Rafael Benitez had a moment of controversy to moan about when a wretched decision by linesman Andy Halliday handed Bolton their opening goal, but Liverpool had an hour in which to come back and they failed dismally.
There was nothing wrong with Bolton's second and the game was neither over-physical nor as bad-tempered as last season's game. Benitez might have to stop being patronising about the way other teams play and look at the faults in his own side.Perhaps he could start by not changing it every week. Peter Crouch was benched after his Champions League heroics on Wednesday, Craig Bellamy came in and was again ineffective, although neither he nor Steven Gerrard is a left winger, yet he replaced his team captain in that position as Benitez belatedly switched to match Bolton's 4-5-1 formation.
Gerrard faded after a good first half, a strangely truculent Dirk Kuyt was withdrawn shortly after the interval and long before the end Xabi Alonso was reduced to hopeful shots from 30 yards. Bolton, by contrast, were full of ideas and honest endeavour, with Gary Speed and Ivan Campo bringing all their experience to bear in midfield, Nicky Hunt and Abdoulaye Faye defending superbly throughout the second half and Kevin Davies turning in a highly impressive performance on the right wing.
Davies was more impressive than Jermaine Pennant, the winger England head coach Steve McClaren had turned up to watch. Only the two former Liverpool players at the Reebok, Nicolas Anelka and El Hadji Diouf, were anonymous and if they start playing to their potential soon, Bolton might climb even higher in the table.
Anelka looked lethargic after only four minutes, when Sami Hyypia's slip gave him a sight of goal, but he reacted so slowly the defender got back to dispossess him. Kuyt brought the first of several saves from Jussi Jaaskelainen, shortly before Alonso struck a post and although Bolton's goalkeeper again came to their rescue from Gerrard's powerful drive shortly before the interval, the Liverpool player had hit it straight at him.
By then Bolton were in front, courtesy of the first half's major talking point. Referee Phil Dowd brought play back from the other end on the insistence of one of his assistants, who claimed Jose Reina had carried the ball out of his area in making a clearance. Television replays established Halliday was wrong, a furious Benitez knew from his touchline monitor that the call was bad and watching Reina dive the wrong way as Speed scored through the wall did little to improve his mood.
'We were controlling the first half, but this incident changed the game,' the Liverpool manager said. 'That and conceding so soon in the second half.' Allardyce, who had posted Benitez's comments about Bolton's physical approach on the dressing-room wall to gee up his players, confirmed that taking the lead had changed everything.
'The plan switched at half time to defending that lead because I didn't think we would get too many more chances,' he said. He was wrong. Davies sent over a cross six minutes into the second half and Campo met it perfectly, although that was merely a bonus.
Statistics showing that Liverpool had 70 per cent of possession confirmed that Bolton spent most of the game defending. More revealing was the shot count. Liverpool had 13 on target, Bolton just the two.
'We took our chances and that which was crucial,' Allardyce said with a satisfied smile. 'We don't have Liverpool's money, so we maximise our talent withinthe laws of the game.'