Liverpool 4 Portsmouth 1:Midfielder Alberto Aquilani finally found a performance to justify his €20million price tag, capping a masterful display with his first Liverpool goal in the rout of Portsmouth at Anfield.
The summer signing, brought in after Xabi Alonso’s sale to Real Madrid, has struggled to adapt to life in England but was at the heart of everything in only his fifth Premier League start.
Fernando Torres scored twice, with Ryan Babel and Aquilani adding goals in between his strikes, before Nadir Belhadj hit a late consolation.
Liverpool have not won on a Monday evening in nine attempts, five draws and four defeats, with the most recent victory coming with Gary McAllister’s last minute free-kick at Everton in April 2001.
They needed a positive start and got one from the first minute when Fernando Torres won a free-kick on the right edge of Portsmouth’s penalty area after being tugged back by Marc Wilson only for Steven Gerrard to deliver a poor cross.
Torres was screaming for a penalty three minutes later when his half-hit shot from another Gerrard free-kick hit Ricardo Rocha’s hand but referee Stuart Attwell waved away the claims.
Gerrard also thought he should have had a penalty in the 21st minute when Michael Brown, who had been detailed to man-mark the Liverpool captain, came over the top of him to win a header but Attwell just awarded a corner.
The pressure eventually told in the 26th minute when Ashdown drilled Rocha’s back-pass straight at Gerrard and the ball dropped to Maxi Rodriguez, who squared for Torres to roll a shot into the empty net
It was the Spain striker’s 14th Premier League strike this season, equalling his tally of last term.
That goal broke Portsmouth’s resistance as Liverpool scored two further goals within six minutes.
Firstly, in 28th minute, Glen Johnson’s cross to the far post dropped to Torres, who turned former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan before slipping a pass inside for Babel to poke home.
Four minutes later the goal that all Anfield — and Aquilani — had hoped for came when Gerrard played in Torres, who crossed back for his captain to dummy and allow his team-mate to fire home in front of the Kop.
It was his first Liverpool goal in 17 appearances, most of which were from the substitutes’ bench.
Torres could have made it 4-0 in the 35th minute when he cut in from the left to curl a right-foot shot beyond Jamie Ashdown only to see it rebound back off the post and Gerrard then fired Johnson’s return ball wide.
Portsmouth were slow to return for the second half and it was perhaps understandable as the barrage continued almost immediately.
In probably the best move of the game, the ball was worked in from the right starting with Rodriguez and going through Torres, Aquilani, Babel and Aquilani again before Gerrard’s shot at the far post was charged down by Ashdown.
From the same move the Portsmouth goalkeeper’s fingertip save then turned Babel’s shot onto the crossbar and over.
Portsmouth’s best — and probably only — chance came in the 55th minute when Michael Brown’s shot was instinctively touched over by Jose Reina.
It was only a brief respite as Rodriguez was next to try his luck, drilling a low shot a couple of yards wide from outside the penalty area.
Johnson should have had a penalty in the 67th minute when Nadir Belhadj brought down the England international but referee Attwell gave a goal-kick.
Gerrard made way for Yossi Benayoun in the 74th minute, having just been involved in a clash with Brown in which the Reds captain appeared to thrust an arm across his opponent’s face.
Aquilani’s dream night continued in the 77th minute when he threaded a pass to Torres in the penalty area and he cut back on to his right foot to blast a shot inside the near post. It was the Spaniard’s last act as he was replaced by David Ngog.
The striker, who looks to be returning to his lethal best having been sidelined for five weeks after knee operation, left to a standing ovation.
But the real plaudits, after a long wait, went to Aquilani and even a late goal from Belhadj — turning in a Frederic Piquionne volley across goal — could not spoil his night.