LIVERPOOL 4, BURNLEY 0

THEY love omens at Anfield, so here's one of the most obscure for the more romantic Liverpool fans.

The last time an Israeli scored a league hat-trick for the Reds, they won the title.

OK, it sits more comfortably at the top of the league for biggest straw clutcher of the season but Liverpool have been grabbing every positive on offer after their traumatic August.

It was Ronnie Rosenthal's blistering goalscoring run which secured the last league title for the Merseysiders in 1990. He is fondly recalled by the Kop for far more than his infamous miss at Villa Park a couple of years later.

Yossi Benayoun matched his compatriot's feat yesterday to emphatically brush aside Burnley.

Benayoun should have had four, Liverpool could have had seven. Even taking into account the opposition, they finally looked like the team of last season.

Most pleasing for their manager is they were able to batter the visitors without relying on the usual suspects of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Yes, Gerrard was marvellous again in his third position in a fortnight. But the underrated Benayoun's renaissance in Liverpool red is a pertinent reminder to those on the fringes of the squad of the value of patience and hard work.

Ryan Babel, dumped after his recent outburst about not being rewarded for pitiful performances, should take note.

Benayoun was warming the bench a year ago, displaced by Albert Riera and Dirk Kuyt on the flanks. He was left pondering whether to join the expanding list of players who arrive and leave Anfield quicker than you can whisper Robbie Keane.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez admitted the midfielder demanded reassurances about his future.

The Spaniard said: "I've spoken to a lot of players about how they must be ready. Yossi is one of those who always wants to play.

"I had to speak to him at one stage about the situation but he has a lot of experience and understands the best way to make an impact is on the pitch."

By the end of last season Benayoun was indispensable, his creative energy and goalscoring knack from midfield assisting the photo finish with United.

When you seem him on this form, you wonder why there's so much griping about the lack of funds for a wide man. Benayoun didn't come cheap at £6million but he is starting to prove one of Benitez's best pound-for- pound buys.

Gerrard was never far from the action, though. With Javier Mascherano still in Argentina due to a pelvis injury and also presumably traumatised after his country's results, Gerrard relished a return to central midfield.

Burnley's enterprising approach played straight into his hands. They had more than a touch of the kamikaze about them. Good on the eye but horribly naïve during their second-half disintegration.

Liverpool have been lambasted for conceding goals from set-pieces but the move to their crucial second on 41 minutes began with a Burnley corner.

From Pepe Reina's punch, Liverpool broke and effectively ended the contest.

Benayoun had earlier nutmegged Graham Alexander before delicately stroking home the first on 27 minutes.

His second was a tap-in after more Gerrard brilliance on 62 and he was allowed to claim a hat-trick with eight minutes left as Burnley stood still and waited in vain for a linesman's flag.

But for keeper Brian Jensen, Dirk Kuyt and Gerrard would have added to the four-goal tally.

Back to winning ways with an £80m sponsorship deal rubber-stamped, the River Mersey sits calmly for another week.

The latest panic is over and humble pie is being served again at Anfield. Until the next time the pastry chefs go on strike. That's how life is at Liverpool nowadays.

Defeats provoke demonstrations against the owners. A couple of wins later, the club is talking about league titles again. But even emphatic wins fail to erase reminders of the behind-the-scenes turmoil.

There was a banner about the club's owners, held aloft before kick-off, which lawyers will not allow to be printed.

Not long after Kuyt tapped in the second after Jensen's fumble, the first strains of 'Liverpool FC is in the wrong hands' were heard from The Kop.

On the day the club celebrated their admirable recession-busting shirt deal, however, you couldn't help wonder if it's time the Kop bosses deserve to be cut just the smallest length of slack.

Sure, Liverpool would be better off with more understanding owners than their absentee landlords.

Sure, the Yanks made absurd mistakes in the immediate aftermath of their purchase which deserved ridicule.

But the harsh economic reality now is they are stuck in an unhealthy alliance until someone with clout or substance wants to buy them out. A noble cause without a ready-made solution is simply a lost cause.

Such is the apathy of most football fans, the more winning momentum Liverpool gain, the less interested the majority of punters will be in protests any way.

Maybe Rafa doesn't mind the flak is still flying against his board. He probably missed the presence of Burnley's most famous celebrity fan, Alastair Campbell, so he could exchange tips.

Never mind Teflon Tony. Liverpool have Resilient Rafa.

Each setback is shrugged off as the inevitable consequence of American intervention.

Victories are hailed as a triumph of the stain-resistant Spanish manager's belligerence in the face of crippling internal restrictions.

Another win means the muck-raking stops for a week.

Imminent trips to West Ham and Chelsea may determine if, or when, it starts again.

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