Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez insists his side's fate in the race for fourth place in the Premier League rests in their own hands after the Reds secured a 3-1 away win over Bolton.
Trotters goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen made a hash of saving a tame Steven Gerrard shot to gift Liverpool a first-half lead and Ryan Babel and Fabio Aurelio made sure of the points, while Bolton could only net a consolation through Tamir Cohen.
The victory at the Reebok Stadium allowed Liverpool, who also enjoy the luxury of a game in hand, to maintain the pressure on Merseyside rivals Everton in the battle for the final UEFA Champions League qualifying spot.
And Liverpool boss Benitez insists the Reds, who play their game advantage against West Ham at Anfield on Wednesday, must continue to focus upon their own results.
Important
"Every win is important when you are fighting for fourth place," said Benitez. "You need to put the other teams around you under pressure and we have done that today.
"As we have a game in hand, it depends on what we do. You do not need to see the table every day.
"If we can win against West Ham, then we go into the game after that with confidence."
Liverpool were under attack from kick-off against a Bolton side battling against top-flight relegation, but Jaaskelainen's 12th minute gaffe gifted the Reds the perfect start.
Sympathy
And while Benitez welcomes the assistance, he admits some sympathy for the Bolton shot-stopper.
"It was disappointing for him but good for us," Benitez added. "Sometimes these things happen and we went on to play well after a difficult opening few minutes.
"We knew if we did not pass the ball then we could get drawn into a physical game. We needed to play at a high tempo and keep our concentration and we did that."
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