Reds lifted by Lallana brace

Liverpool 4 Swansea 1

In his programme notes Brendan Rodgers described the past 12 months as “eventful” while acknowledging that more recently things have not been up to the standards he expected.

Their subsequent failure to mount another title tilt will be debated, but the feeling is that things now appear back on track.

Perhaps more telling was Rodgers’ assertion that there might be “further periods of pain to come” in the months ahead, although this display suggested Kopites can look to the second half of the season with hope in their hearts.

Certainly Liverpool seem to have rediscovered something of last season’s swagger as Swansea were brushed aside thanks largely to Adam Lallana’s best performance in a red shirt.

“We needed a big win. The scrutiny is always different at Liverpool Football Club but the lads are bedding in,” said Lallana.

“We haven’t put in many good performances this year and we as a team knew that. Hopefully we’ve turned a corner the last few weeks, but by no means are we there yet.

“We are finding performances now, we are finding a couple of good results, it’s our target to finish in the top four.”

Liverpool captain for the night Jordan Henderson added: “We did very well at times. There’s a lot of pace. I thought Coutinho and Sterling were outstanding.”

After a brief wobble the pressure has also eased on Rodgers, who has appeared less tetchy in recent weeks and has regained that steely determined look in his eyes. Five points is now the difference between Liverpool and that elusive fourth Champions League place and there is every cause to think they can secure it.

Anfield was a bastion for Liverpool last season. Delivering performances such as this will be essential to Rodgers’ top-four aims.

Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was restored to Liverpool’s starting line-up — although by default because of a thigh injury to Brad Jones — while Steven Gerrard was rested.

On the previous two occasions Gerrard was left on the bench Liverpool did not have an attempt on target for an hour, but there has been a growing confidence in recent weeks and they played with early intensity.

Rodgers desire to persist with strikerless 3-4-2-1 formation certainly continues to see the Reds fashion openings with the Philippe Coutinho and Lallana particularly creative.

In the 13th minute Alberto Moreno crossed from the left for Raheem Sterling who saw his first-time effort parried by Lukasz Fabianski with Lallana only able to lift his subsequent shot over the crossbar. It was a sign of things to come.

The fluidity and slickness of Liverpool’s system enabled them to take the lead just after the half-hour with the kind of slick sweeping move that Rodgers would have envisaged.

Lallana kept his composure in a central position and found the overlapping run of Jordan Henderson and he crossed for Moreno who, having timed his run into the box, squeezed a scruffy shot past Fabianski.

Coutinho’s direct running consistently caused problems for the visitors. The Brazilian tested Fabianski once with a shot from a tight angle, and a long-range piledriver.

Jonjo Shelvey, who left Anfield 18 months ago after not being deemed good enough by Rodgers, was fortunate to escape the wrath of ref Andre Marriner just before half-time when his flailing elbow connected with the head of Emre Can.

Goalkeeping errors have been the talk of the Kop recently but for once it was not Mignolet at the centre of attention shortly after the interval as Liverpool doubled their lead.

Lallana chased a backpass to Fabianski but the keeper did not appear under particularly pressure when he blasted the ball against the Liverpool midfielder and it rebounded into the vacant net.

The Kop chuckled as they celebrated, but the smiles were wiped from faces when Swansea pulled one back almost immediately through Gylfi Sigurdsson as the second period exploded into life. In attempt to beat Wilfried Bony to the ball Mamadou Sakho inadvertently headed Wayne Routledge’s cross back across goal to leave Sigurdsson with a tap in.

Sterling rattled the post from a Henderson cross before the hosts reasserted their authority with a goal on the hour which owed much to Lallana’s composure in front of goal.

The former Southampton man caressed Coutinho’s neat flick into space to the left of him and showed great composure to place his finish into the corner of the net.

Liverpool’s rout was complete when Henderson’s corner, aimed at Lallana at the near post, deflected off Shelvey’s head and into the net. There is still plenty of work to do, yet Liverpool can start looking upwards.

LIVERPOOL (3-4-2-1): Mignolet 6; Can 7, Skrtel 6, Sakho 5; Manquillo 5, Lucas 6, Henderson 7, Moreno 7; Coutinho 8 (Borini 90; 6), Lallana 9 (Markovic 77; 6), Sterling 8 (Balotelli 83; 6).

SWANSEA (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 5, Richards 5 (Rangel 45; 6), Fernandez 5, Williams 6, Taylor 5; Britton 5 (Ki 67; 6), Shelvey 5; Dyer 6, Sigurdsson 7, Routledge 7; Bony 6 (Gomis 63; 6).

Referee: Andre Marriner