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Liverpool’s title challenge is back on track after an easy 3-0 victory at Newcastle. There were happy faces all round as they extended their unbeaten run but Newcastle have slumped deeper into a crisis. From Sam Allardyce’s dour expression, the pressure from consecutive setbacks (one point in four matches) is starting to pile up on him.

The Reds stamped their authority in this game and skipper Steven Gerrard gave a sterling performance in the wake of England’s embarrassing European Championships failure. Out to prove his detractors wrong, he cleared all doubts regarding his use-by date with a dominant show filled with energy, drive and inspiration.

Suffering the brunt of insults from Newcastle fans who were clearly disenchanted by his inept performance for England, Gerrard gave the proper response on the pitch. The fans’ ire was eventually redirected at their own players for the pathetic display.

Stevie was in the thick of action for all three goals. In the 27th minute, he drilled in a fabulous shot into the top corner from a free-kick. The scoreline was doubled within a minute of the restart, although it was scrappy. Gerrard’s corner was touched on by Sami Hyypia and rebounded past Given off Kyut’s shins. Victory was assured in the 66th minute as Gerrard exchanged passes with Ryan Babel before the substitute finished stylishly.

After the match, Gerrard said the brickbats were expected and justified. “We have let the country down by not qualifying, so from now until we get it right we are going to be criticized.”

“I’ve got to put the England stuff under the carpet for a while and try to play well for Liverpool. Then, when we meet up with England, we’ve got to come up with a reaction for the country, and hopefully I’ll be part of that.”

With Liverpool’s overwhelming superiority, they should have stretched their lead as Torres missed out on his ninth goal of the season twice in quick succession.

It was apparent Newcastle (deprived of six experienced defenders due to injuries), did not have sufficient resources to get back into the match and if Liverpool had been more clinical in their finishing, there will be at least another half-dozen goals. Torres, looking off-color, was the biggest culprit.

This win should give Benitez more bargaining power when he meets up with owner Tom Hicks and George Gillet again. He was fed up with their refusal to spend big on new players in January and had threatened to quit and coach England.

After relieving £45 million off their wallets, Benitez is requesting for another £17 million to complete the permanent signing of Javier Mascherano and a further £18 million to add Racing Santander’s center back Ezequiel Garay and Heerenveen’s striker Afonso Alves to his squad. The Americans are not convinced. Instead of placating Benitez, they told him to “concentrate on coaching the team,” and made qualification for Champions League a prerequisite for further purchases.

I am not too sure if Benitez will be a good choice for England. Certainly, there will be no mega-transfers available so if he needs fresh blood, he will have to look at the youth team. If he has to buy his way to success, after splurging so much money already, then I seriously doubt he can handle the England job when he realizes the existing players are not up to scratch for him.

Besides Benitez’s future thrown into doubt, Liverpool fans are also worried about the rumors that the Americans are looking to confirm the refinancing package that would take the club £500 million into debt for the construction of a new stadium.

The imminent departure of three players, John Arne Riise, Mohamed Sissoko and Peter Crouch, is also a strange decision, especially for Crouch. Juventus have been chasing Crouch since their return to Serie A and see the England international as a key player for their Champions League action next season.

The directors are confident of snagging Peter Crouch should he leave Liverpool. However, Manchester City have entered the picture, flexing their financial muscle, and Eriksson’s close relationship with the forward may still influence the decision in their favor.

Signing new players in the winter transfer window has always been disruptive. The players are unable to assimilate into the team and fielding them prematurely will result in misleading judgments on their abilities. Once they are tagged as flops, it is not easy to erase the image, that applies to the best players too.

Since the owners are unlikely to shell out more cash, Benitez should just focus on the existing squad, and reorganize again next season, that is if he has not already become the new England honcho.

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