Back to normality it is. And it doesn’t have the usual association with the average and mean. After last Wednesday’s upset, Liverpool got back into winning ways, acquiring the customary three points and the top of the table spot albeit the latter for just a few hours. Thirteen matches so far, and this is the tenth win. A win is now the normality. Natural and habitual as much as the Torres bounce in the away end. And it has the same ring to it as much as the bounce. In our ears at least.

Liverpool started on top gear immediately. This Bolton side is miles away from the one managed by Sam Allardyce. It is still ugly but seems to have only inherited Allardyce’s chewing habit rather than the bite it was once apprehended for. Liverpool just sprayed the ball around with intelligence and aplomb, as you’d expect from a side that has a certain Xabi Alonso in its midfield. Sometimes I wonder how much the whole Barry saga in summer was of a huge let-off, a blessing in disguise, a disregard of what we’ve had in our ranks or all three of them together. Albert Riera on the left made himself available, received the ball routinely and perforated their back-four regularly. On the other flank, Dirk Kuyt did just the same, only though with the intensity and assiduousness of the rest of his team-mates. I’d hate to be one of his boot studs as am sure I wouldn’t last more than one game. He was just everywhere, and at the time his hard work is not impeding him from finding the back of the net. He was unlucky at first, when a venomous shot of his hit the crossbar, but then justice was made as he finished off a something like twenty pass move by hitting the back of the net. After the whole side knocked the ball around, Riera seemed to decide to get all direct, but his cross was blocked. Fabio Aurelio was there to pick the pieces and curled in a cross into the penalty area and Kuyt produced a header that gave Jaaskelainen as much chance as you’ve got of spotting a ghost on the foggiest of days. One nil, and it was now time to just wrap the match up.

The same Kuyt seemed to have continued the flow as he presented Robbie Keane with the easiest of chances but it seems the grass got into the way and the ball and chance went away begging. Gary Megson was already probably begging the question of how to get his lads into it during the half-time. Shortly afterwards, he probably got it with the disallowed Taylor goal. Bolton’s first corner sailed dangerously into the Liverpool area and with Pepe Reina impeded Taylor had an open goal to head to. Referee Rob Styles punished the infringement and the one nil score-line stood still. It gave enough ammunition though to Megson to rally his lads and it showed as Bolton came out pressing Liverpool, and the normality of it all, made us doubt if we will be paying heavily for the missed chances beforehand. As the clock winded down, Bolton lowered down their tone and Liverpool superseded the resonance. It was Gerrard’s turn this time not to connect properly with a gaping goal, but shortly afterwards he atoned. Having this time Torres crossing in for him he just reminded us about his telepathic rhythm with the bouncing one.

It is another normality that we can get used to that has been so far mostly sacrificed due to Torres’s hamstring. It is a normality that knows no routine though.