NORMAL SERVICE RESUMED

Saturday's game was a curious one in some respects.
The first half was a case of utter domination for the Reds who passed their way around Bolton in a way that ressembled a training session.
You could hear the Reebok audience growing increasingly restless as the half wore on. Truth be told, they couldn't get near us as the ball was expertly ferried round Alonso, Gerrard, Kuyt and Co.
It was men against boys at times. And it was typical wasteful Liverpool that, despite that superiority, we very nearly went in at the break at 1-1.
Alonso ran the game, and Kuyt always seemd to be involved in the action somehow. I think we can all safely say that the doubts about the lad have been banished.
It was a magnificent header for the opening goal, a great skill to get such power and unerring accuracy onto a cross that was behind him.
Once again, it showed the benefits of having a striker played out on the right hand side.
His work to set up Keane was also brilliant. Quite how the Irishman fluffed his lines we'll never know.
He ended up looking quite daft, performing a skipping horse-like gallop. "That's just rubbish, Robbie", said Adrian Durham on MOTD 2. He was spot on.
It's moments like that which mean the lingering suspicions about the Irishman will not go away, for now.

The failure to get a second in the first half meant the doior was left ajar for rough tough Bolton to come back into it.
And they very nearly did. Gary Megson's screamed 'F*** OFF' from the bench after Cahill's header was disallowed, showing his frustration.
It was an interesting talking point. For me, it should have been disallowed. But only just. But a Reds fan would say that wouldn't he?
Kevin Nolan didn't do a great deal to impede Pepe Reina, but it was subtle and effective.
Once he stepped across the Spaniard which resulted in a shove from Pepe. And his Scouse bulk was still very much hampering Reina as the ball was swung down the goalkeepers throat.
A borderline decision, but the right one. Equally, if the roles had been reserved, I'd be howling injustice and quoting the sugar-coated protection that refs give goalkeepers.....it's one that will keep the fans talking.

Perhaps more concerning was how our defenders left Reina to deal with three Bolton player standing on top of him.
Playing Sunday footie, we were always told that if an attacker stands on top of the keeper at a corner, it's the defenders task to get rid of him. If that demands a bit of argy bargy before the ball is delivered, then so be it.
I was surprised that Sami, Carra or Agger didn't 'usher' Davies and Nolan well out of it.
Watching the second half was a bit of a shock at times. From our complete dominance, Bolton were a team reborn, while we started to make silly errors.
Their long ball physical approach unsettled us for 20 minutes and we did start to look vulnerable.
There was a fair bit of ping pong in the box, and Gardener's introduction with his ability to drift past defenders troubled us.
He missed a couple of sitters, but then so did Keane and Gerrard at similar times, so there's hardly any suggestion of a lucky Liverpool here.

An interesting exchange took place between Carragher and Alonso mid-second half.
One of our players was down injured, which came to the Spaniard's attention as he picked up the ball, some 25 yards from Bolton's goal.
Xabi promptly chipped the ball out so the injured player could get treatment. This prompted a tirade from Carra, which seemed to be along the lines of 'if you're gonna put the ball out and you're 25 yards from goal, why didn't you have a shot?'
It was a fair point, but Carragher was raging.
It showed something for Alonso's growing standing at Liverpool that, not only did he argue back with Carragher, but he actually got a nod of the head of agreement back from the centre half.
At Liverpool, it's not a lofty guess to say that Carra rules the roost in terms of respect and seniority.
Even above the club captain, the centre half is rightly seen as the yardstick for most of the other players at the club.
Such is Carra's deserved reputation that I reckon he could give Rafa a bit of lip in front of everyone at training, and the manager would see the funny side.
So this all said, for Carragher to accept Xabi's explanation for putting the ball out of play spoke volumes.
The Spaniard has truly won over many sceptics, me included, after around two very passive years at Anfield.
Along with Kuyt, he's the player of the season so far. There's an authority about his performances now, and he's getting forward much more.
There was a moment when we were under the cosh second half when a cross was headed back onto the penalty spot, begging to be headed home by a Bolton attacker.
Steaming in came....Alonso to vitally head the ball out for a corner.
It was a telling moment, which for me, showed Alonso the leader, prepared to take responsibility.
It was good to see.

The win should have been embellished, but from some woeful finishing from Lucas and Torres, but it was comfortable enough in the end.
A massive boost was to see Torres looking genuinely dangerous again. It was a great 30 minute cameo and it perhaps dampened the worries after Rafa said in the weekend papers that the striker was maybe six weeks away from full fitness.
The pace seemed to be returning and the cute outside of the foot cross for Gerrard's diving header was top drawer.
Anyone get onto the burgeoning passion between Gerrard and Torres again? The skipper seemed hell bent on planting a smacker on the striker's cheek.
Granted, the Spaniard has been missing for a few weeks, so that ardour has been homeless recently.
And a final word for Daniel Agger who displayed true grit in handing over a bust tooth to the physio after an painful collision with the upright.
No writhing around from the Dane, he just handed over the errant canine and got on with the job.
Maybe it's the example of hard as nails Skrtel which Agger now feels he has to reproduce.
The centre half know he has to go new 'cock of the school' lengths to be on a par with Kurgan.
Onto Fulham at Anfield on Saturday. Anything other than three points is not an option with Chelsea playing so clinically at the moment.