Torres provides the vital class

Liverpool 3 Newcastle 0  ONE HAS an owner so unpopular his relatives cannot enter a pub without compromising their safety, the other an owner so gregarious he buys the lagers for supporters and applies the same populist logic to managerial appointments.

In a season dominated by the boardroom it has been easy for Liverpool and Newcastle to forget who really shapes their immediate futures and emotions.

As Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard sent a statement of intent to Internazionale by inspiring Liverpool's fifth successive win since Barnsley began collecting FA Cup scalps, the club's co-owner, Tom Hicks, issued a statement of his own to deny claims Dubai International Capital would accept 49 per cent of Gillett's stake as a means towards gaining majority control at Anfield.

Newcastle's chairman, Chris Mort, meanwhile, sank ever deeper in a directors' seat, while Mike Ashley's chin disappeared beneath an overcoat as black as his team's performance and aura.

Owners have finance on their minds, not the natural talent to inspire or the tactical acumen to succeed or fail. Anfield illustrated that perfectly.

If Liverpool are to be redeemed with Champions League qualification and an extended run in this season's competition - Internazionale warmed up for tomorrow's return leg with a 2-0 victory over Reggina - then it is the freedom Rafael Benitez has recently afforded his captain and the brilliance of Torres that will carry them. Similar responsibility applies to Kevin Keegan, although Newcastle's momentum is dragging them in another direction.

Seven league games into the "Third Coming" of Keegan, Newcastle have taken two points from a possible 21 and now lie three points above the relegation zone. They undoubtedly possess superior individual talent to every team beneath them but, when not even Keegan can galvanise passion and confidence - and, for all the manager's tactical shortcomings, he is not bereft in that department - the club are in serious danger of implosion.

Home games with Fulham, Reading and Sunderland could be crucial.

Keegan attempted to match Benitez' 4-2-3-1 system but the gulf in spirit and tempo was glaring.

Whereas in Nicky Butt (33), Alan Smith (27), Damien Duff (29) and Michael Owen (28) Newcastle were reliant on players diminished by injury or age and who have all been sold by bigger clubs, Liverpool's younger and more vibrant heart of Xabi Alonso, Lucas Leiva, Gerrard and Torres flourished.

Outrageous luck opened the floodgates for Liverpool when Luis Enrique's clearance ricocheted in off Jermaine Pennant, but outstanding combinations between Gerrard and Torres reflected the unquestioned superiority of a side chopping a path through its own troubles.