29.8.09  BARCLAYS PREMIERSHIP
Bolton 2 Liverpool 3 (BBC)


Liverpool twice came from behind to beat a stubborn Bolton side, who had Sean Davis harshly sent off.

Kevin Davies put the hosts in front when he tapped in from a corner only for Glen Johnson to equalise with a low shot into the bottom corner.

Tamir Cohen restored Bolton's lead with a volley but then Davis was given a second caution for a foul on Lucas.

Steven Gerrard hit the bar before Fernando Torres finished clinically and Gerrard rifled in the winner late on.

It was a bitter blow for Bolton, having lost Davis to a debatable refereeing decision and some gamesmanship from Lucas.

Brazilian Lucas, whose reputation has recently been damaged by poor performances, did little in the match other than to do his best to influence the referee to send off Davis.

And it proved a turning point, as Liverpool finally applied pressure on Bolton and showed an urgency that had been lacking until that point.

That it should have happened only once they had numerical superiority must be a worry to boss Rafael Benitez, who had before the game called on his players to kick-start their season.

With two league defeats in their first three matches, Liverpool's title credentials were already being called into question.

And there were still be doubts after another largely unconvincing performance against a Bolton side struggling for form.

Benitez had singled out Gerrard as having been particularly below par so far their campaign but his skipper responded here in the perfect way.

Although he was not at his thrusting, influential best, Gerrard's contribution proved decisive when he thrashed in a volley in the 83rd minute to seal three points for his side.

Early in the match, Benitez prowled the touchline looking frustrated and unimpressed, his players showed little invention to lift his mood.

The visitors had also looked less than solid at the back with debutant Sotirios Kyrgiakos having a few nervous moments.

And the visitors were stunned when Bolton took the lead as Kevin Davies poked him from close range after Liverpool failed to clear a corner.

Soon after, Torres incurred the wrath of the Bolton players after they felt he had looked to win a penalty despite Zat Knight cleanly taking the ball.

From the resulting corner, the ball was half cleared and fell to Johnson who struck a low shot beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Bolton went into the interval feeling aggrieved but moments after the restart they were back in the lead.

Jaaskelainen punted the ball upfield, Kevin Davies flicked the ball on and Cohen volleyed in to score against the team his father used to play for.

The two goals were the first that Bolton had scored in the league this season and at that point, another shock defeat looked on the cards for Liverpool.

But it was referee Alan Wiley's yellow card that changed everything when he showed it to Davis for the second time.

Immediately Liverpool came piling forward and Gerrard smashed a vicious shot against the bar.

Moments later parity was restored when Dirk Kuyt chested the ball into the path of Torres and the Spaniard lashed home.

Bolton did their best to hang on as Liverpool chased the victory.

But it was to prove a fruitless task and when a corner fell to Gerrard, the England midfielder cracked in his volley into the top corner.

Liverpool almost scored again when Torres had a shot hacked off the line, but a greater margin of victory would have been flattering.

While Liverpool still need to improve to challenge for the title, they will be relived to have won and Benitez will be pleased with his side's spirit. Bolton, too, can take some positives from a performance that gives them hope for the rest of the campaign.