Robbie Keane believes he is on the brink of a prolific
partnership with Liverpool team-mate Fernando Torres.
The pair had struggled to hit it off in the early games this
season, since Keane's £20million move from Spurs.
But in the last two matches both players have made goals for
each other as well as finding the net themselves.
Keane's view was reinforced by the way the pair linked up in the
3-1 Champions League success over PSV Eindhoven.
Keane scored his first for Liverpool, created by the Spaniard,
while Keane had helped to set up both of Torres' strikes against
Everton at the weekend.
Now Keane said: "I helped make two for Fernando on Saturday and
he has responded with a great assist for me.
"Like any partnership it takes time, it never always works out
straight away.
"We have been starting to link up well, I was involved in both
the build-ups for his two goals at Everton and now he has made one
for me.
"It is great for us and we will continue working hard at the
partnership. Hopefully this is the beginning of a hat-full of goals
for the pair of us."
And Keane was relieved to net his first for the club on his 11th
attempt. he said: "It was nice to score my first, to get it out of
the way, to be honest.
"It was a good night for me, but the three points were more
important. Fernando produced a fine run and cross for me to connect
with, it went in and that problem is out of the way now.
"I can now concentrate on the next game and making sure that
Liverpool win as a team.
"I did the cartwheel celebration because I said last season I
would only do it on special occasions, and this was a special
occasion.
"I have celebrated like that for many years, and dreamt from
being a kid that one day I would do it for Liverpool. I've done it
now, so maybe I'll put it back in the box for the next big
occasion.
"I've changed my boots for the Champions League, maybe they are
lucky boots now.
"But it is not really about luck, it is about training hard,
winning and getting three points. That is all that matters to
me."
He added: "I was delighted that Stevie (Gerrard) got his 100th
too, we said to each other than it is always important to get these
things out of the way - for both of us - because people keep on
about it.
"As players we do not tend to think so much about them, but I
had the same situation at Spurs last season. It took me a few games
to get my 100th goal there, much the same as Stevie has experienced
here."
Fellow forward Dirk Kuyt got in on the act with his 10th goal in
16 European games for Liverpool, but he was happier to see Keane
break his duck.
He said: "It was great to see Robbie score, and to see how happy
he was with it.
"He deserved it because he has played really well in the last
few games. He deserved that goal and I am sure he will score a lot
more.
"It was also good to see Steven Gerrard score his 100th for the
club.
"That amount for a midfielder is amazing, it was a great
achievement and another great goal. But when you look back at the
goals he has scored, so many of them are as spectacular as
that."
Kuyt added: "It is a big difference to last season when we only
had one point at this stage.
"But we have talked about the situation and set out to put that
right this time.
"We have done what we set out to do, now with six points we must
continue to build on that level.
"Three points in Madrid next will be very difficult, but it is a
challenge we relish."