Amidst accusations of the disrespectful unsettling of Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones and speculation over the future of manager Rafael Benitez, Liverpool supporters could be forgiven for not greeting today's visit of Bolton Wanderers with the enthusiasm that is synonymous with match days at Anfield.
The unexpected presence of Tom Hicks, one of the club's unpopular owners, in the directors' box will have set alarm bells ringing amongst Kopites despite Juventus' appointment of Alberto Zaccheroni as interim manager until the summer.
Benitez, maintaining focus on the task in hand, made two changes from the side that ground out a goalless draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday with Maxi Rodriguez denied a second start for his new employers as David Ngog was restored to the starting line-up against the notoriously physical Trotters.
Lucas Leiva was also relegated to the substitutes' bench in place of Alberto Aquilani whilst Bolton handed Jack Wilshere, signed on loan from Arsenal yesterday, a place on the bench as the home side aimed to maintain an unbeaten run of six games in the Barclays Premier League.
The visitors almost took the lead in the opening stages after Jamie Carragher had failed to keep tabs on Tamir Cohen but fortunately for him, the son of ex-Red Avi Cohen, could not find a way past Pepe Reina from close range.
Zat Knight gifted Liverpool a chance to break the deadlock when he carelessly gave the ball away to Ngog who failed to round the advancing Jussi Jaaskelainen.
For a side that have been taunted by rival fans as one who 'hoof' the ball, the tactic worked in the Reds' favour as Ngog latched on to several high balls and proved a handful for Bolton's defence. The Frenchman proved to be his side's most creative player in the first half but it was Dirk Kuyt who found a way through Bolton's rigid defence 10 minutes from the break.
Emiliano Insua angled a cross to the far post which Aquilani nodded across the face of goal and into the path of the Dutchman who fired home his ninth goal of the season and his 49th for the club.
A minute later Sotirios Kyrgiakos saved his side's blushes after Chung-Yong Lee had coasted past Pepe Reina. The Greek defender, hailed by Benitez as a 'very important' part of his team, slid across the goal line to block his effort as both sides continued to fight out a frantic stalemate.
The South Korean attempted to redress the balance on the brink of half time with simulation after he had clashed with Aquilani. Referee Steve Bennett, however, dismissed calls to award a penalty by the travelling fans and booked the midfielder for his antics.
Liverpool showed signs of encouragement at the start of the second half when Javier Mascherano's cross-field ball found Steven Gerrard but the Reds' captain failed to find a way past Mark Davies in the penalty area.
Gerrard was at the heart of another attack less than a minute later when he attempted to fire an Albert Riera cross goalwards but was denied by Jaaskelainen. The ball broke to Ngog who, from close range, half-volleyed against the Icelandic international's crossbar.
Insua doubled the advantage on 69 minutes when Ngog teed him up for a half-volley on the edge of the area which was deflected into the net by Kevin Davies, a player linked with a move to Anfield before the opening of the January transfer window.
If criticisms were to be drawn from this scrappy encounter, it was the fact that Liverpool's defenders continued to make beleaguering glances at the touchline on the rare occasions they had to approach set pieces where coach Mauricio Pellegrino would co-ordinate their movements.
The exact same thing happened during their humiliating FA Cup 3rd round exit to Reading two-and-a-half weeks ago which suggests that, despite maintaining their unbeaten record this calendar year, work is still to be done on what Benitez described in his programme notes as a "solid" defence.
Lucas, on a second half substitute for Aquilani should have extended the advantage further but saw his close-range header blazed wide of goal after meeting a cross from Gerrard, playing his second consecutive match since returning from injury. Maxi Rodriguez also failed to connect from close range when he slid to meet Insua's cross.
Strains of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' echoed from the Kop during stoppage time as Liverpool maintained their advantage to record their fourth victory since slumping to a 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth in mid-December.
FINAL SCORE: LIVERPOOL 2 BOLTON WANDERERS 0
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Skrtel, Insua, Kuyt, Mascherano, Aquilani (Lucas 64), Riera (Maxi 73), Gerrard, Ngog (Babel 83).
Subs (not used): Cavalieri, Agger, Darby, Pacheco.
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Muamba (Elmander 77), Taylor (Weiss 65), Knight, Ricketts, Steinsson, M. Davies, Cohen (Gardner 60), Chung-Yong, K. Davies.
Subs (not used): Robinson, Al Habsi, O'Brien, Wilshere.
Referee: Steve Bennett
Attendance: 43,413
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