FORGET that cliche about the mark of champions being the ability to play badly and win. What defines successful sides is a quality Liverpool exuded yesterday: efficiency. At a stadium that had been an abattoir for their title hopes in previous seasons, they won comfortably, decisively. No frills, no fuss. The top of the table no longer seems a steepling peak to Rafael Benitez and his men. “We’re really pleased to be there,” Benitez said, smiling, where once his instinct would have been to shoot down title talk.

There was only one moment when the outcome seemed in doubt. It came at a corner in first-half stoppage time when Rob Styles disallowed a headed goal from Gary Cahill, deciding that Kevin Nolan had blocked Pepe Reina in his six-yard box. “He gave a ridiculous decision against us at Old Trafford and this was another mistake,” said Bolton manager Gary Megson, but it just seemed one of those decisions that some officials would give, others not. Otherwise Liverpool were smoothly in control, their defensive play sound, their midfield passing sweet.

Inconsistency in forward areas is the remaining weakness that needs eradicating before they can be branded, definitively, the real deal. As Benitez noted, his side ended up losing at Tottenham after missing easy chances at 1-0, just as happened here. Styles’s call would have mattered less had Robbie Keane completed the straightforward task of sidefooting home Dirk Kuyt’s centre from five yards out, and Steven Gerrard could not convert in a similar situation before redeeming himself with a diving header from Fernando Torres’s exquisite cross, to seal the game at 2-0.

Ricardo Gardner could have scored twice for Bolton, but the “missed sitters” tally was at least 4-2 in Liverpool’s favour. Without having to be brilliant, they were just better than Bolton. It has taken until Benitez’s fifth season for Liverpool to acquire the same sureness in Premier League games that they have always had under him in Europe. The stats underline his remark that “we knew before what kind of game to expect and we knew how to play”. Liverpool, in other words, know how to win. Their best Premier League points total is 82, when coming third in 2005-06. They are now on course for 94 points — a tally good enough to win the competition in all of its 16 seasons except one.

Torres, who centred for Gerrard’s goal with a gorgeous dink using the outside of his right boot, stretched Bolton on the break after coming on for Keane. Further encouragement for Liverpool stemmed from the fact that they probably would still have won had the Spaniard stayed on the bench. Keane remains short of his Tottenham form but Benitez is getting so much more from Kuyt. The Dutchman admits he was affected last season by the death of his father and he scored only three league goals, two from penalties. Now he has five in his past seven games. In the 28th minute, after some glorious keep-ball, Albert Riera had a cross charged down, but Fabio Aurelio collected the ball and swept it to the back post, where Kuyt, peeling into space, directed a skilful header past Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Jamie Carragher — at right-back so that Sami Hyypia could combat Bolton’s high balls — beat Johan Elmander with lovely footwork to play in Kuyt. He centred, but Keane, when he should have used his left foot, swiped air with his right. Bolton were reprieved, then aggrieved. At a corner Nolan stood in front of Reina, leaning into him with a shoulder. Reina shoved him out of the way (“a penalty if anything”, said Megson) but Styles penalised Nolan for the original action, rendering Cahill’s header void.

Kuyt had made the bar judder like jelly with a shot after a lightning Liverpool counter. Gardner’s first miss came from a break of similar quality by Bolton. From Kevin Davies’s clever pass, he rounded Reina but lost balance. Later he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper but lobbed over the bar.

Megson had introduced Gardner to be more attacking, having initially used Fabrice Muamba to man-mark Gerrard. That had worked to a point, but with Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano on their games, Liverpool still had midfield command. With Muamba off, Gerrard was freed, and after Andy O’Brien twice declined opportunities to clear, Torres punished Bolton with his cross, which Gerrard finished, having timed his run superbly.

Their rivals would have been happy with 2-0 here, yet the scoreline undersold Liverpool. Jaaskelainen parried Alonso’s missile of a shot and Torres and Lucas were wasteful in the final moments. “Liverpool have had a great start and definitely have the wherewithal to keep going,” said Megson. “They didn’t rip us apart, but nor did Arsenal or Man United. The top four will stay as it is and they’re all going to be close. Who wins the league is anyone’s choice.”

BOLTON WANDERERS: Jaaskelainen 7, Samuel 6, O’Brien 5, Cahill 6, Steinsson 6, McCann 5, Nolan 6, Taylor 6 (Smolarek 84min), Muamba 6 (Gardner 46min, 6), Davies 7, Elmander 5

LIVERPOOL: Reina 8, Carragher 8, Hyypia 7, Agger 7, Aurelio 7, Mascherano 7, Alonso 8, Gerrard 6, Riera 6 (Benayoun 89min), Kuyt 8 (Lucas 84min), Keane 5 (Torres 59min, 7)