Liverpool: Spain striker Fernando Torres scored twice to help resurgent Liverpool beat leader Chelsea 2-0 on Sunday for its third straight Premier League victory.
Torres scored his first goal by slotting past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech in the 11th minute after skillfully controlling Dirk Kuyt's through ball.
League leaders Chelsea looked unimpressive in attack without Didier Drogba who sat on the bench for the first half at Anfield. Salomon Kalou tried to get a quick equalizer for Chelsea in the 13th but headed straight at goalkeeper Pepe Reina from Ashley Cole's cross.
Torres added a second just before half time after Raul Meireles won possession and sent the Spaniard down the left wing. Torres cut inside and curled an impressive shot around Czech.
"We weren't good enough at the start of the season," Torres told Sky Sports. "But we thought from the beginning we needed time to work with a new manager and new players ... We have to keep winning."
Liverpool, which also beat Blackburn and Bolton in its winning streak, has moved from the drop zone to ninth place with key players returning to form, including captain Steven Gerrard who scored a hat trick against Napoli on Thursday in the Europa League.
"Liverpool played very well and at 2-0 down it was difficult to come back in the game. Torres played very well today and scored two fantastic goals," Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We are still top of the table. It's impossible to win every game, sometimes you lose but the team showed the same mentality and strength."
It was a game with few real opportunities as both sides packed their midfields and canceled each other out.
After the break, Liverpool almost allowed Chelsea back into the game with Reina saving well against a point-blank shot from Florent Malouda in the 66th after a cross from Drogba. At the other end, Cech prevented Liverpool scoring a third by stopping a shot from Kuyt with his feet.
With five minutes left Anelka fired a low shot which bounced up to strike the bar after hitting Reina.
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson enjoyed his team's most impressive league win this season after the club's worst start for 50 years.
"You have to put up with it and keep working with the team and let them answer for you," Hodgson said. "We're not a bad team and we're trying to get better through working."
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