Sizzling Torres prospers in the sunshine

Fernando Torres succinctly demonstrated why Liverpool invested so heavily in him with two clinical finishes, winning a game Rafael Benitez’s side would have drawn in years past.

It keeps Liverpool firmly in the title race after disappointment against Stoke and ensured the previously frustrated Torres - who had been on a six-game goalless run - regained some of the confidence that seemed so lacking in the opening hour. He has been in a lull since the consummate finish that won Spain the European Championships, and although both his efforts against Everton were hardly demanding finishes, they nevertheless set the 23-year-old on his way for the new campaign.

And that’s exceedingly important, for Torres is utterly essential where Liverpool’s title hopes are concerned.

He provided instant results in his inaugural season but the chemistry with Steven Gerrard didn’t substantiate until the second half of the campaign while a true companion up front was missing. Robbie Keane has now arrived and Gerrard is again in terrific form.

An on-song Torres almost inevitably means an on-form Liverpool

Liverpool are sitting pretty, level with Chelsea on 14 points, the results against their Mersey rivals and particularly Manchester United threatening to make Benitez’s side true contenders. Games with Manchester City and Chelsea in October will test their mettle further, but the omens are looking far better than at any other time under their Spanish coach.

Torres cut a bitty and irritated figure for two-thirds of a tense and defensive match, earning himself a booking for dissent and offering a succession of unconvincing smiles as another attack failed or a pass again went astray. Only when Keane, who has thoroughly underperformed thus far, offered an extra willingness to chase lost balls and work hard out wide did Liverpool come to life.

His excellent cross set-up Torres for the decisive opener that deflated their opponent’s stubborn resistance; there is no doubt David Moyes’s side would have been content with a draw after an indifferent start to the season but after conceding, they lacked the belief to find a leveller. With those in blue still reflecting on the first, Torres’s fine sense of positioning and pinpoint placement secured the three points, confidence clearly re-established with his top corner finish.

An on-song Torres almost inevitably means an on-form Liverpool. Gerrard is still relied on too much but with goals the missing component in recent years, Torres is equally if not more crucial. Arsenal’s loss to Hull demonstrated what can happen when strikers are either struggling with form or lack a predatory instinct. Liverpool struggled with Stoke but can afford few more slip-ups with Chelsea looking frighteningly dominant and Manchester United always dangerous.

Liverpool fans know, however, that when Torres is smiling for the right reasons, they will be too.