HIT BY A TORNADO

Sunderland 0, Liverpool 1

WITH disarray all around him, at least Fernando Torres is providing a stable force at Anfield.

Liverpool’s star striker superbly shrugged off the behind-the-scenes turmoil to give his club respite from the negativity which is already overshadowing their season.

His stunning strike sealed a late win for the Merseysiders against a brave Sunderland side who showed enough promise to suggest they will better last season’s 15th-place finish.

Torres and Co have far more on their minds than mild improvement and knew the pressure was already on them as the Gareth Barry fall-out rumbles on.

After being anonymous for 83 minutes, he struck a thunderous 25-yard winner.

Boss Rafa Benitez said: “Torres is a key player and he can change games. For the team, it’s really important to have these sorts of players.

“In the first half, they were attacking. In the second half, we were on top and continued until the end.”

How Benitez needed this.

As statements of intent go, Liverpool’s midweek performance carried all the vocal weight of a mute kitten suffering from chronic bronchitis.

But the manager knew the miserable showing in Liege would be forgiven if they kicked off their league campaign in style.

His public focus may have been on winning his latest political and PR battle against the board but privately he knows only closing the gap on Manchester United and Chelsea will save his skin.

The early signs weren’t promising. Steven Gerrard began the day speaking of his desire to sustain a title challenge until May.

After the first 45 minutes, keeping summer optimism going longer than a week looked a tall order.

At least the skipper’s return offered some semblance of reassurance on the park even if Liverpool are failing to provide it off it.

Fit again, Gerrard replaced Xabi Alonso in midfield as Benitez wielded the axe after the miserable show in the Champions League qualifier.

Sami Hyypia also returned ahead of Daniel Agger, although that decision almost backfired as early as the fifth minute when the Finn was almost punished by El-Hadji Diouf.

The expectations on Roy Keane aren’t as lofty as those on Benitez but, after scrapping their way to survival last season, the Sunderland fans arrived hoping to see the next stage of the Niall Quinn revolution.

And they will have liked much of what they saw.

Diouf is football’s version of Marmite given the extreme reactions he provokes but he undoubtedly adds a presence to the side. No matter how much the opposition fans boo him he never hides.

Pascal Chimbonda is another wise recruit, although Liverpool’s lack of width means he can anticipate sterner tests than this.

Boss Keane admits he has not strengthened as much as he would like but the Black Cats’ finest asset may be their home comforts. The Stadium of Light is the kind of venue where the Premier League aristocrats are in danger of getting a bloody nose.

Keane said: “I’m delighted with the performance — generally speaking I thought the players did very well.

“When we played Liverpool last year I was hopeful of a result, today I was confident — that’s progress.”

Buoyed by their fans, the hosts started well and should have led when Daryl Murphy squandered an easy header six yards out.

It took Liverpool 35 minutes to show any purpose as Torres and Robbie Keane struggled to ignite their partnership.

Yet the £20million Irishman’s first flash of brilliance almost made the wait worthwhile two minutes before half-time.

A neat juggle with the ball on the edge of the box and an instant volley looked to have beaten Craig Gordon — but the shot was inches wide.

Liverpool gained more momentum as the half progressed yet Benitez wasted no time making a change when Alonso replaced rookie midfielder Damien Plessis.

His arrival allowed the visitors to continue their improvement, with Gerrard, naturally, the most likely source of inspiration.

The England man produced a goalbound effort in the 53rd minute and Danny Collins had to be alert to divert the effort off the line.

Scottish keeper Gordon also denied Yossi Benayoun from distance, pushing the ball away from the advancing Keane as he tried to pounce for his first Liverpool goal.

It was one-way traffic at this stage, and Sunderland boss Keane must have been wondering if the brave resistance of his defence could last. But for all of Liverpool’s possession, Sunderland were organised and resilient and the visitors’ flanks lacked pace.

It has been a familiar complaint at Anfield that there is not enough penetration in wide areas and there is little evidence it has been remedied.

Torres suffered more frustration when Gordon parried a Dirk Kuyt shot into his path only for the Spaniard’s effort to be blocked by team-mate Keane. Keane’s misery was complete moments later when he was subbed for Morroccan Nabil El Zhar 13 minutes from time.

But his strike partner was not to be undone. Seven minutes from time, Torres turned and struck a lethal blow to Gordon’s right to send the away fans into raptures.

It was a timely reminder for Benitez and his board that when he does spend big, he can get it right.

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