LIVERPOOL - Liverpool maintained their unbeaten Barclays Premier League record, made it five successive wins and continued to rattle in the goals.
After demolishing Bolton, they have scored 21 goals in that five-game run to move into third place in the table, a point behind Chelsea with a game in hand.
In a week that has seen boss Rafael Benitez seemingly settle his public dispute with the club's American owners, his side have been in tip-top form.
Four goals against Porto, four against a dispirited Bolton has dispelled any lingering doubts about Benitez's side.
From Besiktas to Bolton over the past weeks there is now a list of people who have learned to their cost that if there is trouble in the corridors of power at Anfield, it ends when the players walk on to the pitch.
Goals from Sami Hyypia and Fernando Torres - his 11th in 17 games - had Liverpool in command at the break and a Steven Gerrard penalty sealed what was a comfortable victory before Ryan Babel tapped in the fourth.
Bolton had gone five games unbeaten under new boss Gary Megson, but despite a initially defiant display, they were eventually brushed aside.
Bolton made four changes from the side that produced their best display of the season in beating Manchester United last weekend. Jlloyd Samuel, Gary Speed, Gavin McCann and Lubomir Michalik all returned in a team that included two former Liverpool strikers, Nicolas Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf.
Bolton started with Kevin Davies, usually a striker, on the right of midfield, but moving in to support Anelka when the Trotters broke out.
And that ploy caused Liverpool more than a few problems.
Initially, Bolton were under pressure as Harry Kewell and Yossi Benayoun ran at their defence. Ricardo Gardner had to kick away from an open goal from Peter Crouch, and then Jussi Jaaskelainen needed to be alert to scoop away a Torres close range effort after Benayoun's run.
Bolton come into their own at set-pieces, and when a Diouf corner was flicked on by Abdoulaye Meite right in front of Jose Reina, the ball was hastily cleared.
Diouf was booked on 11 minutes for a nasty tackle into Alvaro Arbeloa's ankle with the ball long gone. And it was Liverpool who went ahead from a set-piece of their own.
Gerrard's 16th minute free-kick was flicked into the bottom corner by Hyypia.
Crouch, with a header over from Gerrard's corner and then Kewell with a snap shot that flew wide threatened to increase the lead, but generally Bolton were working very hard to stop Liverpool's build-up from the back.
Anelka and Diouf were always capable of causing problems for Liverpool's defence, while Campo, Speed and Gavin McCann battled to regain possession.
Torres saw a cross-shot go wide of the far post, but at the other end Davies got away into space on the right to fire in a fierce low shot that Arbeloa hooked away from a gaping net.
And on 38 minutes, Anelka should have equalised. Reina and Jamie Carragher collided on the edge of the box, and the ball ran for the Frenchman on the right of the six-yard box.
But somehow he managed to miss an open goal from 12 yards, putting his effort into the side netting. And Bolton were to regret that clanger.
A minute from the break, Torres eased Liverpool's tensions with a stunning goal. Gerrard's 35-yard, inch-perfect through ball, sent Torres into the box to clip his 12th goal of the season over Jaaskelainen.
Gerrard surged into the box and saw a fierce drive deflected by Jaaskelainen four minutes into the second-half, and a minute later Carragher was replaced by teenager Jack Hobbs, who made his league debut. Carragher had been hurt in that first-half collision with Reina.
But on 54 minutes Gerrard did beat Jaaskelainen, this time from the spot. Peter Crouch looked to be impeded by both Meite and Michalik as he went for a Gerrard cross.
Referee Steve Bennett pointed to the spot and Gerrard drilled the penalty home.
Reina saved from an Anelka snap-shot on 59 minutes but all hope had gone for the Trotters.
Campo was booked for a foul on Benayoun on the edge of the box and Torres almost scored again when he surged in from the right, beat three men and chipped the ball over the far angle.
Stelios Giannakopoulos replaced Diouf on 65 minutes, and a minute later Babel took over from Kewell for Liverpool.
Dirk Kuyt replaced Torres on 76 minutes, and the Dutchman helped Gerrard set up Babel for the fourth with six minutes left.
Meite headed a Babel effort off the line soon after as Bolton were reduced to praying for the final whistle.
