Liverpool 3, West Brom 0: Hand of God refreshes Robbie Keane's touch

As Keane has laboured to back up his undoubted hard work with tangible reward, questions have inevitably been asked about Liverpool's decision to splash out almost £20million for his services during the summer.

The expertly-taken double strike that ended his domestic goal drought for his new club won't be enough to silence the doubters just yet.

But at least it showed the qualities that persuaded Benitez to part with such a considerable sum remain present and correct; the confidence was visibly returning to Keane's game at the weekend.

It has taken the Irishman 12 games to open his Premier League account for Liverpool, the same number of games it took Peter Crouch to do likewise when he first arrived in the summer of 2005.

Crouch went on to net at a reasonable rate and Benitez will hope breaking his duck can have the same effect on his latest big-money forward.

With Alvaro Arbeloa applying the gloss with a fine injury-time effort, this was a welcome addition to Liverpool's portfolio for this campaign - a comfortable victory.

Not since a similar scoreline against Newcastle United at Anfield back in March have Benitez's side secured such an emphatic triumph to avoid the late drama that has become a staple of their supporters' diet this season.

West Bromwich Albion were perhaps the ideal opposition for both Keane and Liverpool on Saturday, having not won at Anfield since April 1967 and not even scored there since 1985 with a goal we can confirm was netted by Garth Crooks.

Baggies manager Tony Mowbray has stuck to the principles that saw his team play their way to deserved promotion last season, and that faith in adventure made a change from teams happy to come to Anfield and shut up shop in the hope of scrapping their way to a point.

West Brom, though, lack the clinical striker to provide a cutting edge to their attractive football, and once their bright start faded with Keane's opener even Mowbray conceded the result was never in doubt.

Keane, whose Wolverhampton Wanderers connections led to him being ribbed throughout by the visiting fans, certainly loves facing his former neighbours and has now netted eight goals in his last six starts against the Baggies.

His latest two came in the space of nine first-half minutes. The first, in the 34th minute, was a result of West Brom giving the ball away in midfield for the umpteenth occasion.

Fabio Aurelio seized possession and found Steven Gerrard who, with the visitors' defence caught on the back foot, slipped a pass in for Keane to clip the ball clinically over the diving Scott Carson, the former Liverpool goalkeeper appearing at Anfield for the first time since August 2005.

An uncharacteristic near-post fumble by the man Carson couldn't budge, Pepe Reina, proved the unlikely catalyst for Keane's second.

As Liverpool cleared the resulting corner to the edge of their own area, Mascherano showed composure to find Aurelio, with the Brazilian's expertly-judged long pass then setting the onside Keane clear to push the ball around the onrushing Carson and sidefoot home from the edge of the area.

Benitez's faith in giving Keane the chance to prosper has seen the striker involved in every first-team game so far this season.

However, he has been substituted a remarkable 13 times in the 15 games he has started, and has not lasted the distance since the win over Manchester United in September.

There was no real surprise, then, when the Republic of Ireland international made way for the returning Fernando Torres during the closing stages despite the at times too obvious attempts of his team-mates to give him the opportunity to complete a hat-trick.

It could be a portent of things to come. Even in just those final 18 minutes, Torres demonstrated what Liverpool had been missing in his absence with a burst of pace that instantly frightened the Baggies rearguard.

Keane has struggled to impress as the lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation that so suits Torres, and it was telling that Saturday's improvement came with Dirk Kuyt pushed alongside him in a conventional 4-4-2. But with Torres now available, Keane's ever-present record is likely to come under threat.

As against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, Liverpool were at times a little disjointed but still had far too much for a West Brom team that will struggle to avoid going straight back down, despite their admirable footballing intentions.

The visitors' only effort of note was a 25-yard free-kick from substitute Chris Brunt that brushed the side- netting during the final quarter.

With Xabi Alonso rested to the bench, Yossi Benayoun came in on the right of midfield and could have opened the scoring on the half-hour when a neat combination between Kuyt and Gerrard set the Israeli free, only for the body of Carson and the hand of Jonas Olsson to clear the danger.

The second half was a matter of Liverpool conserving energy - seven players were playing their seventh game in 22 days - with Arbeloa's well-taken injury-time goal, accepting a pass from Kuyt before curling the ball into the top corner with his left foot, giving the scoreline a realistic appearance.

Arbeloa, though, picked up a booking and will now miss the visit to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, exposing Benitez's lack of options at right-back with Jamie Carragher possibly filling the breach once more.

Chelsea's win at Blackburn Rovers yesterday meant the return to the top of the Premier League table was short-lived, although Arsenal's defeat of Manchester United means there is now a six-point gap to the Gunners in third place, with United a further two points adrift.

Next up, however, is the chance for revenge at Tottenham in the Carling Cup on Wednesday. What price a Keane winner against his former club?