Today showed how far Liverpool have come under the tenure of Rafa Benitez  as they easily discarded a fired-up Chelsea team desperately fighting to save manager Jose Mourinho's job.

Dirk Kuyt was in a class of his own, getting the breakthrough goal, proving a constant thorn in Chelsea's side - and even finding time to do some decent defending as well.

Benitez experimented last weekend with a three-pronged attack of Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Peter Crouch against Watford. This set the stage for today's game, although we did not start with three strikers. What we learned last weekend is that Liverpool, given the chance, are a very good team playing attacking football.

We started the game with a great tempo and a full-on, get-the-ball-forward mentality - the very thing Liverpool detractors have been saying about us for years. Maybe they were right because we look really formidable attacking and having confidence that our defence can do their job.

Kuyt showed on the day what a world-class player he really is. He has the strength of a centre-back and that helped him as he regained his balance under pressure to brilliantly put the first goal away and leave old helmet-head Petr Cech no chance.

In a lot of my previous writings I have been very critical of Jermaine Pennant,  but today he at last showed a glimpse of  the reason Arsene Wenger payed a record price for a 16-year-old. He has a lot to do to convince me that he is a long-term answer to our right-wing problems but I was very impressed today, before his wonder goal, with his willingness to cut inside and run at players.