Gerrard the Reds' star attraction

Steven Gerrard made sure he had his picture taken with actor Daniel Craig after guiding Liverpool to a comprehensive 3-0 destruction of Newcastle at Anfield but it is the Geordies who need the help of James Bond to get themselves out of their relegation mess.

Liverpool, led by Gerrard in typical swashbuckling fashion, had destroyed Alan Shearer’s side with a 3-0 scoreline that could easily have been doubled, with three more efforts hitting the woodwork.

It pushed Newcastle even closer to relegation as goals from Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt and Lucas did the damage.

Newcastle did not help themselves with some woeful defending and with Joey Barton being sent off for a poor tackle on Xabi Alonso. He will be banned for the rest of the season but Alonso should be fine once the swelling on his ankle goes down.

The victory kept Liverpool on the heels of leaders Manchester United, three points adrift. They could be top if they beat West Ham on Saturday, with United not facing Manchester City until Sunday.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is waiting for the “two big mistakes I still believe United will make” in the title race.