Rampant Reds batter Bolton
After all, Dalglish has been around long enough to realise a glance at the table 270 minutes into a new campaign can prove fatal.
False impressions and distorted views are quickly formed as Chelsea, Birmingham and Stoke will testify.
This time last year Carlo Ancelotti was the only manager to boast a 100% start after witnessing his reigning champions score 14 times without reply in the first three games.
Chelsea finished nine points adrift of champions Manchester United and Ancelotti is history.
Similarly, Birmingham’s top-flight demise seemed ridiculous as they started September in sixth spot, while Stoke were floundering in 19th after losing their first three games.
Now the Britannia Stadium is preparing to host the likes of Dynamo Kiev and Besiktas in the Europa League.
“It’s better than being bottom of the table,” quipped Dalglish after goals by Jordan Henderson, Martin Skrtel and Charlie Adam earned Liverpool the easiest of wins and sent them to the summit for the first time since victory at West Ham in May 2009 delayed Manchester United’s third successive title.
Yet this appears to be no false dawn.
While it is highly unlikely Liverpool will be looking down on the rest after their final game at Swansea on May 13, they are a much-changed team on the rise.
After finishing sixth last season, a Champions League spot is a realistic target.
Having picked off Arsenal seven days earlier, they ruthlessly disposed of Owen Coyle’s Bolton to ensure the feel-good factor remains at Anfield over the international break.
The positives were endless. Henderson enjoyed his best game since arriving from Sunderland for a hefty fee, Lucas Leiva produced another midfield masterclass, Luis Suarez dazzled without scoring while Jose Enrique’s composed performance suggested this was the left-back’s 300th game in a Liverpool shirt instead of third.
Uruguay defender Sebastian Coates, who was at Anfield to witness the win ahead of a £7 million move from Nacional, must have wondered how he is going to cement a regular starting place.
So too captain Steven Gerrard, who has not played since undergoing groin surgery but is now edging back to fitness.
“We’ve got more competition for places,” said Jamie Carragher as he reflected on a victory that equalled Liverpool’s best league start for 17 years. “People are actually saying ‘I wonder what the team will be’. If we don’t know then the opposition don’t either.
“When you look at some of the players that we have brought in, Stewart Downing looks like he’s going to be a great addition for us and he’s started really well.
“But Suarez is as good as anything in the league. He’s what Wayne Rooney is at Manchester United and what Carlos Tevez is at Manchester City.
“Stevie is the player we look to in tough times but he’s out, so now we have Luis who can be the one who can maybe get us out of trouble.”
Thursday cannot come soon enough for Coyle, who admitted after this game that endless transfer speculation had affected the form of his best player Gary Cahill.
The £18 million-rated England defender will be lining up against Manchester United for Bolton or facing Swansea in an Arsenal shirt when the domestic campaign resumes after the international break.
Arsenal are set to make an improved offer for Cahill before Wednesday night’s transfer deadline after their initial bid was dismissed as ‘derisory’ by Coyle.
In the meantime, Dalglish has already started work preparing for his team’s next game at Stoke.
In many respects the match in the Potteries will tell the Liverpool manager more about his team’s progress than any league table.
After all, it was their failure to beat Stoke at the Britannia in January 2009 that contributed towards Rafa Benitez’s side losing their three-month grip at the top of the table.
LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Reina 7; Kelly 6 (Skrtel 30, 7), Carragher 7, Agger 7, Enrique 7; Henderson 9 (Rodriguez 77, 6), Adam 8, Lucas 8, Downing 8; Kuyt 7, Suarez 8 (Carroll 77, 6).
BOLTON (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen 6; Steinsson 6, Cahill 6, Knight 5, Robinson 5; Eagles 6 (Tuncay 57, 5), Muamba 6 (M Davies 26, 6), Reo-Coker 6, Petrov 6; K Davies 6 (Pratley 71, 5), Klasnic 6.
Referee: Lee Probert
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