Preamble: Evening people. Tonight Liverpool should be licking their lips at the prospect of taking candy from Portsmouth, the Premier League's bottom team and designated crisis club. And, whisper it quietly, it looks like Rafa Benítez may thinking the same, leaving out Lucas Leiva and the hearty endeavour of Dirk Kuyt in favour of £20m-man Alberto Aquilani and perenial expectation-dasher Ryan Babel. Attacking or what.

Portsmouth, however, don't seem too perturbed that they're widely perceived as a dead team walking, and will take heart from the memory of their 2-0 win over the Reds at Fratton Park in December. They line-up without goalkeeper David James, who is struggling with injury, handing Jamie Ashdown his fourth start of the season and with Ricardo Rocha at the back – a man who has been sent off twice in three appearances for Pompey.

The last time Portsmouth won at Anfield: 1951

How much Liverpool like Mondays: Not very

Tonight's teams

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua, Aquilani, Mascherano, Maxi, Gerrard, Babel, Torres.
Subs: Cavalieri, Benayoun, Kyrgiakos, Kuyt, Lucas, Ngog, Kelly.
Portsmouth: Ashdown, Finnan, Wilson, Rocha, Hreidarsson, Brown, Diop, O'Hara, Dindane, Piquionne, Belhadj.
Subs: O'Brien, Mokoena, Mullins, Owusu-Abeyie, Webber, Hughes, Kanu.
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

Pre-match emails: "The collective consciousness has been heard," reckons Rowan Blades. "Lucas and Kuyt dropped, a five-man attacking unit in place. Now lets see if we dispose of this relegation fodder as we should, and not do our best impression of a sunday league pub side. A big V for Victory from Stevie G tonight please!"

"If I was a psychologist I would venture a theory that Liverpool's success in making such hard work of getting to fourth is an expression of self-loathing (the inept failure against Wigan being the strongest manifestation). Perhaps it is because they know they are not worthy of the high expectations placed on them that they fear success." Ian Copestake is tonight's shrink.

This from Robin Hazlehurst: "Portsmouth have a unique chance here to really break scouse hearts. If they win tonight they will have done the double over Liverpool, worth six points. If they then go bust their results will be wiped out, potentially lifting Liverpool into the coveted fourth place. But if they are saved from bankruptcy in the nick of time at the end of the season, Liverpool could miss out on fourth and the glory that goes with it. Maybe the Red Knights should wait until they can snap Portsmouth up for nothing at the last moment ..."

Problems with the English perception of the game No347: Mark Wright doesn't appreciate the fact that Daniel Agger "likes to play football". Apparently he should be concentrating on defending, which is a different can of beans.

You'll never walk alone ... Though you may have to sit by yourself if you're at Anfield tonight, with the ground less than packed. Lowest Premier League crowd of the season, reckons commentator Jon Champion.

Peep! Liverpool in the traditional red of victory and indebtedness kick off, playing from left to right. Portsmouth, in white, have a throw-in after 30 seconds.

1 min: Marc Wilson pulls Fernando Torres's shirt on the right just outside the box, allowing Gerrard to whip in a delivery that is cleared via the head of the very same Wilson.

3 min: Maxi Rodriguez is confidently eased off the ball by Herman Hreidarsson – only for the linesman to signal for a free-kick for shirt pulling. Gerrard again delivers from the right, and, after Torres pokes the loose ball goalwards, it hits Ricardo Rocha's hand leading to loud appeals from the men in red. Nothing given, and it looked pretty accidental to me.

4 min: Pepe Reina make a complete horlicks of punching Jamie O'Hara's free-kick away, but Aruna Dindane can only hoick the loose ball over the bar. Early action at both ends here.

6 min: Another free-kick on the Liverpool right drifts all the way across the box and finds Jamie Carragher on the left. His cut-back hits a Portsmouth body, and goes out for a corner ... which leads to nothing.

7 min: O'Hara's corner for Portsmouth flies over everyone in the middle and goes out for a goal kick on the other side.

8 min: Frederic Piquionne is allowed freedom in the centre of the pitch to run all the way to the edge of the Liverpool box from the middle of his own half unchallenged, but after nearly losing control of the ball he woofs a shot well over from 20 yards.

9 min: Emilanio Insua, who does like a sighter, pings one from distance that is nowhere near troubling Ashdown. "Looking at that team sheet I'm thinking Benitez has been sacked and replaced by Kevin Keegan, or Phil Brown perhaps?" Mark Judd toys with the idea of who will be next in the Anfield hotseat.

11 min: A neat move from Liverpool nearly sets Torres through on goal, Rodriguez's pass flicked on by Gerrard but in the end with too much pace for the Spanish striker. Who else is in the running to succeed Benitez (should it ever come to that)? Brown could certainly do a turn as an 'English waiter', so to speak. Or at least a mobile phone salesman. Alan Curbishley? Alex McLeish?

13 min: Rodriguez's attempt at a cross deflects off for a corner, but Gerrard's delivery again fails to find a man in the middle. Surprised? Not much.

15 min: A slick one-touch passing move involving Rodriguez, Aquilani and Torres culminates in Gerrard being teed up some 25 yards out, but his attempted net buster heads off into orbit. Yes, I did just write "slick one-touch passing move" in an entry about Liverpool.

17 min: A first decent affort on the goal comes from Aquilani, who hooks a right-footed volley a foot or so wide of Ashdown's right-hand upright. The Italian showed good technique to hit that as the ball dropped over his shoulder. Here's Alix Sharkey: "That's a very attacking Liverpool formation alright, but if Pompey score first my money's on them adding at least two more. The Reds have a serious confidence issue."

19 min: A Ryan Babel-instigated move ends with Torres running a little wide on the right, inside the area, but his low cross is cut out. Liverpool have looked encouragingly spritely so far.

20 min: The Anfield crowd are shaken from their stupor by another penalty appeal, the ball striking Hreidarsson's arm from a Gerrard cross. Nothing doing.

21 min: Gerrard is then rather clumsily bundled to the ground inside the box by Michael Brown, but all referee Stuart Attwell gives is a corner, which comes to naught. Yes, it is that Stuart Attwell.

23 min: Piquionne latches on to a long ball into the box and is suddenly one-on-one with Reina ... but hold up, the ref's given a free-kick for a foul by Piquionne on Carragher as he chased the ball. It was but the gentlest of caresses on Carragher's heels if it was anything.

24 min: Red-card magnet Rocha does well to get in front of Torres to clear Rodriguez's cross.

GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Portsmouth (Torres 26) Jamie Ashdown has his head in his gloved hands after his attempted clearance was charged down by Gerrard, the ball spinning free in the area for Rodriguez who laid it across the box for Torres to sweep home the opener. It has been coming, but that's no way to concede.

GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Portsmouth (Babel 28) Goodnight Pompey. The crowd had barely settled back into their seats when a cross was sent in from the right-hand side, the ball finding its way to Torres at the back post. His attempt to dupe Wilson succeeded in putting the Portsmouth defender on his backside, and the Spaniard then cut the ball back for Babel, who basically toe-punted it into the far corner.

31 min: After controlling so much of the possession in the open quarter of the game, Liverpool are suddenly rampant, teasing and probing the hapless visitors ...

GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Portsmouth (Aquilani 32) The Italian has been something of a menace so far, popping up all over the pitch, and this time he's the man in the box to sweep home the third goal in six minutes! Torres was again the provider, backheeling the ball into the area from near the byline on the left, with Gerrard's dummy allowing Aquilani to finish adroitly into the bottom corner. That's his first goal in English football.

34 min: This seems like a good time to publish Rod Tucker's email: "You haven't mentioned Torres is he sulking in a corner or running around like a chicken with his head cut off?"

35 min: Torres hits the post! And then Gerrard belts a shot just wide from Rodriguez's cutback.

36 min: That Torres effort was quite marvellous, by the way. Nando was free on the left, but with little to aim for in the box, so he checked and swirled a low right-footed affort across Ashdown which came juddering back off the upright.

37 min: "I'm bored with the miserable sarcasm from the Guardian when reporting on Liverpool games," writes Martin Barrett. "Grow up lads and report the game without having to resort to school ground remarks. It's dull." Apologies if you detected some ennui from this corner, Martin, but I'm quite happy to state that Liverpool are bossing this one now. And they're playing some sparkling stuff ...

39 min: Hreidarsson hacks at the heels of Rodriguez, and Aquilani's dangerous set-piece delivery is diverted wide for a corner by Marc Wilson.

41 min: That corner nearly leads to a fourth, though it had nothing to do with the competency of the delivery itself. After being half-cleared to the edge of the box, Carragher tries to delicately loft the ball into the net ... and it only loops this far wide. Champion reckons it was a mishit, but I say it's another example of the joga bonito Liverpool are currently purveying.

43 min: Piquionne drills a shot narrowly wide of the post as Pompey make a rare foray into the Liverpool half. Everyone then takes the opportunity to have a bit of a breather by knocking it around in midfield.

45 min: Portsmouth have the temerity to mount another attack, Piquionne stabbing wide. Rob likes the way Ryan Babel rolls: "Lovely toe punt. Always the way to get the most dangerous velocity on the ball, sod the direction. A kick used for inflicting pain." And my, does it hurt for Pompey.

45+1 min: Stuart Attwell expels the contents of his lungs through the little bit of plastic in his mouth, and the teams trudge in for half time. Sheesh, that was actually pretty good!

Assorted half-time emails from my inbox bulging with missives expressing surprise, bafflement and wonder: "I hope Rafa has a red face what with his persistence with the turgid Lucas and treacle-toed Dirk "diggler" Kuyt." David Lipworth vents.

"If Liverpool keep playing like Arsenal someone is going to get their leg broken. Rafa needs to sort it." Zinger o'clock from Ian Copestake.

"I'd really like to know why someone of Maxi's quality was not greeted more with more hype upon his arrival – especially as Liverpool got him for free! This, by the way, is a genuine question, as opposed to one designed to humiliate and undermine you for your lack of knowledge ..." Humiliate and undermine away, Ethan Dean-Richards. I think he'd gone off the boil after a few seasons in La Liga. Anyone like to contradict me?

"Good to see Liverpool playing with pace and tempo," writes Mark Taylor. "I dont dislike either of them by any means, but what chance Lucas and Kuyt will be back in the side for the next league game at Manchester United? Despite Liverpool's good recent record against them I can see them reverting to type and becoming rather slow and lumbering again, probably losing without scoring and undoing all confidence built tonight and any against Lille." I wonder if Dirk is being punished for giving the ball away against Wigan last week – a horrendous pass which lead directly to Rodallega's goal. Has Rafa cut one of his favourite sons loose?

Chris in Toronto thinks we shoudn't forget to rib Liverpool fans, despite this evening's respite: "It's tough being a Liverpool supporter when for most of the year they've been out-played, out-managed and can't kick a hole in a wet Liverpool Echo. Such delicate, fragile, misunderstood souls." Martin Barrett, I think that's aimed at you.

So does Mike Page. "I'm bored with the miserable whining from the Liverpool fans when remarking on Guardian articles. Grow a pair lads and learn to take yourselves less seriously. It's dull."

Peep! Peep! Portsmouth get to attack the Kop this half. I wonder if it will have the same effect on them?

46 min: Marc Wilson loses the ball to Steven Gerrard some 30 yards from his own goal, nearly precipitating another chance for Liverpool – but Gerrard isn't quite able to take it on. Stevie want a goal!

48 min: Glenn Johnson is tugged back, handing another dead-ball opportunity to the home side. Daniel Agger, that notorious footballer, lines up a screamer, but merely clips the wall with his effort.

49 min: "Amazing what a few goals do. I'm already a lot more confident about our next two games than I was an hour ago. I know it's Pompey but that's the best 45 minutes we have played all season. Very like the way we were playing at the tail end of last season." Is that hubris, I smell, Anthony O'Connell?

50 min: Joe Royle still thinks Alberto Aquilani has a lot to prove. As his riposte, Aquilani strolls through the Portsmouth defence, via a one-two with Ryan Babel and when someone does manage to get a boot on it, the ball squirts out to Gerrard, who is unable to beat Ashdown from six yards or so. Aquilani is then involved again as Babel hammers an effort against the bar. Still got a lot to prove, the Italian lad.

52 min: Ashdown actually got a touch to that Babel effort, but Liverpool fail to carve out their 367th chance from the corner.

53 min: Stevie want a goal! Babel went gamboling clear on the left, checked, pulled the ball back for Gerrard arriving centrally some 20 yards out ... but his curler hasn't got enough curl on it and it whistles over and wide.

55 min: Brilliant save from Reina to deny Michael Brown. Belhadj weaved his way into the area from the left and found his captain arriving at pace, but Reina stuck up a firm-wristed paw to divert Brown's fierce effort over.

56 min: Welcome to the swings, Lexie Patten: "I'm a Liverpool fan … and I actually enjoy the school ground remarks. Am I the only one?"

58 min: Ryan Babel's cross from the left is just too high for a leaping Torres. "In fairness to Joe Royle," says knight-in-shining-armour Ronan Hayes, "and I'm typing as a Liverpool fan, Aquilani does still have a huge amount to prove regardless of his decent performance tonight. I reckon Bendtner could look good against this shower." Agreed. But he has looked very impressive so far tonight. Oh, and Bendtner is good.

60 min: It's got a very big set-up, Gary Naylor, but is the pay-off worth it? "Never mind Beckham, it's a real footballing tragedy how quickly new owners, with little feel for a grand old club, with its old-fashioned proper football stadium on the coast supported by loyal, knowledgeable fanatical support who tasted success so recently, with big European ties lighting up the whole city, have turned all that into dust. I feel sorry for Portsmouth too."

62 min: Aquilani, who seems to have a roaming brief tonight, combines with Glenn Johnson down the right, who is then fouled. From the free-kick, Piquionne demonstrates his striker's hunger for goals by trying to beat his own keeper with a header. Ashdown denies him by catching comfortably, though.

63 min: "If there are any more school ground remarks I'm going to get my dad to fight your dad," threatens Ian Copestake. Yeah, I know you are, you said you are, but what am I?

65 min: Jamie O'Hara can't bleedin' believe it, guv'nor, you're 'avin' a laugh after Attwell fails to award Pompey a corner. Looked like he passed it straight off to me.

66 min: Now that is a good shout for a penalty. Johnson went past Belhadj in the box on the right-hand side, and the Algerian dived in, sending the England right-back tumbling. He may have shaved a couple of atoms off the ball in the process, but it was tight like a tiger.

69 min: O'Hara initiates an attack down the right, which is then spread left before O'Hara, again, nearly releases Mokoena into the box with a cute backheel. Liverpool manage to scramble it away. "Let's not get carried away here," cautions Simon Hoyle. "No disrespect, but this is Portsmouth - hardly a Premier League powerhouse. There'll be a fairly brutal reality check this weekend, I fear."

71 min: Liverpool substitution: Martin Kelly replaces Glenn Johnson at right-back.

72 min: Steven Gerrard has just swung a careless, shall we say, elbow into Michael Brown's head off the ball. That didn't look good.

73 min: Liverpool substitution: Steven Gerrard off for Yossi Benayoun. Benitez perhaps does the sensible thing and whips his captain straight off. Brown is still complaining to the ref about the incident. I think Attwell may have given a free-kick against Gerrard, but nothing more.

GOAL!: Liverpool 4-0 Portsmouth (Torres 77) Just as I was contemplating writing that Liverpool seemed disinclined to score a fourth, Torres shows his pedigree by rippling the net for the second time tonight. He was given far too much time by Rocha, it has to be said, but Torres fairly smashed it into the corner after stepping back inside.

78 min: Aruna Dindane picks up the game's first yellow for complaining about a decision in the build-up to the goal. At least Ricardo Rocha looks like he might make it through the full 90, eh.

80 min: Torres is removed before he can do any more damage to Pompey (as opposed to Gerrard who was removed before he could do any more damage to Michael Brown). David Ngog comes on. And Quincy Owusu-Abeyie has been introduced by the visitors.

81 min: Portsmouth win a corner after an Insua clears from inside his six-yard box but let's be serious, Pompey aren't going to score tonight. Robin Hazlehurst wants to spread the love. "One very big plus of Liverpool playing well is that LFC-supporting Ian Copestake's zingers are much funnier when he is in a good mood. The descent of his emails into the slough of despond when Liverpool were doing badly had a morbid fascination, but it is nice to see him back on form now that they are doing better. So play up Fernando, so that one of the MBM's wittier correspondents retains his readability."

84 min: Portsmouth substitute: Danny Webber comes on for Jamie O'Hara. And Aidan Gibson is concurring with ESPN's studio pundit Craig Burley: "Why is it that England players like Gerrard (who got away with the elbow and the flick), Terry, Rooney etc get away with a lot that would have any other player sent off? Come on referees, get a bloody grip."

86 min: Dindane finds himself through on goal with just Reina to beat ... but the ref pulls things back for a dubious foul on Carragher. I feel like I've typed that sentence before.

GOAL! Liverpool 4-1 Portsmouth (Belhadj 88) There's absolutely no way Pompey are going to sco– Ah. Danny Webber was allowed to go on a little tour of the left wing, his journey culminating in a chipped cross to the back post where Piquionne whupped a low, skimming volley across the face of the goal for Belhadj to turn in from a few yards out.

90 min: Reina and Carragher were absolutely furious at the concession of that Pompey goal – which I guess is an encouraging sign for Liverpool fans. Dindane is penalised for putting an arm in Mascherano's gob.

90+1 min: Genesis disrespect = red rag to Steven Gerrard. "Do you think that the fact that Phil Collins was not being played through the Anfield sound system had anything to do with Gerard's behaviour?" wonders Daniel Mortensen, perhaps facetiously.

90+3 min: Tonight's crowd is the lowest Premier League attendance at Anfield in three years. Bet they're glad they stayed away now. Reina saves from Owusu-Abeyie ...

Peep! Peep! Peep! It's all over, and Scousers everywhere can exhale once again.

Thoughts: Well, that was an accomplished display from Liverpool, who played like the team of thorough-bred professionals they surely are. Rafael Benitez's side bounce back up to fifth, after finding that taking candy really isn't so hard to do if you try, and Portsmouth can only console themselves with the fact that Ricardo Rocha avoided a red card for the second time in four matches. Though given that the other occasion he made it through the whole 90 minutes Pompey lost 5-0 to United, maybe that's not such an encouraging sign.

Alberto Aquilani was the man-of-the-match, and he deserved it too after a fine display. However, just to temper the Red rejoicing, I'll leave the final word with David Keith: "Are we talking Rio four-game ban kind of violent conduct from Stevie G? Cos I would always like to see Liverpool weakened for a visit to OT. Any chance?" From my view of it, there's certainly a chance. Thanks for a bumper load of emails, sorry I couldn't use them all. Ta ra ...