Bolton 2 Liverpool 3

Comeback Wonders! With the season started on the wrong foot, will this comeback win be a sign of turning the fortune around and pushing the season into the right direction? It's not good for the heart, it's not convincing to the public but it sure is a confidence booster which can put real beliefs into the players.

After Alonso's departure, the team seemed to be affected by a lack of confidence in their play. It's even more obvious in the confidence of the supporters. When the supporters are restless, it can be seen to affect the players' confidence on the field too. Lucas has been under great criticism and scrutiny since stepping into Alonso's place. However, largely were misplaced comments and undeserved comparison. He may not be anything outstanding but he is not as bad as some people would say he is. He is such a young lad and I can only imagine how his mentality can be affected by all this negativity around him. It's even worse when teammates around him started to lose faith in him as well. Of course Alonso will be missed but we must all stop comparing them. It's the team that wins game, not the individual.

"Glen Johnson proving an excellent buy!"

Against Bolton, Liverpool went twice behind before turning it around to get all three points. Kevin Davies put Bolton in front with a tap-in goal in the 33rd minute only to be canceled by Glen Johnson's low drive minutes later. Having equalised, Liverpool started the second half wrongly again when Bolton scored again through Cohen. However, luck was probably on Liverpool's side as Davis was sent off for a second bookable offence on Lucas and the game was then turned around.

"Torres got it right for letting his foot do the talking!"

Lacking 1 player, Bolton found it difficult to continue man-marking Gerrard. As a result, Gerrard started to punish Bolton. He first had a shot hitting the bar. Then he scored the winner for Liverpool with a smashing shot as a result from a corner. For Liverpool's equaliser, it was Torres who scored with a well placed shot. Kuyt directed the ball using his chest to Torres' path before he calmly dribbled the ball and slotted it into the net.

Throughout the game, Torres and Gerrard were man-marked and had a frustrating time before Davis' sending off. Some pundits commented on this and said that other teams will also do the same and keep Liverpool quiet throughout the game. I feel not many teams can afford to do the same. First of all, not every team has players who can man-mark the dynamic duo perfectly for 90 minutes. Secondly, man-marking them can leave others like Kuyt and Benayoun sneaking into their penalty area and score goals. Talking about man-marking the duo as shutting off Liverpool is just inaccurate. Liverpool have more quality than just the two of them.

"Gerrard scored in the winner!"

The ineffectiveness of the two players earlier in the game also raised issues of Liverpool being too dependent on Torres and Gerrard. Again, the pundits have forsaken the statistics. It has been shown by Paul Tomkins that the likes of M*n U*d are more dependent on then Ronaldo and Rooney more than Liverpool are dependent on Gerrard and Torres. So for this, case is close. It just annoys me every time I hear the pundits say Liverpool being too dependent on the duo. It sickens me.

This win has given Liverpool the much needed belief of their capabilities. It has shown the strength of the players. After the international break, hopefully Liverpool will build on the win and continue on a winning run. This season will be a very interesting season. It has just been less than a month into it and already a lot of incidents and uncertainties. No matter what, Liverpool will have to concentrate on themselves and play to the standard they should. Come on, Reds!!!


"You'll Never Walk Alone"