Keane brace puts Reds back on top

Keane had only previously scored twice in the Champions League prior to his 12th league appearance for the club since his £20million move in the summer.

But Keane scored in the 34th and 43rd minutes to secure the points and extend Liverpool's unbeaten home record this year. Alvaro Arbeloa added the gloss in injury time.

Fernando Torres made his return after a six-game absence with a hamstring injury, but initially only as far as the bench.

West Brom, who have not won at Anfield in 41 years, set out with a positive approach by opting for two strikers, Roman Bednar and Ishmael Miller, when most sides arriving here barely leave one man up front.

But in the 34th minute Liverpool did take the lead. This time Keane read Steven Gerrard's run and pass into space to perfection and motored onto it to lift his shot over the diving Scott Carson.

And it was Keane who grabbed another to silence the West Brom fans who had been abusing him because of his association with Wolves many years back.

His second came two minutes from the break when he latched onto a fine through ball from Fabio Aurelio after Liverpool had broken with devastating speed as they cleared an Albion corner.

Keane was in yards of space to round the on-rushing Carson before firing an angled drive into an empty net.

Torres' arrival finally came after 71 minutes, in place of the disappointed Keane, who had been striving for a hat-trick. Liverpool had to wait until the final minute for their third, when full-back Arbeloa cut in from the right to fire into the top corner.