Benitez Puts His Hopes In Lucky Break

International breaks are always an anxious time for Rafa Benitez. Three times in the past two seasons the Liverpool manager has waved off Fernando Torres only for the Spain striker to return to Anfield injured. Ryan Babel, Sami Hyypia, who has since left, and Yossi Benayoun have also been wounded in the heat of international battle in the past 12 months.

So Benitez can hardly be blamed for feeling some trepidation over the course of the next 10 days. Yet the Spaniard has reason to be feeling jitterier than ever as he monitors the progress of his players across the globe.

If the likes of Torres, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, one of the few consistent performers in an inconsistent start for Liverpool, and Javier Mascherano can return unscathed, then Benitez can look forward to the rest of the season with much more optimism than before his side's laboured victory over Bolton.

By the time the Premier League resumes, Fabio Aurelio, the Brazilian full-back who has yet to play this season because of a knee injury, is expected to be pushing for a return, along with Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.

The restoration of Agger and Skrtel, who was missing at the Reebok because of a jaw injury, to the heart of the defence will at least ensure Benitez a less stressful afternoon than the one he experienced on Saturday when Sotirios Kyrgiakos, the Greece international defender, had a debut to forget alongside Jamie Carragher.

While there has been frustration among the club's followers about their team's indifferent start, Liverpool's players now report for their countries frustrated that they will have to wait until Burnley's visit to Anfield on 12 September for the opportunity to record back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.

"You could say the international break has come at a bad time, but it gives us time to get the likes of Fabio Aurelio and Daniel Agger fit," said Gerrard, scorer of Liverpool's late winner in a thrilling five-goal encounter.

It required the dismissal of Sean Davis for Liverpool to enforce their authority. Bolton were leading 2-1 thanks to goals by Kevin Davies and Tamir Cohen when Davis was dismissed in the 55th minute for his tackle from behind on Lucas.

Bolton believe the Liverpool midfielder made a meal of the challenge yet Davis needlessly picked up a first-half booking for kicking the ball away after the visitors had been awarded a free-kick.

The end of Davis spelt the end of Bolton's game plan. Gerrard, subdued after being man-marked by Fabrice Muamba, rattled the bar within seconds of Bolton having been reduced to 10 men before Torres equalised.

Liverpool, who had levelled first time round through Johnson, scored the winner seven minutes from the end, Gerrard's trademark finish from 16 yards going some way to erasing the pain of the 3-1 reversal to Aston Villa earlier in the week. "It was a difficult first 45 because Muamba was like my shadow," Gerrard added. "I'm sure if I'd have gone to the toilet he would have followed me, but he wasn't able to do that when they were down to 10 men.

"I've had a difficult start to the season. I held my hands up in the dressing room after the Aston Villa game and said I wasn't good enough."

The Bolton manager, Gary Megson, preferred to concentrate on Liverpool's tactics instead of reading Davis the riot act. "Did they take the rule out that if someone throws themselves over and they don't get booked that they can get punished for that?" he asked. "I think it is still in there but when did you last see that happen? Twice people chanced their arm on trying to get a penalty. I am not saying who they were. Tell me the last Bolton player you saw throwing themselves all over the place."

Agent Dismisses Dossena Exit

Andrea Dossena's agent claims his client is unlikely to leave Liverpool during the transfer window.

The Italy international has been the subject of much speculation this summer, with a return to Serie A widely touted.

The full-back only moved to Anfield from Udinese last year, but has struggled to make an impact in England.

That has helped to fuel exit rumours, with Juventus and Napoli both believed to be keen on offering him a route back to his homeland.

However, the Italian transfer window is set to close on Monday and Dossena's representative believes there is little chance of a deal being struck.

"I am about to arrive in Milan," said Roberto La Florio to calciomercato.it.

"I know nothing regarding those rumours (Juve and Napoli).

"I have read those stories myself, it's only rumours.

"I don't think he will return to Italy, it's difficult for an agreement to be reached today.

"I really think it's too late."

Meanwhile, Liverpool are hoping to welcome Daniel Agger back into their first-team fold in the not too distant future.

The Danish centre-half is currently recovering from a back injury, which required an operation, and has only recently resumed full training.

He is making positive progress in his rehabilitation, though, with countryman and Reds team-mate Nikola Saric delighted to see the commanding 24-year-old back in action.

"Agger played with a lot of pain, but now that has gone and that's the most important thing," Saric told TV2.

"He has been working with the physio and he says that things already feel a lot better."

Juventus, Napoli & Roma Tracking Liverpool's Andrea Dossena

Juventus' search for a left-back has apparently come to rest on Liverpool's Andrea Dossena, but Napoli and Roma are also competing with the Bianconeri to sign the 27-year-old.

"The situation is still in the balance - Napoli, Roma and Juventus are after him," Dossena's agent, Roberto La Florio, explained to Il Corriere dello Sport.

"There is still everything to decide on, the day is long. For now, he is still a Liverpool player."

Juventus have been well-documented in their chase for Olympique Lyonnais' Fabio Grosso, while the Giallorossi were thought to be interested in Dossena in order to replace John Arne Riise.

The Norwegian had been linked with Bayern Munich, but looks set to stay at the Stadio Olimpico.

Meanwhile, Napoli are believed to be preparing to make one further signing this summer, as there are strong suggestions that Manuele Blasi will leave for Palermo, and Dossena could be the player they are lining up.

Roma To Replace John Arne Riise With Liverpool’s Andrea Dossena

Reports emerging over the past 48 hours suggest that Roma’s John Arne Riise could be on his way to Germany, to join Bayern Munich.

With this in mind, the Giallorossi have been on the lookout for a direct replacement for the Norwegian, and they seem to have found one in the form of Andrea Dossena from Liverpool.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 27-year-old Reds defender is keen on a return to Serie A, as he feels it will enhance his chances of earning a place in Marcello Lippi’s Italy squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Napoli have also expressed interest in the former Udinese man over the course of the summer, but at this late stage of the transfer period Roma seem to be Dossena's sole suitors.

Title Charge Starts Now, Insists Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 victory at Bolton will kick-start their title challenge.

The skipper grabbed a stunning late winner at the Reebok Stadium to ensure the Reds bounced back from their defeat to Aston Villa.

The international break means Liverpool are without a game for a fortnight but Gerrard is confident they will build on Saturday’s triumph.

“It’s been well documented that it’s been a tough week and this is a big win for us,” he said.

“No-one expected us to lose two of our opening three games and there was a lot of pressure on us to deliver three points.

“The performance played second fiddle today and it was all about the result.

“People were writing us off after three games which is madness.

“But we responded in the right way and we can take a lot of confidence from this result.

“I think things will settle down now and we will go on a good run of results.”

Gerrard admitted the recent criticism aimed both at himself and the team made Saturday’s winning strike extra sweet.

“All the players knew the performance wasn’t good enough against Aston Villa,” he said.

“I’ve had a difficult start myself and I held my hands up in the dressing room after the Villa game and said I wasn’t good enough.

“I’m man enough to do that. I needed to react personally today and I felt I did that.

“It’s always nice to win and score but if throughout the week you are under extra pressure and you hear people sniping away, trying to put the team down, then you get a little bit more satisfaction.

“We needed to react today and everyone stood up to be counted. We controlled the game all the way through and it was well deserved in the end.”

Gerrard was closely marshalled by Fabrice Muamba in the first half but the sending off of Sean Davis gave him the chance to run the show after the break.

He said: “I played a little bit deeper today and tried to get on the ball. It was the same role I played here last year.

“It was a difficult first 45 minutes because Muamba was like my shadow.

“I think if I had gone to the toilet in the first half he would have probably followed me!

“When they went a man down they couldn’t man mark me. That’s when the game opened up and we could punish them.”

The Reds are six points adrift of early pace-setters Chelsea and Tottenham but Gerrard insists that gap is of little concern at this stage.

And after a testing opening few weeks he expects the Reds to be a different proposition after the international break.

“After finishing second last year everyone expected us to get off to a flying start and go straight to the top of the table,” he said,

“But we didn’t have a perfect pre-season. Players joined up late and we had bad luck with injuries. I’m not looking for excuses but we had disruptions.

“We always knew at times it was going to be difficult and we’ve been a bit edgy.

“I think the league this year is a lot different to last year when the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United were winning every game.

“I don’t think that will be the case this year. I think there are seven or eight top clubs in this league now who will be taking points off each other and the total needed to win the league will be lower this time.

“You can say the international break has come at a bad time because we’ve won and you want the next game to come as soon as possible but we can use this time to get people back. “Fabio Aurelio isn’t far away and Daniel Agger won’t be far away either.

“Hopefully the boys who are off on international duty can stay fit, win for their countries and come back stronger.”

The Reds wore black arm bands on Saturday following the death of Diego Cavalieri’s father. The Brazilian keeper missed the game to fly home to South America.

Gerrard Shouldn't Be The Only One Praised For Liverpool's Return To Winning Ways

The Sunday papers overlooked the bigger picture as they hailed a return to winning ways for Liverpool after the dramatic 3-2 win over Bolton Wanderers.

Rafael Benitez called for his senior players to raise their game following the embarrassing defeat to Aston Villa last Monday. The manager had singled out Steven Gerrard for criticism in the aftermath of that game and his words had the desired effect as the Reds’ skipper ran the show for his side at the Reebok Stadium.

Despite scoring the winner that snatched all three points for the visitors, Gerrard wasn’t alone in stepping up to the plate and putting in a shift. Dirk Kuyt deserves credit for his usual faultless work rate, especially the way he played Torres in for our second goal as it wasn’t easy to divert the ball into El Nino’s path from the angle he met the ball.

Gerrard’s goal will no doubt be a contender for August’s Goal of the Month award but Glen Johnson’s first-half equaliser was also one of great technique and finishing. The England full-back has been a breath of fresh air on the right-hand side. He gives us more options than Alvaro Arbeloa or Steve Finnan ever did during their days at Anfield.

Unfortunately, the win only papered over the cracks in terms of the overall performance. Defensively, we were at sixes and sevens. Jamie Carragher had yet another stinker and Emiliano Insua’s marking was lax during the corner that led to Kevin Davies’ opener. Sotirios Kyrgiakos had a mixed debut and gave away the ball on a few occasions but recovered well in the second half. Had it not been for Pepe Reina making some crucial saves, we would have been further behind before Gerrard’s rescue mission.

Looking at the positives, we will be going into the international break having played four, won two and lost two. Admittedly it’s not our best start to a season and it wasn’t the best performance in the world. However, as we proved last season, a win is a win, regardless of how scrappy or poorly fought. A fortnight’s reprieve lies ahead for us long-suffering Kopites before we welcome Burnley to Anfield. Hopefully, injuries permitting, we will come back stronger and ready to right the wrongs of the past three weeks.

Liverpool Allow Charles Itandje Join Kavala On Loan

Charles Itandje, 26, formerly of Racing Club de Lens, where he established his first-team credentials, accumulating 170 first-team appearances in the league, has left Liverpool to join Greek side Kavala on loan, according to the BBC.

The move, scheduled to be complete at the end of June 2010, was perhaps cemented in April last season, when various members of Liverpool's congregation during the Hillsborough memorial service complained about inappropriate behaviour from Itandje.

The Frenchman was perceived to be nudging team-mates, and giggling, and the club indicated that they would be imposing the most severe of punishments. Itandje later apologised for his actions.

The Bobigny-born glovesman amassed just seven first-team appearances for Liverpool during his two seasons on the Mersey, none of which were in the league.

Kavala are top flight new-boys in Greece, having placed third in the Beta Ethniki last season.

Steven Gerrard Shocked By Liverpool’s Premier League Start

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he has been shocked by his side’s start to the season, which has seen them lose two of their opening four games.

An opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and a home loss to Aston Villa mean Rafael Benitez’s men have lost as many games already as they did for the entirety of last season.

Speaking to the club’s official website, the skipper admitted he was shocked by the Reds’ start but backed his team to still challenge for the title.

"To lose two games was a bit of a shock to us all but it's all about reactions,” he said.

“We know we have got a good team, a team that is capable of fighting for the title and we have got to go and prove that now,” he stated.

The Merseysiders flirted with defeat again yesterday, coming from behind twice to beat Bolton Wanderers and Gerrard claimed his team had shown huge character to win the game.

"It would have been difficult going into the international break, if we didn't get the result we wanted, and this was all about a reaction to the Aston Villa defeat, and I thought we got that,” added the skipper.

"We played really well, showed character and deserved the three points.”

The 29-year-old also confessed that the Reds had been poor in the defeat to Villa, and even conceded that his own display had been below-par.

"Against Villa, we never showed enough character and we didn't play well enough. I certainly didn't play well enough, on a personal level, and this was all about individuals and the team reacting,” explained Gerrard.

“The manager questioned the whole team after Monday and rightly so. We were no way near good enough and we didn't play close to our standard.”

Gerrard - Rafa Right To Criticise

Steven Gerrard has shrugged off suggestions that Rafa Benitez singled him out for criticism and feels Liverpool got their just rewards after twice coming back to beat Bolton on Saturday.

The Reds responded to Monday's disastrous 3-1 humbling by Aston Villa as Gerrard netted a thunderous winner at the Reebok to reignite the Merseysiders' 20-year-long quest for domestic glory and silence a few critics along the way.

It had been widely stated that boss Benitez had been one of those to slate the 29-year-old talisman after the Villa defeat, especially when the Spaniard admitted the England international had been below his normal high standards twice this term.

But Anfield's pride and joy dismissed claims that he alone was on the receiving end from the manager, while claiming strong words in the camp had the desired effect on the team at Bolton.

Gerrard said: "The manager questioned the whole team after Monday's home defeat by Aston Villa, and rightly so. We were nowhere near good enough and we didn't play close to our standard.

"There has been a lot of soul-searching this week. The manager asked for character, determination and intensity and I think he got the three things he wanted from us all.

"We have had a couple of good meetings this week and we couldn't wait for this game to come around.

"We went behind twice but again we showed what character we have in this team.

"Going behind twice there are times when you think you are not going to get a point, never mind three, but we got our rewards in the end and we could have ended up scoring four or five."

Gerrard added: "We now go away on international duty and when we get back we will have a few new faces back in the squad with the lads who have been out injured, so that will give us a boost.

"We played so well last season and everyone was expecting us to start strongly again and win matches, but we all expected that ourselves.

"To lose two games already was a bit of a shock to us all but it is all about reactions. We know we have got a good team, a team that is capable of fighting for the title and we have got to go and prove that now."

Benitez's Problems All Add Up To Some Clever Accounting At Anfield

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow claims Rafa Benitez had a transfer budget of £20million this summer which, on initial scrutiny, does not quite add up.

Liverpool sold Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa and Sebastian Leto for a total of £36m and bought Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani and Sortis Kyrgiakos for a total of £39m, leaving £17m apparently unspent.

Even for a club whose accountants were forced to warn over the summer their income might not be sufficient to meet their debts, this seems a maths error too far.

The explanation is that Liverpool have taken a cue from Arsenal's management, which presents Arsene Wenger with a transfer budget that is also expected to cover the cost of extending the contracts of current players.

Thus, Robin van Persie's signing-on fee and wages came out of Wenger's £15m summer transfer budget.

So Benitez saw £17m spent on new contracts for Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Nevertheless, given the majority of Johnson's £18m fee was forgiven debt on Peter Crouch's move to Portsmouth, it could be argued Benitez had no new money to spend.

Glen Johnson Is The New Cafu

Glen Johnson netted his second goal for Liverpool against Bolton on Saturday, and it was a real beauty, too.

The former Chelsea right-back lashed home a stunner from 25 yards to equalise at the Reebok Stadium, and with his left foot, too. The goal came just 10 days after his acrobatic effort against Stoke at Anfield.

Glen Jonson’s goalscoring exploits got Mirror Football thinking about some of the finest attacking full-backs past and present. Here's their top six:

1) Cafu
The Brazilian bombed up and down the right flank for Roma and Milan all day long, earning his nickname from Cafuringa, a speedy Brazilian forward of the 1970s. Cafu didn't score that many goals, netting just nine during his time in Serie A, but he helped Brazil win two World Cups, and also won the Scudetto with both Roma and Milan, and the Champions League with the Rossoneri.

2) Roberto Carlos
Cafu's twin on the left flank for Brazil, Roberto Carlos is best remembered for his breathtaking banana kick against France at the Tournoi in 1997, when he bamboozled Fabien Barthez from a free-kick almost 40 yards old. In 371 games from Real Madrid, he scored an impressive haul of 47 goals, winning three Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles.

3) Ian Harte
The Irishman is the top scorer in Premier League history to have played exclusively at full-back, netting 28 goals in 219 appearances for Leeds United. Ten of them came from the penalty spot, with a large portion of the rest coming from free-kicks, including a memorable effort against Arsenal at Highbury in 2003 to help Leeds escape relegation. He got another 11 for the Republic of Ireland.

4) Josimar
For football fans of a certain age, the sight of the Brazilian right-back rampaging down the right wing was one of the memorable images of Mexico 86. He scored two stunning goals at that tournament: a long-range effort against Northern Ireland (on his debut) and a crafty angled strike against Poland, before demonstrating one of the most exuberant celebrations of all time.

5) Sergio Ramos
The Spanish right-back rose to fame at Sevilla before joining Real Madrid in 2005. In four seasons at the Bernabeu, Ramos has netted 18 goals and created countless more with his raids down the wing and his immaculate crossing. It might have something to do with the fact that he used to play as a striker as a teenager before he became a defender.

6) Stuart Pearce
Psycho scored an impressive 99 goals during his career, a fair few of them from the spot, but the Nottingham Forest left-back was also deadly from set-pieces, perhaps none better than his piledriver in the 1991 FA Cup final. Pearce also netted a thundering header against Peterborough that helped Forest seal promotion back to the Premier League in 1994.

Liverpool's Rivals Will Suffer Soon, Says Benitez

He has been in the firing line like no other Barclays Premier League manager this week, but Rafa Benitez is adamant that others will be keeping him company before long.

The Liverpool manager looked a picture of despondency at Anfield on Monday night as he reflected on a second defeat in three games so far and conceded that productivity levels had to be raised significantly.

The smile was back on his face yesterday, though, placed there by a rousing training-ground response from his players and growing conviction that the misery of defeat will be visiting his main title rivals more often than usual.

While Manchester United looked untouchable at times on their way to another Premier League crown last May, Benitez is convinced the emergence of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Aston Villa will prevent any repeat and keep even the defending champions within reach.

Predicting the most open title race for years, before today’s game at Bolton Benitez said: ‘A lot has been made of our two defeats so far, but it is clear to me that the others at the top are going to suffer the same problems and come under the same pressure.

‘Any side at the top can lose games this season, and you will see it happen. It won’t be like before, when some team reels off 10 or 12 wins and is out on its own in top place. It is going to be a lot tighter and a lot more competitive, and that is why we need to remain calm as well as positive.

‘I know everyone was expecting us to have nine points after three games and be champions by September, but it doesn’t work like that. Even less so this season.

‘We were all really disappointed losing to Villa on Monday after making so many mistakes and not playing to our true level.

‘But we have addressed what went wrong with the players, and they have reacted exactly as I hoped. When you have players of character and quality, you know they will look at a situation like this and want to do something about it. That’s exactly how it has been in every session, a real determination and no one pulling out of challenges.

‘I didn’t name anyone when I said senior players had to accept more responsibility, but everyone seemed to think I was referring to Steven Gerrard.

‘The fact is 80 per cent of those on the pitch were senior players, and I made it clear that we needed more from all of them. There had to be an improvement in all areas, and the signs this week suggest we are going to get it.

‘We’ve got to start winning games, but I am confident people will be writing a different story about Liverpool in a few weeks.’

Benitez is reluctant to disrupt Gerrard’s partnership with Fernando Torres up front but admits he may be forced to consider switching his skipper to a deeper role, if Liverpool continue to lack creativity in midfield.

‘Putting Stevie in the centre of midfield again is an option,’ he said. ‘It depends on circumstances, but it is something we have done before. I still have every confidence that Javier Mascherano and Lucas will continue to operate well together in the middle, but it helps that Stevie can change from one role to another without losing effectiveness.

‘One thing that we must strive to do is to avoid dropping points in drawn games. The focus has been on our two defeats, but it was the number of draws last season that cost us in the end.

‘If we can cut those out, it will make a big difference.’

Liverpool FC Must End A Hungarian Jinx In Champions League

Debrecen VSC being drawn out of the final pot to complete Group E of this season’s Champions League will hardly have sent shivers down the spine of Liverpool fans the world over.

Yet Hungary is traditionally one of Liverpool’s unhappiest hunting grounds. The Reds have never won there in four attempts.

Emlyn Hughes is the only man in a Liverpool shirt to score in Hungary, although his strike against Ferencvaros in the Fairs Cup in September 1970 levelled the match at 1-1.

Between 1967 and ’74 the Reds played Ferencvaros three times in Europe, losing the first 1-0 and drawing the last 0-0.

And prior to that hat-trick to forget Bill Shankly’s all conquering Reds side famously played out a 0-0 stalemate against Honved at Nep Stadium in March 1964, before winning the return leg 2-0.

But Rafa Benitez’s Reds won’t have to venture as deeply into the Hungarian wilderness as first thought.

Debrecen VSC’s current stadium – Stadion Olah Gabor Ut – boasts a capacity of just 10,200 which means that they will be forced to play their Champions League games in Budapest, almost 150 miles away.

That away tie on November 24 will be the Reds last away fixture of this year’s group stages after first visiting Fiorentina (September 29) and Lyon (November 4).

Most importantly all three away fixtures are followed by comfortable breaks before Premier League duties resume, a problem which has worried Benitez in the past.

Avoiding tiring trips was top of the Liverpool bosses Benitez’s wish list before the draw in Monaco yesterday.

He said: “The important thing as always is that the travelling isn’t too bad, we don’t have too far to go for any of the games.”

Liverpool FC To Hit 100 Team Milestone In This Season's Champions League

Liverpool will reach a European century in this season’s Champions League.

Friday’s draw in Monaco gave them the unusual prospect of three clubs they have never faced before in European competition.

The Reds will face Lyon of France, Fiorentina of Italy and the Hungarians Debreceni in Group E – a welcome distraction after recent seasons which have seen the Reds regularly face the same clubs.

That will take their tally of European opposition to a round ton.

Including English opponents, the Reds will take their proud European total to 105 after they have played Lyon in October.

Boss Rafael Benitez, however, was delighted to avoid any torturous journeys.

“You know in the Champions League there will always be difficult games and tough teams to play against,” he said.

“Lyon might not have won the league last season but before that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have lots of good players who can play good football.

“Fiorentina are an historic club in a nice city. I know from experience they have fanatstic supporters because I spent some time there when Claudio Ranieri was the coach.

“And we have experience of Hungarian football because of our relationship with MTK, so if Debreceni have won their league then we know it means it's because they're a good side.

“The important thing as always is that the travelling isn't too bad, we don't have too far to go for any of the games. We're just looking forward to starting the competition now.”

Benitez will also be pleased at the scheduling of the matches.

In previous campaigns the Reds boss has been unhappy at Champions League away games being followed by away games in the Premier League, with little preparation time in between.

But this season’s first Champions League trip, to Fiorentina on September 29, is a Tuesday night, five days before the trip to Chelsea which has been put back to the following Sunday.

Chelsea must also play away that week, 24 hours after the Reds, in Cyprus against APOEL.

The short trip to Lyon is on Wednesday November 4, but the Reds’ match that weekend has already been moved to Monday night at home to Birmingham, then the longest trip, to Debreceni’s 10,200 capacity stadium on November 24, is on a Tuesday, with the following game a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, again on a Sunday.

Liverpool’s Champions League Group E fixtures: Sept 16 Debreceni VSC (H), Sept 29 Fiorentina (a), October 20 Lyon (H), November 4 Lyon (a), Nov 24 Debreceni VSC (a), December 9 Fiorentina (H).

Playing With Ten Men Always Difficult - Bolton Wanderers Manager Gary Megson

Liverpool came from behind to beat Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium 3-2 on Saturday.

Bolton were reduced to ten men, after Sean Davis was sent off for his second bookable offence.

After the game, Bolton boss Gary Megson was full of praise for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who was said to be out of form by Rafael Benitez.

"Being reduced to 10 men, at this level, always has an impact and when it happens against a team of Liverpool's quality, even more so," Megson told BBC Sport.
"We were man-marking Steven Gerrard up until that point, and he was under a measure of control.

"But when Davis was sent off, we were unable to use [Fabrice] Muamba as a man-marker from then on, you can't do that when you only have 10 men," revealed Megson.

"Steven is clever, he dropped deeper and deeper and orchestrated the game from then on," concluded the Bolton boss.

Steven Gerrard Gives Reds A Resounding Response

Steven Gerrard responded perfectly to having his early season form questioned by boss Rafael Benitez when he belted in Liverpool's winner at the Reebok Stadium.

But the visitors were made to fight desperately hard by a Bolton side who were reduced to 10 men for much of the second period.

Gary Megson's side had been ahead twice through Kevin Davies and Tamir Cohen, and Liverpool only really got on top when Sean Davis was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Glen Johnson fired in one equaliser in the first half, before Fernando Torres pulled Liverpool level at 2-2 a couple of minutes after Davis angrily trudged off.

Then Gerrard struck with a fierce drive seven minutes from the end to lift at least some of the pressure from Benitez.

Bolton made one change from the side that won at Tranmere in the Carling Cup in midweek, with Cohen replacing Mark Davies.

Liverpool, who lost disastrously at home to Aston Villa last Monday, gave new Greek signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos his his debut in place of Martin Skrtel, while Spanish winger Albert Riera replaced Yossi Benayoun on the left flank.

Riera soon knew he was in a game. He was clattered by a strong Sam Ricketts tackle and then collected the Welsh international's boot in his ribs minutes later.

Predictably Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba was detailed to man-mark Gerrard, just as he did in both matches between the sides last season.

Liverpool soon had chances. Riera's cross was missed 12 yards out by Lucas, and the ball was returned into the box by Johnson for Torres to see a glancing header skim wide.

Torres was next in the wars, cut down by Gary Cahill, with the defender one of three Bolton first-half bookings alongside Davis and Muamba.

The visitors had plenty of possession, but without making many clear-cut chances. One through-ball from Lucas saw Torres shake off Cahill and attempt to chip Jussi Jaaskelainen from just inside the box, but the goalkeeper saved the effort.

At the other end, a Taylor free-kick was headed away for a corner by Torres - and that gave Bolton their breakthrough.

Taylor's curled the corner to the far post where Johan Elmander headed it down into the six-yard box for Davies to turn past Jose Reina from a couple of yards out.

Liverpool surged back looking for an equaliser, and it almost came when Torres chested down Johnson's cross - but he fired across goal and wide of the far post.

But the visitors were level in the 42nd minute when a corner was cleared only as far as Johnson just outside the box, and he fired a low shot inside Jaaskelainen's near post.

Bolton caught Liverpool asleep at the beginning of the second period. Liverpool's failure to clear a right-wing cross saw them go behind again just two minutes after the break.

Davies was able to flick the ball across the box, where two defenders failed to stop Cohen lashing the ball home from eight-yards.

Bolton were reduced to 10 men after 54 minutes. Lucas was racing towards the Bolton box when Davis clipped his heels from behind. Referee Alan Wiley produced a second yellow and then the red card.

Davis was furious. He had confronted the Brazilian before receiving his marching orders and ran towards Lucas again, before being halted by a team-mate and ushered away.

It was the incentive Liverpool needed. Gerrard hit the bar before Torres took a chest-down from Dirk Kuyt and steered the equaliser past Jaaskelainen in the 56th minute.

Next into the book was Gerrard for a foul on Muamba, before Benayoun replaced Riera after 63 minutes.

By this point Liverpool were in command and Andriy Voronin was sent on after 74 minutes to replace Javier Mascherano as the pressure on Bolton increased.

Torres and Kyrgiakos both had chances, and Bolton sent on another defender, Gretar Steinsson, for Cohen.

Liverpool's pressure paid off when Benayoun's corner was headed down by Torres and Gerrard crashed the ball home from 12 yards to provide another decisive contribution.

Carling Cup Third Round Draw

Liverpool will travel to League One leaders and old rivals Leeds United in the third round of the Carling Cup.

Championship side Preston will be hoping to stun Premier League high-flyers Tottenham, while Portsmouth face a long trip to League One Carlisle.

There are five all-Premier League ties with holders Manchester United hosts to recently promoted Wolves.

In the pick of the other ties, Chelsea host west London rivals QPR and Blackburn go to Nottingham Forest.

Barnsley will be looking to take the Premier League scalp of Burnley at Oakwell, while Port Vale, the only League Two club still in the competition, travel to Scunthorpe.

Carling Cup third round draw:

Arsenal v West Brom
Chelsea v QPR
Bolton v West Ham
Barnsley v Burnley
Hull v Everton
Leeds v Liverpool
Manchester United v Wolves
Manchester City v Fulham
Sunderland v Birmingham
Peterborough v Newcastle
Carlisle v Portsmouth
Nottingham Forest v Blackburn
Stoke v Blackpool
Scunthorpe v Port Vale
Preston v Tottenham
Aston Villa v Cardiff

Ties will be played week commencing Monday, 21 September

Liverpool The Latest To Consider Roma’s Julio Baptista

Roma’s Julio Baptista has been linked to a number of clubs over the course of the summer, most notably Inter from Italy’s Serie A, and more recently from the English duo Tottenham and Everton.

Despite the Brazilian affirming that he is not interested in returning back to the Premier League, Liverpool have also expressed interest in the 27-year-old in the past few hours.

According to the latest reports from Sportsmediaset, the Reds are willing to offer around €7-8 million for his signature, and they are confident of striking a deal with the Romans, as a result of their good relationship with them.

Alberto Aquilani left the Italian capital only a few weeks ago to join the English outfit, so if Baptista were to make the move, he would have the opportunity to immediately reunite with his former team-mate.

The two clubs involved are yet to make an official statement regarding these latest rumours.

Sotirios Kyrgiakos Has Title Know-How To Boost Liverpool FC

New Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos says he has title-winning experience to boost the Anfield club’s already flagging Premier League challenge.

The 30-year-old, signed last week from AEK Athens for £2m, has won titles with Rangers and Panathinaikos and could make his Liverpool debut at Bolton tomorrow.

He said: “I have a little experience of winning titles from my previous career in Greece and in Scotland.

“I won one title with Panathinaikos and two in Scotland when I played with Rangers. I hope that the experiences I had in Scotland will help me begin well at Liverpool.

“I believe that I have the qualities needed to play in the Premier League.

“My time in Scotland will help because it is a similar style of football to here. It is true that the Premier League will be more difficult than the SPL because the game is faster here and there are more quality players.

“In Scotland you had Rangers, Celtic and Hearts and it was very rare for us to lose to anyone – and if we did it was normally to one of those teams. In England, everyone is capable of beating everyone else.”

He added: “I watched a lot of last season’s Premier League on TV and Liverpool were very close to the title.

“From what I have seen this season we are equipped to go even better. In my experience of winning titles, you need a great team spirit in the dressing room and I have seen this already among my new team-mates.

“Everyone works hard and gives everything. That is the most important thing you need for such a long battle as the title race.

“After that, you need to be brave and have a little bit of luck along the way.”

John Aldridge: Liverpool FC At The ‘Must Win’ Stage Already

It sounds daft to say it so early in the season but Saturday’s match at Bolton really is a must win game.

Two defeats in the first three games isn’t the start any of us were expecting and the players have to put things right.

Teams have won the league despite losing five games in recent years but there is now little room for error if we are going to challenge at the top.

When you lose to the likes of Tottenham and Aston Villa you put yourself under pressure when you go into the big games against Manchester United, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton.

We’ve got four league games before we go to Stamford Bridge on October 4.

It’s imperative that we beat Bolton, Burnley, West Ham and Hull just to ease that pressure a bit before facing Chelsea.

Bolton are feeling the heat as well at the moment but for different reasons.

They have started poorly and could find themselves in a relegation battle this season.

Bolton hasn’t progressed as a club since Sammy Lee left and if anything they have gone backwards.

The match against Villa on Monday was hugely disappointing.

We created more than enough chances to win the game but we gave away three very poor goals.

It was a silly foul Lucas gave away for the first one. We gave that referee too many opportunities to give free-kicks against us in dangerous areas.

Villa had a huge slick of luck with the own goal and then we switched off at a corner.

It was a seriously bad goal to concede at a seriously bad time.

After that it was an uphill task and the penalty killed it.

Steven Gerrard will hold his hands up for that mistake.

It’s too easy for people to say we’re missing Xabi Alonso.

There were too many basic errors and it’s up to everyone to roll their sleeves up and prove we have the quality to bounce back.