Just as Liverpool's season looked like it had gone to the dogs, they went to the Wolves and rediscovered their bite.
At the fourth time of asking in his 'Second Coming' as manager, Kenny Dalglish oversaw the first win of his 21st century reign, and his first in charge of Liverpool for 20 years.
Significantly, victory was secured thanks to two goals from Fernando Torres, indicating that the Spain striker and perhaps his club have turned a corner.
Net result: Fernando Torres (right) finishes off a well-worked move to give Liverpool the lead
Those strikes bookended the other goal, from the outstanding Raul Meireles, who demonstrated that Steven Gerrard's absence need not automatically guarantee a decline in team performance.
Gerrard was suspended and is available for Wednesday's home game with Fulham, the first of back-to-back fixtures at Anfield.
Yesterday's result lifted Liverpool into the top half of the table and a decent run would see them close in on European places, if not Champions League qualification.
'At the moment the feeling is elation,' said Dalglish, having been asked if the victory came as a relief, following defeats by Manchester United (FA Cup) and Blackpool (league), before last Sunday's draw in the Merseyside derby.
'It may have been comprehensive in the end but that was because of the effort and a tremendous amount of hard work throughout the game. We had fantastic effort from all the players and they got their reward.
'That was a tough game. If you don't compete when you come to Molineux, you won't walk away with anything other than a defeat.'
Delicate: Raul Meireles connects with a beautiful volley to give Wayne Hennessey no chance
Like the first three games for Dalglish, the opening half-hour was not, in truth, inspiring. For all the effort and glimpses of hope, there was nothing solid to celebrate.
The first chance took 21 minutes to arrive, Meireles sending a long diagonal ball from inside his own half to Torres, who rounded Christophe Berra and shot at Wayne Hennessey with little venom.The keeper palmed it away easily.
Wolves had two chances, each falling to Nenad Milijas. The first was a free-kick in the 25th minute, skied over the bar.
The second, at the end of the first half, was a poked effort at close range, blocked by Pepe Reina. Steven Fletcher's 66th-minute stinging shot was as close as the hosts otherwise got to scoring. By the time Reina stopped that, Liverpool were two ahead.
The opener came at the end of a move started and finished by Torres.
Three and easy: Fernando Torres seals Liverpool victory
He laid the ball off to Lucas and ran, leaving the Brazilian to pass to Meireles, who supplied the ball for Torres to apply the finish.
Shouts for offside against Meireles were ignored as referee Martin Atkinson accepted the decision of his lineswoman, Sian Massey, that the move was legitimate.
Replays vindicated her call. Meireles and Torres had both started to exert influence before the opener, the former flashing a free-kick wide, and Torres setting up Maxi Rodriguez for a shot.
Meireles scored five minutes into the second half when smacking a volley into the top corner from Daniel Agger's free-kick, which was lofted half the length of the pitch.
If the two-goal margin was no more than Liverpool deserved against a Wolves side short on ideas and devoid of incisive crossing until Adam Hammill came on for his debut, then establishing it freed them to play more expansively.
Official move: Assistant referee Sian Massey at Molineux
Torres looked a man reborn, chasing and harrying, running into space and with the ball at his feet. He looked likely to get a second four minutes from time but Richard Stearman held firm in a blocking challenge.
Torres did get his second in added time, though, sweeping in low after Dirk Kuyt's run down the left.
'That was Fernando's best game since I came back,' said Dalglish, adding praise, too, for Meireles.
'We were delighted with his play and with his commitment,' the Scot added of the 27-year-old Portuguese, now coming good after his £11.5 million move from Porto last summer.
'All in all, it's been a good day at the office.'
