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liverpool maintain their slender lead over the premier league, thanks to a great display against bolton wanderers in last night’s traditional boxing day clash.  the reds began well, controling the ball and dominating possession. bolton had very few opportunities to threaten, as liverpool pushed forward in search of the opening goal.

they only had to wait 20 minutes before the deadlock was broken. bolton had conceded a succession of corners and their defence had begun to show cracks. from a great steven gerrard corner, reira angled a deflection into the near post, beating the bolton keeper.

liverpool finished the half with 70% possession and a one goal lead. then, after the break, the reds continued their good form and dominated the match, denying bolton any opportunities to attack.

in the 53rd minute, under fire striker robbie keane went on a rampage, scoring two goals in five minutes.  the first goal came after a great gerrard cross. keane’s first touch controlled the ball and his second touch was smashed into the net. keane struck again after a move started by reina, who threw a long ball to alonso. the spaniard found benayoun who crossed to keane. the irish striker again smashed the ball home, to the rousing cheers of the anfield faithful.

keane celebrated his return to form, having scored three goals in two games, and also silenced his critics - who have accused keane of being a failure since his move to anfield. the reds were riding high and were full of confidence. agger, gerrard and even carragher were taking shots at goal. carragher’s powerful left footed drive flashed across goal.

liverpool retain their lead by a single point after rivals chelsea also won their match. manchester united won, and are 7 points behind but with two games in hand. if united win both of their extra games, there will be a single point separating the top three teams … creating a very tight race for the title.

liverpool now look to sunday’s lunch time game against newcastle united. the reds will be hoping that torres will be able to return from injury and take his place in the side. liverpool need to continue their winning form and ensure they remain in the hunt for the title.

liverpool regain their position at the top of the premier league after a frustrating 0-0 draw with west ham at anfield last night. chelsea fell to arsenal yesterday, clearing the way for liverpool to take top spot. all three points would have given liverpool a useful cushion, however the reds were denied their chance by their resilient visitors.

liverpool started well and dominated possession, controlling the midfield and putting good passes together. however it was former red craig bellamy who almost stunned the home team with a long range drive that was deflected off the post. liverpool’s best chance of the half came when west ham’s keeper brilliantly saved a shot by benayoun. twice more west ham were forced to save off their line, denying reira and hyypia the chance to score.

liverpool continued to apply pressure and were unlucky not to be awarded two penalties, after an apparent hand ball by a west ham defender. hyypia had two more opportunities, both headers missing their mark. kuyt and gerrard also being denied by west ham’s defense.

west ham pushed forward late in the second half, as liverpool began to tire, but were not able to put together any serious attacks.

despite the win, the anfield faithful showed their disappointment with a chorus of jeers at the final whistle. although liverpool now sit at the top of the table, it was clear that the home team’s performance was below expectations. liverpool are beginning to show a predictable pattern of not getting vital wins at home, to teams who are traveling to anfield looking for a draw.

rafa claimed that liverpool “deserved to win”. yet, there was very little evidence that liverpool deserved anything with their poor finishing.

having taken the lead, liverpool now need to focus on keeping it. the reds have a good run through december. liverpool will be away to blackburn rovers this coming weekend, followed by a midweek game against psv eindhoven in the champions league. liverpool will finish the year with games against hull, arsenal (away), bolton and newcastle. the match against arsenal at emirates stadium will be a tough game, but the rest are easily winable.

liverpool have moved into third place, above manchester united, after a solid 4-0 victory at home to bolton wanderers. the reds secured their 5th straight victory in all competitions, scoring 20 goals along the way.

liverpool started strong against bolton and controlled most of the match. after 20 minutes hyypia opened the scoring after a great corner from gerrard. bolton did rally together after being stung by the first goal and former red nicholas anelka got an opportunity that he should have put away. however chances were rare for bolton, who didn’t get to spend much time attacking liverpool’s goal.

stevie g has been in fine form lately, and it was a sensational pass from him that put torres through to score liverpool’s second.  he was then given the honours of tucking away a penalty after crouch was brought down in the box. i admit it was a harsh penalty, but with two liverpool attackers running in unmarked, it’s arguable that a crouch pass would have resulted in a goal. torres came off to make way for kuyt who contributed to the final goal when his shot was deflected by the keeper and fell into the path of babel, who had no problem slotting the ball home.

the reds’ emphatic win was a great showing for liverpool who are really starting to find some good form. despite a few lapses, bolton never looked in the game.

harry kewell started for liverpool and played the first 60 minutes. kewell has been in good form and he’s been causing a lot of trouble for opposing teams by marauding forward on the left flank. he was replaced by goal scorer babel. torres and crouch were also partnered together for the first time in the premiership. crouch had chances, and created the penalty, but torres was the worry for bolton defense with his constant runs. youngster jack hobbs also got his premier league debut, replacing jamie carragher. carragher and reina collided in the first half, which gave anelka a golden opportunity to score. despite playing on, carragher received a knock and was forced off the pitch in the second half. hobbs, however, played really well and a great long pass by him almost opened up bolton’s defenses.

overall, liverpool played exceptionally well. the team is starting to show some form and the players are working together well. this is the liverpool we all want to see, and i’m sure it’s the liverpool that is going to put some serious fear into oppositions. everyone knows that if liverpool click together then they’re going to be a very dangerous side … and it looks like that just may happen.

december will be the test of liverpool’s skills as the team head into a series of tough games. the reds face reading next weekend, then they face marseille (away) in champions league, man united (home) in the premier league, and chelsea (away) in the carling cup … it’s a tough run to christmas!