Fernando Torres confirmed his position in the top bracket of world strikers with one of the season’s finest goals.
The Spaniard’s sensational early strike against Blackburn had a touch of Marco van Basten at his best about it, such was the movement, control and execution of a stunning hooked volley that set Liverpool on the way to a comfortable 4-0 win.
He followed that up with an excellent header, outmuscling Rovers’ powerful defender-turned-attacker Christopher Samba.
It took Torres to 11 goals in 19 Barclays Premier League games this season, 14 in all for the frequently injured 25-year-old, and Chelsea will be well aware of the threat he poses to their Champions League hopes heading into Tuesday’s quarter-final second leg.
But in the end it did nothing to cut the lead - one point and a game in hand - that Manchester United hold over Liverpool at the top of the table.
And Liverpool have only six games left to halt the seemingly inevitable United march to the title.
But haunting Liverpool is the thought of what might have been had Torres been fit all season, and just how many goals and extra points would have been secured with the Spaniard in this current brilliant form.
Statistics underline that feeling. Torres has now scored 35 goals in 52 league games for the club, 47 in 78 matches across all competitions.
The partnership with Gerrard - who was not risked in the Blackburn game - shows 89 goals between them since Torres’ arrival at the start of last season.
Torres and Gerrard have both had their injury problems all season, and Liverpool’s title challenge has been hampered accordingly.
The problem for Liverpool is that Torres came back from winning the European Championship with Spain last summer tired and vulnerable. Only in the past few weeks has he been anything like fully fit.
He will play in FIFA’s Confederation Cup tournament with Spain in South Africa in June, so he will have no full summer break to assist with his recovery from hamstring trouble.
"Yes, I will have to play in the Confederation Cup during the summer, maybe it is not the best for the next pre-season, but it is my job and I have to play.
"Then I will have to work with the staff at Liverpool to make sure I get a good pre-season and do not make the same mistakes as at the end of last summer.
"My first one was a good goal, maybe one of the best I have ever scored.
"People may compare it with Van Basten, but I do not think so, he was one of the best players in football history and I have a bit to go before I am as good as him."
Torres added: "The way we played is good for our build-up and preparation for Tuesday at Chelsea in the Champions League.
"This win gives us confidence after the 3-1 defeat by them in midweek. But I believe the team can score three goals at Stamford Bridge.
"We won away to Manchester United, they scored but we still won 4-1.
"Chelsea could just defend, but I doubt that. They will want to score themselves and that will give us a chance ourselves."
Boss Rafael Benitez said of Torres: "Fernando’s first goal was very special, but I am the kind of manager who always likes to push his players so I know he can do better.
"I suppose it was similar to Van Basten’s famous goal, but if Fernando wants to be at the level of Van Basten then he knows he has to improve."
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce could do without Torres being any better after this humbling.
Allardyce said: "It is nothing to do with the possession Liverpool get and keep, the one area we could beat them is when balls are knocked down from a big man, but Liverpool were far better than us even at that.
"Add that to the way they pass and move the ball, which is why they dominated the game.
"There may well have been some fear from us. We were missing a lot of our top players, and if they had been on the pitch we would not have lost 4-0."
The Spaniard’s sensational early strike against Blackburn had a touch of Marco van Basten at his best about it, such was the movement, control and execution of a stunning hooked volley that set Liverpool on the way to a comfortable 4-0 win.
He followed that up with an excellent header, outmuscling Rovers’ powerful defender-turned-attacker Christopher Samba.
It took Torres to 11 goals in 19 Barclays Premier League games this season, 14 in all for the frequently injured 25-year-old, and Chelsea will be well aware of the threat he poses to their Champions League hopes heading into Tuesday’s quarter-final second leg.
But in the end it did nothing to cut the lead - one point and a game in hand - that Manchester United hold over Liverpool at the top of the table.
And Liverpool have only six games left to halt the seemingly inevitable United march to the title.
But haunting Liverpool is the thought of what might have been had Torres been fit all season, and just how many goals and extra points would have been secured with the Spaniard in this current brilliant form.
Statistics underline that feeling. Torres has now scored 35 goals in 52 league games for the club, 47 in 78 matches across all competitions.
The partnership with Gerrard - who was not risked in the Blackburn game - shows 89 goals between them since Torres’ arrival at the start of last season.
Torres and Gerrard have both had their injury problems all season, and Liverpool’s title challenge has been hampered accordingly.
The problem for Liverpool is that Torres came back from winning the European Championship with Spain last summer tired and vulnerable. Only in the past few weeks has he been anything like fully fit.
He will play in FIFA’s Confederation Cup tournament with Spain in South Africa in June, so he will have no full summer break to assist with his recovery from hamstring trouble.
"Yes, I will have to play in the Confederation Cup during the summer, maybe it is not the best for the next pre-season, but it is my job and I have to play.
"Then I will have to work with the staff at Liverpool to make sure I get a good pre-season and do not make the same mistakes as at the end of last summer.
"My first one was a good goal, maybe one of the best I have ever scored.
"People may compare it with Van Basten, but I do not think so, he was one of the best players in football history and I have a bit to go before I am as good as him."
Torres added: "The way we played is good for our build-up and preparation for Tuesday at Chelsea in the Champions League.
"This win gives us confidence after the 3-1 defeat by them in midweek. But I believe the team can score three goals at Stamford Bridge.
"We won away to Manchester United, they scored but we still won 4-1.
"Chelsea could just defend, but I doubt that. They will want to score themselves and that will give us a chance ourselves."
Boss Rafael Benitez said of Torres: "Fernando’s first goal was very special, but I am the kind of manager who always likes to push his players so I know he can do better.
"I suppose it was similar to Van Basten’s famous goal, but if Fernando wants to be at the level of Van Basten then he knows he has to improve."
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce could do without Torres being any better after this humbling.
Allardyce said: "It is nothing to do with the possession Liverpool get and keep, the one area we could beat them is when balls are knocked down from a big man, but Liverpool were far better than us even at that.
"Add that to the way they pass and move the ball, which is why they dominated the game.
"There may well have been some fear from us. We were missing a lot of our top players, and if they had been on the pitch we would not have lost 4-0."
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