Liverpool 3 Newcastle 1:CRAIG BELLAMY scored twice against his former club and Andy Carroll hit the bar in the second half, though no one could stop Steven Gerrard stealing the show with the third Liverpool goal on his second game back from injury.

Gerrard was allowed only 30 minutes after being out for a couple of months but showed the drive Liverpool have been missing, the accuracy of some of his crossing bringing Carroll into the game for the first time.

Bellamy was withdrawn just before the end, departing with angry words for Alan Pardew after receiving an elbow in the face from Fabricio Coloccini.

The subplot to this game was not only how Carroll would fare against his old club, Kenny Dalglish having been practically forced into giving his centre-forward his second start in a week by the one-match suspension handed to Luis Suarez, but also how well Demba Ba would show up for Newcastle. Finding a striker on a free transfer who can hit the net 14 times before the half-way point of the league season is quite an achievement and Dalglish, even as he defended Carroll’s less impressive record before this game, could barely disguise his admiration for Ba’s ability.

Neither, however, figured prominently in the opening stages. Carroll won applause from the home crowd for winning a couple of aerial challenges as Liverpool did most of the early attacking, though it took the intervention of the referee, Lee Probert, who inadvertently dispossessed Gabriel Obertan, to set up the first real shooting opportunity after almost 20 minutes. Charlie Adam drove over the bar from 20 yards out.

Stewart Downing brought a save from Tim Krul a few moments later but, with Carroll effectively playing on his own up front, Newcastle were not having too much difficulty keeping their shape at the back. That looked like becoming more of a problem for the home side when Newcastle went into the lead midway through the first half.

Liverpool were slightly distracted by Haris Vuckic taking a clearance full in the face and deciding he needed to leave the field for treatment. The rest of Newcastle’s players decided to play on and Ryan Taylor’s cross from the left was flicked on by Yohan Cabaye and was diverted past Jose Reina by the slightest touch from Daniel Agger. The stadium announcer credited Ba, who was putting the defender under pressure.

Liverpool’s response was swift, throwing more players forward into attack and equalising when Adam’s cross bounced off Cheik Tiote and fell kindly for Bellamy, who drove a shot through a crowd of players. Newcastle barely threatened again for the rest of the first half, though Cabaye ended it with a speculative drive over the bar.

The same player was fortunate when an ugly looking stamp on Jay Spearing’s ankle went unpunished at the start of the second half, though the Liverpool player was able to carry on as normal.

Carroll had a chance when a Bellamy free-kick reached him in front of goal in the 55th minute, only for the header he produced to resemble a defensive clearance rather than an attempt to score.

Dalglish sent on Gerrard for the last half hour in place of the labouring Adam and the club captain was immediately into the action, crossing from the right touchline for Carroll but finding the target man unable to stay on his feet.

Gerrard delivered an even better ball four minutes later, only to see Carroll stay onside but effectively pass the ball to Krul with a heavy first touch.

Undeterred, Carroll could say he played a part in Liverpool’s second goal. Gerrard seemed likely to take the free-kick when Tiote fouled Agger but Bellamy tried his luck instead, producing a shot that probably would not have beaten Krul but for Carroll getting his sizeable frame right in the goalkeeper’s eyeline.

The best of both Carroll and Ba was saved for late in the game. The latter beat Reina with a shot that Martin Skrtel did well to clear off the line, then Carroll thumped a header against Krul’s crossbar from a Gerrard cross. Perhaps both men should have scored from inviting opportunities, though there was not much wrong with either effort.

All the same Gerrard decided to cut out the middleman, running onto Jordan Henderson’s pass and coming up with a composed finish to beat Krul from a narrow angle.

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Henderson, Spearing, Adam (Gerrard 59), Downing, Carroll, Bellamy (Kuyt 74). Subs Not Used: Doni, Maxi, Carragher, Shelvey, Kelly.

NEWCASTLE: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor (Santon 46), Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 84), Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Vuckic (Ben Arfa 65), Ba. Subs Not Used: Elliot, Perch, Best, Shola Ameobi. Booked: Gutierrez, Ryan Taylor.

Referee: Lee Probert.