Liverpool bounced back from their disappointing Carling Cup exit with a slick display which ended Portsmouth’s six-match winning run on the road.

Watch the goals and highlights here

Yossi Benayoun fired the Reds ahead with a powerful volley and Pompey’s Sylvain Distin inadvertently deflected home for an own goal to make it 2-0.

Benjani’s slick control and finish made it 2-1 shortly after the break. But Fernando Torres‘ calm sidefoot restored the Red’s two-goal lead and his late volley completed the win.

It was an impressive all-round display from Liverpool who came into the match on the back of morale-crushing defeats to Manchester United in the league and Chelsea in the Carling Cup quarter-final.

Rafa Benitez made nine changes from the side which lost in the cup and will have been delighted with how his team began.

After Dirk Kuyt was denied by an excellent last-ditch sliding tackle from Glen Johnson, they broke the deadlock on 13 minutes. Harry Kewell crossed from the left for Benayoun to powerfully volley first-time past David James.

The misery deepened for Pompey in somewhat comical fashion three minutes later. Kuyt found Fernando Torres in the box, but he was tackled by Sol Campbell who could only look on aghast as the ball rebounded off Distin’s shin and past James into the net.

Portsmouth had won their previous six away games, but showed little sign of that form and rarely looked like troubling the Liverpool defence in the opening half.

But they emerged with far more purpose after the break and grabbed a lifeline on 57 minutes through Benjani. Substitute Nwankwo Kanu crossed and the Zimbabwean calmly took the ball down and rifled low into the net inside Jose Reina’s near post from eight yards.

It was a fine strike, but Liverpool reacted well. They did not panic and restored their two-goal lead 10 minutes later. Torres applied a calm sidefooted finish after keeper James was unable to get any distance on his clearance as he blocked a pass which was inadvertently deflected off Hermann Hreidarsson’s boot.

And Torres put the gloss on the win, volleying inside James’ near post from Steven Gerrard’s header back across the area.

TIA Man of the Match: Javier Mascherano
Was everywhere today, winning tackles, playing the pass for Babel which lead to Torres’ important first. If United paid 18m for Carrick he’s certainly worth the 17m - get your money out Hicks and Gillett.

Telegraph Match Report

Old anthem, new star. Those fervent choristers of the famous Kop sang to the man who has stolen their hearts, Fernando Torres.

As Liverpool returned to form after recent lapses and Portsmouth’s incredible run of six away wins in succession came to an end, even Harry Redknapp was describing him as “a fantastic talent”.

Torres scored twice and was involved in the other two goals and when he was taken off minutes from the end it was to a tumultuous, standing ovation.

He is lightning-fast, has a vivid imagination, strikes the ball truly and is not averse to a spot of impudence as when he won the corner that led to his second goal and Liverpool’s fourth - deliberately playing the ball off Sol Campbell in front of the Kop.

He was the star atop a glittering Liverpool performance that came after recent defeats at home to Manchester United and away to Chelsea.

If Torres takes the majority vote in any man-of-the-match award, he was closely followed by Javier Mascherano, an absolute brain-box in front of the Liverpool back four, linking with the tireless Steven Gerrard and spraying accurate passes everywhere.
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That meant that Portsmouth spent most of the afternoon chasing elusive figures. Redknapp complained that because of Portsmouth’s frozen training pitches he had not been able to work with his players they way he would have wanted to for two days.

He stressed that he was not making excuses and added, generously, that Liverpool could beat anyone on their day.

This was one of them. They dropped into their confident, slick-passing ways from the start and as the goals flew in you could only reflect that Liverpool were a team in tune with each other.

Players were always running into space, supporting each other, demanding possession and firing at their former goalkeeper David James. Going two goals up with the match not 16 minutes old provided Portsmouth with a hurdle they never looked like clearing.

Harry Kewell, showing shades of his old form, was involved in Yossi Benayoun’s opening goal as was Torres, who had beaten Campbell with the ball running wide to Kewell. He pulled it back to the edge of the penalty area and Benayoun finished the job.

Two minutes later Dick Kuyt was on a run, fed by the industrious Mascherano, and Torres was in to meet the cross. Campbell closed in but only managed to kick the ball against his fellow central defender Sylvain Distin, who watched it roll into the net.

Surely there would be no coming back but Redknapp opted for a double substitution at half-time, bringing on Kanu up front and Lauren at right-back in place of the injured Glen Johnson.

Kanu’s perception was immediately to the fore. In the 56th minute he drove a hard, diagonal cross from left to right to find Benjani, who turned inside John Arne Riise to find the bottom left-hand corner.

At 2-1, Portsmouth may have thought they had a chance. Torres was having none of that and his goal-sniffer’s instinct brought him the opportunity that effectively killed off any Portsmouth challenge.

Mascherano played the ball forward to Ryan Babel, who vaulted James as the goalkeeper blocked the ball. Torres was following up to pass the ball into the net.

Torres, the Spanish star who cost Liverpool £21.5 million from Atletico Madrid, completed the victory when the corner he had won was cleared out to Jamie Carragher. He launched it high into the box where Gerrard cleverly headed the ball into Torres’s path and a volleyed left-footer confirmed his Koppite hero status.

Match Reaction

Rafael Benitez:
“It was a great performance from the team, especially in the first half.

“We looked good and created chances. But we got a bit nervous against a team with a very good away record.

“Torres though is always a threat. Not only that he makes room for our other players. He has a good mentality.”

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp:
“We started poorly then got back to 2-1 and were back in the game. But then we gave away two terrible goals due to poor defending.

“Torres is a top striker, a fantastic player who is at another level.

“We’ve had a great run away from home and something to be proud of. Finishing in the top half would be progress.”

Teams

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Benayoun (Babel 64), Gerrard, Mascherano, Kewell (Aurelio 76), Torres (Lucas 86), Kuyt.
Subs Not Used: Itandje, Voronin.
Booked: Arbeloa.
Goals: Benayoun 13, Distin 16 og, Torres 67, 85.

Portsmouth: James, Johnson (Lauren 46), Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Utaka (Kanu 46), Diop, Pedro Mendes, Muntari (Taylor 73), Kranjcar, Mwaruwari.
Subs Not Used: Begovic, Nugent.
Booked: Diop, Hreidarsson.
Goals: Mwaruwari 57.

Att: 43,071
Ref: Mike Riley (Yorkshire)

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