost immediately when he sidefooted a shot towards goal, where it was blocked by Carragher amid appeals for handball, but referee Jones was quick to wave the claims away.

Reid was cautioned for a foul on Skrtel as the visitors made a better fist of things in the early stages of the half, but they continued to look vulnerable at the back.

Sunderland might have gone 2-0 up after 55 minutes when they broke from halfway after Cattermole had robbed Spearing.

Jones picked up possession and slid the ball into Bent’s run, and he rounded Reina before shooting, but the goalkeeper recovered superbly to block.

That proved to be Cattermole’s last significant involvement and he was carried off three minutes later holding his knee.

His departure opened the way for former Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden, who completed his move to Wearside yesterday, to make his debut.

Bent was in again when he latched on to a weak header to beat Reina to the ball and shoot against the foot of the post.

Bruce and Benitez became involved in a furious exchange on the sidelines as the injured Jones was treated on the pitch, with fourth official Neil Swarbrick having to intervene.

But the striker eventually left the field on a stretcher to be replaced by Fraizer Campbell.

Carragher was the Reds’ saviour with 20 minutes remaining when he slid in to block Malbranque’s shot after Bent had played the midfielder in.

However, Benayoun perhaps should have levelled within two minutes after being picked out inside the box, but he was unbalanced as he shot left-footed and lifted the ball high and wide.

Benitez replaced Skrtel and Spearing with Andriy Voronin and Mascherano seconds later, but Henderson fired just wide with 14 minutes remaining as the home side continued to cause problems.

Voronin had an 84th-minute header easily saved by Gordon, who then pulled off a superb double save in injury time to deny Kuyt and substitute David Ngog to ensure the points remained on Wearside.

Torres and Gerrard out for Sunderland game

LIVERPOOL have been dealt a double blow ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Sunderland after both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were ruled out.

The influential pair were examined at Melwood this morning but their respective adductor problems they picked up on international duty have not sealed sufficiently for them to be involved in the trip to the Stadium of Light.

Boss Rafa Benitez is now hoping they will be available for the crucial games at Anfield next week against Lyon and Manchester United.

“Both Stevie and Fernando have some problems in their adductor and it’s a question of managing it,” Benitez said.

“I think they will be okay (for the games next week) but Sunderland comes too soon.”

There was some bright news for Benitez as defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos is only facing 10 days on the sidelines as opposed to the six months that were initially feared after he damaged his knee during Greece’s 2-1 win over Luxembourg in Athens on Wednesday.

Standard Chartered shirt deal

SHIRT deals such as Liverpool’s with Standard Chartered are helping Europe’s top clubs successfully fend off the effects of the global recession.

That’s the view of financial experts Deloitte in a report they have compiled on football and finance.

The Deloitte Sports Business Group has presented research that suggests top-flight football has been less badly affected by the downturn than most other industries.

Their report indicates that the average attendances for the first two rounds of the Champions League are up five per cent year-on-year, Premier League grounds are on course to remain at 90% capacity for a 17th consecutive season and both TV rights packages and shirt sponsorship deals are thriving.

Dan Jones, a partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “When the economic downturn hit, we expressed cautious optimism for football clubs that the strong and loyal supporter base and the security of long-term broadcast and commercial deals would provide some degree of buffer against the worst effects of recession.

“Leading football clubs and leagues outpaced the rest of the economy in the good times and now seem to be faring better than most in a challenging economic environment.

“Although conditions are likely to remain difficult in the short term, the fundamentals of football remain strong.

“Football is deeply integrated into many people’s lives, and attending and watching live sport is habitual for fans who will sacrifice other luxury items before they will give up their sport ’fix’.”

The company’s research puts average Champions League attendances over matchdays one and two at 37,400 this season, improving five per cent on equivalent figures from 2008/09, while Premier League attendances up to the end of September are at 91% utilisation.

Deloitte also report that the shirt deals such as Liverpool’s with Standard Chartered and Manchester United’s with AON – both of which improved significantly on their previous agreements – allied to the consistently strong broadcast rights, put football in a strong position economically.

Jones suggested that the success of the elite clubs may also have a beneficial effect on the lesser lights.

“We are seeing a flight to quality whereby the largest clubs perform well but for smaller clubs the challenges are greater,” he added.

“But this fear of polarisation is eased by the distribution mechanism of Premier League broadcast monies.”

Chelsea FC 2 - 0 Liverpool

SECOND half goals from Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda sent Liverpool crashing to their third Premier League defeat of the season at Stamford Bridge.

Anelka scored his fifth goal of the season when he finished off a cross from Didier Drogba on the hour, before substitute Malouda added the second in injury-time.

The Reds had started well, forcing Chelsea onto the back foot at the start of what promised to be an enthralling contest between two sides expected to contest the title this season.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were desperate to get back to winning ways in the league after their 3-1 drubbing by Wigan last week.

But it was Liverpool who dominated the early skirmishes in midfield with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres linking up well.

It took Chelsea until the 17th minute to put together a decent move but Drogba’s cross from the left eluded everyone in the penalty area.

Liverpool continued to dominate but a shot from Albert Riera was high and wide of the target in the 19th minute.

Michael Essien appeared to be late and high with a challenge on Javier Mascherano but referee Atkinson was perfectly positioned to see the incident and waved play-on. The Liverpool player soon rose to his feet without any damage to his right leg.

Both sides were full of attacking desire but neither goalkeeper had been tested at the midway stage of the opening half.
Liverpool’s Jose Reina finally collected a header from Drogba just beneath the crossbar in the 24th minute.

In the 27th minute Reina was called into action again when Essien’s cross was met by Nicolas Anelka.

The France international was unmarked but despite the luxury of a free header, he could not find a way past the Liverpool keeper.

Liverpool were handed a chance to opening the scoring in the 29th minute when Branislav Ivanovic was adjudged to have brought down Torres.

The free-kick was some 25 yards out but Gerrard’s effort sailed over the crossbar to the delight of the home fans.

Four minutes later Chelsea squandered a real chance of their own after Drogba had been brought down by Jamie Carragher near the corner flag.

Deco’s free-kick into the penalty area was well placed but Michael Ballack’s header was off target from six yards.

Lampard’s accuracy was lacking in the 36th minute when Drogba was brought down by Lucas. The England midfielder’s ambitious attempt from some 40 yards was well wide of Reina’s goal.

Chelsea were now enjoying their best spell of the game and when Lampard’s 38th-minute corner fell to Essien at the far post, the Ghanaian international forced Reina to make a save at the second attempt.

Liverpool responded with Dirk Kuyt crossing for Torres to head straight at Hilario from six yards.

Deco found himself in the book for a foul on Liverpool’s Kuyt in the 44th minute and Riera forced Hilario into a late save with a 40-yard low drive.

Liverpool began brightly at the start of the second half and Gerrard tried his luck from 20 yards - but it was too high to trouble Hilario.

Chelsea were quick to respond with Ivanovic trying an angled drive from 25 yards which bounced in front of Reina.

The home side were imposing themselves on the game now with Essien getting further forward to support Deco, Anelka and Drogba.

In the 57th minute Liverpool won a free-kick by the left corner flag when Riera was blocked by Ballack, but Gerrard’s free-kick was met by a confident punch from Hilario and Chelsea survived a difficult moment.

The Blues finally broke the deadlock on the hour when Mascherano lost possession to Lampard in the Chelsea half.

The Blues made swift work of going forward with Essien feeding Deco and the midfielder passing the ball out wide to Drogba on the left.

For once the Ivory Coast international got the better of Martin Skrtel and crossed low to the far post where Anelka pounced to put the home side in front.

It was France international’s fifth goal of the season and it gave Ancelotti’s side a precious lead.

In the 63rd minute, Drogba met a Lampard free-kick but his header was well held by Reina.

Liverpool, heading for a third defeat this season, replaced Riera with Yossi Benayoun in the 67th minute.

In the 77th minute Chelsea won a free-kick in a dangerous area when Lampard was brought down by Gerrard.

The challenge earned Gerrard a yellow ward and Chelsea almost went two in front but Drogba was just wide of the right-hand post with the resultant free-kick.

Torres then wasted a great chance to equalise 10 minutes from time but the Spaniard’s left foot shot was wide of the target.

But Chelsea wrapped a fine win when Drogba crossed for substitute Florent Malouda to add a second from close-range in injury-time.

Fiorentina 2 - 0 Liverpool

LIVERPOOL'S Champions League hopes took a shattering blow as Fiorentina claimed an impressive victory in a delirious Stadio Artemio Franchi.

This was their first away defeat in Europe since the semi-final defeat at Chelsea in April 2008, and only their ninth away reverse in 38 attempts in the competition under boss Rafael Benitez.

Montenegro international Stevan Jovetic did the damage with a quick-fire double inside 10 first-half minutes.

Liverpool had no answer to the 19-year-old’s drive and pace, and their Group E future is now under serious threat.

Liverpool did not manage a shot on target in a disappointing first period and although they fought back after the break, Fiorentina were not going to let a prized victory escape their grasp.

Benitez’s response to the loss of Javier Mascherano with a hamstring injury was to recall Brazilian defender Fabio Aurelio to his side.

Aurelio has had only a Carling Cup run-out against Leeds after a summer knee operation, and he was be used in a midfield role against the Italians, who are fourth in Serie A.

Otherwise it was the same Liverpool side that beat Debrecen in the first group match.

Aurelio was used in a holding midfield role to allow Steven Gerrard to continue his advanced role supporting Fernando Torres.

But it barely worked, with Fiorentina quicker and more mobile. Martin Skrtel, at the back, had to be at his best to halt a run and shot from Jovetic, who from the resulting corner set up Marco Marchionni for an overhead effort that just cleared the bar.

Jovetic saw another effort flash wide after 22 minutes, Adrian Mutu having created the opening having beaten both Lucas and Aurelio in midfield.

There had been constant indecision in the Liverpool defence, and a failure to retain possession in midfield, and they were punished after 27 minutes.

Mutu was in a clear offside position on the edge of the box, but Zanetti’s through ball was aimed at Jovetic - running from an on-side position - who was allowed to close in on Jose Reina before guiding the ball past the Spaniard.

Reina needed to save well from Vargas soon after as Fiorentina sought to capitalise on their success.

The second was not long coming. After 37 minutes Marchionni crossed from the right and the ball found Vargas on the left.
His low shot to the near post was deflected past Reina by Jovetic.

Liverpool needed something quickly after the break, and Lucas saw a powerful header flash just over the bar inside a minute of the re-start, before Sebastien Frey beat away a Dirk Kuyt drive.

Gerrard miskicked after good work from Kuyt, before Torres saw a low header deflected wide from Gerrard’s cross.

Aurelio shot wide from a Torres set-up, but Fiorentina looked to have weathered the Liverpool storm at the beginning of the half.

Gerrard, who had been strangely quiet during the game, then saw a shot charged away by Massimo Gobbi from Lucas’ chip.

Ryan Babel was sent on for Emiliano Insua after 71 minutes, with Aurelio switching to left-back. Fiorentina responded by sending on an extra defender, Martin Jorgensen for Vargas.

Skrtel was next to venture forward, and he got to the byline before crossing for Torres to fire over. Seconds earlier a frustrated Torres had been penalised as he set up Kuyt, who fired past Frey only to have the effort disallowed.

Next on was Andriy Voronin in place of Kuyt, as Liverpool searched for any way back into the match. Gerrard lifting a 20-yarder over did not help that quest.

Liverpool 6 - 1 Hull City

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres scored a brilliant hat-trick to blow away struggling Hull at Anfield.

The Spain striker scored twice in the first half either side of Geovanni’s equaliser and added a third soon after the interval.

Captain Steven Gerrard scored a fourth just before the hour and substitute Ryan Babel added two late goals as Liverpool made it four league wins - including 16 goals - in succession.

But the day belonged to Torres, who took his tally for the season to eight in seven matches and an incredible 33 in 34 matches at Anfield.

This was also his fourth Liverpool hat-trick and the third he has scored in the Premier League.

The writing was on the wall for Hull, who have not won in their last nine away matches, from the 11th minute when Liverpool took the lead with a neat passing move and a clinical finish from Torres.

Dirk Kuyt and left-back Emiliano Insua combined to allow Albert Riera to cross to the near post where Torres shimmied past Ibrahima Sonko to coolly fire past Boaz Myhill.

This season Liverpool have leaked goals through defensive mistakes and another one cost them just four minutes later when Martin Skrtel’s weak header dropped to Geovanni eight yards out and he volleyed home the equaliser.

The goal unsettled home side but Lucas should have done better in the 23rd minute when he tamely side-footed Insua’s cross straight at Myhill from 15 yards.

But if there is one Liverpool player you can rely on to hit the target it is Torres and his individual brilliance put his side ahead again in the 28th minute.

Yossi Benayoun’s incisive through-ball picked out the Spaniard’s run into the penalty area but there was still plenty of work to do.

Torres cut back inside, beating Sonko, Myhill and then 18-year-old debutant Liam Cooper to poke home from close range.

Frailties were still apparent at the back, however, and twice Riera gave the ball away 10 yards outside his own penalty area only to be saved by Jamie Carragher and poor shooting from Kamil Ghilas.

Two minutes into the second half Torres scored his third, again with an assist from Benayoun.

He raced into the inside-right channel and, with everyone in the ground expecting him to shoot right-footed, he turned inside Sonko and fired through Paul McShane’s legs and into the far corner.

Torres continued to terrorise the Hull defence and was only inches over the crossbar with a looping 58th-minute header from Skrtel’s cross

On the hour Gerrard, who had been quiet by his standards, added a fourth when he curled a shot into the far corner from wide on the left wing after his original corner had only been half-cleared to Insua.

Hull then seemed to self-destruct with McShane, who had been having a running disagreement with Riera all afternoon, lucky not to be sent off after being booked for a clash with Carragher and then appearing to show dissent to referee Peter Walton.

With a Champions League clash away to Fiorentina on Tuesday, Torres departed to a standing ovation in the 68th minute as he was replaced by Babel with Gerrard following soon after.

By then the hard work had been done, although Babel had a point to prove and added a fifth by turning in Kuyt’s right-wing cross late on.

The Dutchman scored a fortunate second in injury time when he deflected Riera’s shot over Myhill.

But even the former Ajax forward would admit he is not in the class of Torres, who once again showed how intrinsically linked he is to Liverpool’s ambitions.

West Ham 2 - 3 Liverpool

Fernando Torres scored twice as Liverpool held off a brave fightback from West Ham to earn a deserved victory in a five-goal thriller at Upton Park.

Torres put the Reds in front in the 19th minute with a fine solo goal but debutant Alessandro Diamanti levelled from the penalty spot.

Dirk Kuyt restored Liverpool’s lead in the 40th minute but Carlton Cole levelled again a minute before the interval.

But the irrepressible Torres settled a pulsating contest when he headed home from close range in the 75th minute.

The victory, Liverpool’s fourth successive win, lifted Rafael Benitez’s side into third place in the Barclays Premier League and left West Ham in 14th.

The first half was full of incident and it was the home side who squandered a great chance to take the lead in the second minute.

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher dithered over Glen Johnson’s pass and let Zavon Hines in.

The striker could not have asked for a simpler chance but although he beat Jose Reina, his shot hit the near post before the Spanish goalkeeper gratefully gathered the rebound.

Another Carragher mistake on the halfway line gave Cole room to run at the Liverpool goal but this time Martin Skrtel made a wonderful saving challenge.

In the 15th minute the home team had another chance, Cole bundling the ball to Hines from Julien Faubert’s cross but the chance came too quickly and Hines’ connection was minimal.

Torres, meanwhile, acrobatically volleyed wide after 17 minutes before opening the scoring three minutes later.

The Spaniard broke down the left flank, bamboozled James Tomkins and poked home at the near post.

Torres was proving to be a real thorn in West Ham’s side and was confident enough to try his luck from 30 yards in the 26th minute but his shot was far too high and failed to trouble Green.

West Ham’s woes continued moments later when Valon Behrami was forced out of the action through injury and replaced by Radoslav Kovac.

It was the second enforced change for Gianfranco Zola’s side who lost Matthew Upson earlier in the opening half.

But the home side were back in the game in the 28th minute when referee Andre Marriner adjudged that Hines had been pushed by Carragher in the box.

Alessandro Diamanti stepped-up to take the penalty and even though he put the ball into the net, the striker appeared to slip as he connected with the ball and touched it twice.

Angry Liverpool players protested that the penalty should be ruled out as Diamanti had touched the ball more than once but Marriner rejected their protests.

But Liverpool went back in front five minutes before the end of an eventful opening 45 minutes.

An outswinging corner from Yossi Benayoun was headed towards the far post by Steven Gerrard only for Kuyt to stick out a foot and poke the ball into the corner of the net in the 40th minute.

But a minute before the half-time whistle, England striker Cole rose highest in the six-yard box to meet Mark Noble’s corner and head the Hammers level for the second time in the game.

Hines was giving Liverpool’s defence a great deal of cause for concern.

Javier Mascherano could only bring the winger down in the 49th minute and his mistimed tackle earned the Liverpool player a yellow card.

A rare West Ham corner in the 59th minute almost caught out the Reds.

Debutant Diamanti sent an inswinging corner into the Liverpool six-yard box and Reina had to tip the ball away for another flag-kick as it threatened to end up in the net.

Liverpool replaced goalscorer Kuyt with Ryan Babel on the hour as the Merseysiders searched for a winner.

A fabulous run into the West Ham penalty area by Benayoun almost brought Liverpool a third but the home defence cleared the ball at the last hurdle.

West Ham were suffering from the lack of a killer final ball. Kieron Dyer, on for Diamanti, made a superb run deep into the Liverpool half in the 68th minute but he could not supply the final ball to put Cole clear.

Liverpool’s Babel tried his luck from 25 yards but his accuracy was found wanting as the ball went high over the bar and into the crowd.

But the Reds clinched the game in the 75th minute when Babel’s cross was headed into the corner of the net by Torres from eight yards.

Kovac was then denied at the death by a brilliant Reina save.