Liverpool 1 Everton 0: Torres leaves Everton feeling blue

His goals are scored in the blink of an eye, but amid the blood, sweat and tears spent in Liverpool's race for fourth place this season, there is no man more significant than Fernando Torres. He is the goalscorer the Premier League cannot stop and this season he is the difference between his club's potential mediocrity and their aspiration to greatness.

There is simply no answer to a man who requires just one fleeting glimpse of the opposition's goal to decide a match, although yesterday Everton did not provide many answers when it came to winning their first game at Anfield since 1999. Rafael Benitez's team were the better side by a distance yet that dominance was never articulated more eloquently than in the scoring of the goal after seven minutes that was Torres' 28th of the season.

Now five points clear of their city rivals in fourth place, Liverpool can have a reasonable expectation of Champions League football next season at Anfield regardless of what happens in the last eight of the competition this year. In this strange season that Benitez has overseen at Liverpool – now at last taking shape – Torres is the one indisputable success.

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The 24-year-old was not alone yesterday in delivering a performance of scale; Steven Gerrard was exceptional and so too were Martin Skrtel and Sami Hyypia in defence. Yet even in the face of a strangely dismal Everton performance, it still falls to one man to strike the killer blow. It is a good job for Liverpool that they rely on Torres and not Dirk Kuyt for that crucial task.

For a team managed by David Moyes, this was a bloodless Everton performance. Certainly they picked up four bookings and Lee Carsley even managed to puncture the cool of the seemingly unflappable Torres at times but they failed to test their famous neighbours in any meaningful way. Pepe Reina scarcely had a save to make. Faced with the prospect of grasping their Champions League destiny it was not implausible to conclude that Everton choked.

Moyes' team are without three of their frontline strikers – Tim Cahill, Andy Johnson and Victor Anichebe – but they did at least have Yakubu, who was bizarrely ineffectual. He allowed himself to be corralled and marginalised by Hyypia and Skrtel, surfacing only in the 60th minute with an undignified dive in the penalty area that was fooling nobody.

For the first 15 minutes of the match, Everton barely registered their presence apart from a booking for Carsley for a challenge on Torres. For that period, Liverpool operated in a fashion that eluded them so often this season, attacking with the speed and potency of an Arsène Wenger team rather than one which, with respect, you would associate with Benitez.

Having upset the Kop by electing to change ends after winning the toss, Everton only afforded those behind the goal a better view of Torres' strike. The 21st Premier League goal of the season for the Spanish striker was beautifully executed and demonstrated how little time he needs to score. Kuyt later emphasised the point by missing three perfectly decent chances himself.

The goal began from a Gerrard corner, cleared to the edge of the box where Xabi Alonso lost the ball to Yakubu and then, spurred on by embarrassment won it back immediately. He tapped it inside to Kuyt who found Torres, lurking in just a few yards of space but quite enough to poke it inside the far post.

Moyes' team struggled to cope with the pace with which Liverpool switched play to the wings or surged through the middle of their opponents. Most worrying for the visitors, Mikel Arteta saw little of the ball; Gerrard saw plenty and dictated the tempo of Liverpool's attacks. Two tackles on Phil Jagielka in the space of 20 seconds later in the half demonstrated the kind of mood the Liverpool captain was in.

Gerrard struck the post with a shot that Torres directed down to him straight from a Reina kick in the 40th minute, by which time Everton had steadied the ship somewhat. After the break they managed to get Arteta on the ball more, and Leon Osman, but they never conspired to get Yakubu behind the Liverpool defence. Osman's header from Phil Neville's free-kick was about as close as they got to testing Reina.

Whether Benitez can keep Torres going through the three games coming up against Arsenal, starting on Wednesday in the Champions League, is debatable and he would do well to trust Peter Crouch with some of the burden. But on days like this Liverpool must feel invincible with their young striker taking the lead and certainly he has rescued their season from disaster – and might yet deliver something even better.

Goal: Torres (7) 1-0.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Carragher, Skrtel, Hyypia, Riise; Alonso, Lucas; Kuyt, Gerrard (Crouch, 90), Babel (Benayoun, 82); Torres (Pennant, 89). Substitutes not used: Itandje (gk), Finnan.

Everton (4-1-4-1): Howard; Hibbert, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott; Carsley; Neville (Baines, 72), Arteta, Osman, Pienaar (Fernandes, 61); Yakubu. Substitutes not used: Wessels (gk), Gravesen, Valente.

Referee: H Webb (South Yorkshire).

Booked: Everton Carsley, Neville, Pienaar, Jagielka.

Man of the match: Hyypia.

Attendance: 44, 295.

Remaining League fixtures

*Liverpool

5 April Arsenal (a)

13 April Blackburn (h)

19 April Fulham (a)

26 April Birmingham (a)

3 May Man City (h)

11 May Tottenham (a)

*Everton

6 April Derby (h)

12 April Birmingham (a)

17 April Chelsea (h)

27 April Aston Villa (h)

3 May Arsenal (a)

11 May Newcastle (h)