Reds start to turn tables with away win

'I've won here before with Fulham though so maybe I should adopt the Reebok as my new favourite ground.' Roy Hodgson is able to bask in the glow of a rare away day success.

As he sits down to study the Barclays Premier League standings today, Liverpool's manager will momentarily furrow his brow at the sight of his side being in 12th spot but then take heart from the fact that a position that threatened to be desperate does now not look so bleak.

Hodgson might have spent the opening stages of his reign ignoring football's vital statistics but, for the past month, Liverpudlians have been forced to view them with mounting horror owing to the Reds being trapped in the bottom three.

Had Hodgson lost what he inadvertently made such a big fixture all those weeks ago, the growing unease of some supporters could easily have boiled over yesterday but, as things stand, Liverpool might just be heading into a period of on-field prosperity.

Though they left it late, victory over Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium - achieved thanks to a moment of genius from Fernando Torres and a strike of great poise from Maxi Rodriguez - was absolutely deserved and enabled them to leap six places.

More than that, it has thrust them into a place where they can start to think about hunting down those who had stolen a march on them during that lamentable period when practically everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

What a difference seven days and back-to-back victories have made; suddenly Liverpool are three points away from fifth-placed Tottenham and should they beat Chelsea next Sunday - a big if, admittedly - their 11-game tally would not be too dissimilar to last season's haul at the same stage.

"It's just nice to be out of the bottom three," reflected Jamie Carragher. "We've been in there a while so it's been difficult to look at the table. We know we haven't had a great start but with the league so tight, a few wins can certainly help us climb the table."

Make no mistake this was an enormous victory, a point proven by the fist-pumping and back-slapping that greeted the final whistle from the majority of the squad, coupled with the scenes in the exultant away end.

It might not have been the easiest Liverpool performance there has been on the eye but it could turn out to be hugely significant in the course of the campaign.

Fluffing their lines yesterday would have left Liverpool susceptible to another round of inquests and ensured the build up to the showdown with the league leaders - usually one of the most eagerly anticipated collisions in the calendar - would have been laden with negativity.

Not now. Liverpool might not be the force they were when going head-to-head with Chelsea two seasons ago but at least they will go into the game with confidence starting to grow, knowing they have nothing to lose.

What's more, the team is starting to knit together. The shape is better, the work rate cannot be faulted and more players are accepting responsibility.

Take Rodriguez. He has quite a fan base on The Kop but the games he has heavily influenced since arriving from Atletico Madrid in January have been few and far between.

Happily he corrected that here. Building on a excellent performance against Blackburn, the little Argentine was Liverpool's brightest attacking source and the longer this contest progressed, the more you could see his class shining through.

An acrobatic overhead kick almost caught Jussi Jaaskelainen by surprise midway through the second period but he got the reward his play deserved in the 86th minute when Lucas and Torres combined to send him scampering through.

His poked effort squirmed through Jaaskelainen's legs but he went for the only area of the goal that the big Finnish keeper did not have protected.

That he was put through by Torres was deeply ironic because prior to that flash of genius, the Spaniard had produced the kind of display that would have left Sean Dundee, Erik Meijer and Titi Camara red-faced.

From the moment he made a hash of a pass from Steven Gerrard which he should have smashed past Jaaskelainen, Torres ran down blind alleys, failed to show adequate control and was outfoxed by Gary Cahill. But he rendered everything that had gone before with that terrific back heel - if he does the same against Chelsea and Liverpool win again, nobody will be complaining.

Least of all Hodgson. He will meet new owner John W Henry for talks this week about Liverpool's winter transfer budget but he will not kid himself into thinking that a tweak here and tuck there is all that is needed to take the club forward.

Provided they maintain this effort and application, however, there is nothing to say Liverpool won't be marching forward rapidly again; cast a glance at the table once more and you will see that the opportunity is there if they wish to take it.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.