IN his role as talismanic skipper, Steven Gerrard has grown accustomed to carrying a heavy burden throughout his Anfield career.
But there has been a greater weight than ever resting on his shoulders in recent months as Liverpool’s spluttering campaign has lurched from one disappointment to the next.
So often the figurehead of Rafael Benitez’s tenure, Gerrard has found himself curiously unable to answer the usual call to arms as his team-mates have looked for inspiration.
Hampered by having yet to fully regain full fitness following a niggling groin problem has only exacerbated the player’s frustration at the general malaise around him.
It was enough to prompt Benitez into issuing a series of pep talks in an attempt to cajole the captain back towards his best form and resuscitate an ailing Liverpool team.
The results were immediate, Gerrard ending his personal goal-scoring drought to send the Anfield outfit on their way to a belated but much-needed Christmas present of three precious points against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
His first goal from open play in more than three months, small wonder the mixture of delight and relief as the Liverpool skipper wheeled away in front of the Kop after thundering a header beyond goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.
Benitez must now hope that not only does Gerrard take confidence from his strike, but that the rest of the team once again follow the example of the England man, who even before his game-defining contribution had been launching into tackles and spraying the ball around with more conviction than of late.
Half an hour into Saturday’s match, a sublime pass from Gerrard to release Fernando Torres was matched by the exquisite finish of the Spaniard to lift the ball over Hahnemann into the empty goal.
A sight Liverpool fans might have expected to see more often this season, that it was disallowed for a marginal offside decision was typical of how the partnership has rarely been allowed to prosper.
But while Gerrard will believe the corner has been turned, Torres continues to toil with the similar issue of a lack of fitness thwarting his efforts to rediscover peak form and propel Liverpool back into the hallowed ground of the top four.
As at Portsmouth last week, the striker gradually became discouraged after being subjected to some serious buffeting from no-nonsense defenders during the opening exchanges, close attention that was missed by referee Andre Marriner, whose eyesight would also be called into question later in the game.
Even when clearly compromised by injury, Torres has the capability of fashioning a chance out of nothing as typified by one mazy run and shot that bamboozled Wolves’ right-back Richard Stearman before bringing the best out of Hahnemann.
But the Spaniard is clearly not happy, although he might well expect a better standard of service than has been provided from his team-mates of late.
While the doom-merchants will almost certainly dwell on the five-minute period midway through the half in which Wolves had three chances to score, the rest of the game was effectively controlled by Liverpool.
However, it was only when the visitors were reduced to 10 men following the 53rd-minute dismissal of visiting left-back Stephen Ward that Benitez’s side were given the space to turn that territorial domination into clear-cut chances. Without that numerical advantage, a lacklustre Liverpool had not overly troubled a well-organised Wolves defence.
With Javier Mascherano sidelined through injury and suspension, Benitez could no longer protect Alberto Aquilani from a first Premier League start following his near-£20million arrival from Roma in the summer.
As in his previous fleeting appearances, the Italian central midfielder appeared comfortable in possession, can clearly spot a pass and showed glimpses of striking up an understanding with his team-mates.
But the manner in which he faded badly during the second half, looking very much the player who has missed much of the calendar year through injury, illustrated why Benitez has been so cautious to ease him into the fray.
Needs must, however, and Aquilani can expect a crash-course in English football in the coming weeks, and may even be risked for tomorrow’s pivotal visit to fellow top-four aspirants Aston Villa.
Certainly, Benitez will look to his creativity during the second half of the campaign.
It is a sad indictment of Liverpool’s current Premier League standing that the encouragement gained by results earlier in the day meant they had a chance to move ahead of Birmingham City in the table. Yes, Birmingham.
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy had even delivered the pre-match insult of naming a full choice team, clearly fancying his chances of capitalising on the Anfield gloom having put out his reserves at Old Trafford a fortnight earlier.
The visitors made life difficult for Liverpool and, midway through the first half, had a purple patch in which Sylvan Ebanks-Blake turned and shot at Pepe Reina, Nenad Milijas solicited a better save from the goalkeeper with a 20-yard free-kick and, from the resultant corner, Kevin Doyle contrived to head over from four yards.
But Liverpool were ultimately deserving of victory, although admittedly the turning point was Ward’s red card.
The defender, having only minutes earlier been cautioned for a tug on Yossi Benayoun, brought down Lucas Leiva. Marriner reached for his pocket, but the Wolves players, mindful of what was coming, encouraged the referee to book Christophe Berra instead.
Liverpool were outraged and their protestations, led by Reina, who had sprinted the full length of the pitch to make his point known, eventually persuaded the officials to reach the correct decision
The hosts needed only nine minutes to take advantage, Emiliano Insua – atoning for a poor performance at Portsmouth with his best display for some time – delivering a teasing cross from the left that Gerrard met above Milijas to head powerfully in.
Eight minutes later the game was over, another cross from the left flank, this time by Fabio Aurelio, eventually finding its way to Benayoun at the far post, who cut inside man-mountain substitute George Elokobi before firing in off Karl Henry’s knee.
Benayoun almost netted another later on while the closing stages were enlivened by a brief Premier League debut for the eye-catching Spanish youngster Dani Pacheco.
There have been so many false dawns for Benitez’s side during the past few months that it would be pointless to speculate if this could be the result to kick-start their spluttering campaign.
A win, though, is a win.
And with a clean sheet and a welcome confidence boost for their skipper, Liverpool will at least believe a corner has been turned.
With Villa to come tomorrow, there is no other choice.
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