Red-hot Torres keeps Liverpool flying

Fernando Torres (L) of Liverpool vies with Gavin McCann of Bolton Wanderers during the Premier league football match, at Anfield, Liverpool. Liverpool won 4-0.

Fernando Torres underlined his growing importance to Liverpool's hopes of winning the Premier League with a stunning display as Rafael Benitez's team hammered Bolton 4-0 at Anfield on Sunday.

Spanish striker Torres took his tally for the season to eleven goals in 17 appearances as Liverpool kept pace with leaders Arsenal by making easy work of Gary Megson's Bolton.

Sami Hyypia's opener, a Steven Gerrard penalty early in the second-half and a late Ryan Babel tap-in completed the scoring for Liverpool, but it was Torres that made the difference with his pace and determination.

Bolton's resurgence under manager Megson, appointed in October as a replacement for the sacked Sammy Lee, has been impressive and their 1-0 victory over Manchester United at the Reebok Stadium last week emphasised the threat they posed to Liverpool's unbeaten record in the league this season.

Megson has returned to the direct tactics employed to great success by Sam Allardyce at Bolton and those same tactics have caused Liverpool countless problems in recent years.

But Benitez's team appear to have wised up to Bolton's approach and they dominated the early stages by utilising the flair of Harry Kewell, Yossi Benayoun and Torres to negate the visitors' physical game-plan.

Fernanado Torres (C) of Liverpool vies with Ivan Campo (L) and Gavin McCann of Bolton Wanderers during the Premier league football match at Anfield, Liverpool. Liverpool won 4-0.

Kewell and Benayoun combined on five minutes to create the first chance of the game for Peter Crouch, but the England striker's shot from six yards was blocked on the line by Bolton defender Lubomir Michalik.

The red wave continued to pour forward, though, and Torres was unlucky not to score moments later when Jussi Jaaskelainen saved well at the near post.

Bolton finally buckled under the pressure on 17 minutes, though. Hyypia escaped the attentions of his marker Abdoulaye Meite to head Steven Gerrard's free-kick into the net from 12 yards. It was slack defending by Bolton and Hyypia made them pay with his second goal of the campaign.

Megson's team struggled to respond as Liverpool maintained their fast-paced start to the game and both Kewell and Torres went close to extending the home side's lead before Nicolas Anelka missed a golden chance to equalise on 38 minutes.

The French striker, reportedly a January target for Manchester United and Manchester City, had an open goal at his mercy when a collision between Jose Reina and Jamie Carragher left him free inside the penalty area.

But remarkably, Anelka aimed his shot into the side-netting when it appeared so much easier to find the net.

Anelka was always going to be haunted by the miss with Liverpool in such dominant form and it didn't take long for Torres to show him how to finish when he doubled the home side's lead with a sumptuous finish on the stroke of half-time.

The 21-million-pound striker looked dangerous every time he received the ball and, after being fed by a terrific Gerrard pass, he escaped Michalik before clipping a right-foot effort past Jaaskelainen from a narrow angle.

Considering Liverpool's dominance, that was as good a game over for Bolton and they continued to be over-run by Benitez's team in the second-half.

Yet despite controlling the possession and camping in Bolton territory, Liverpool could only add two more goals to the scoreline.

Gerrard netted from the penalty spot on 55 minutes following Meite's clumsy foul on Crouch and Babel completed the win with a close-range strike five minutes from time.