Rafael Benítez knows it well but he believes that, with the Spanish striker at last breaking his duck in his fourth game in England, those aspirations will be achieved. "The goal was very important for Fernando," said the manager.
"We spoke about it, saying it was time for him to score. He was playing very well between the lines but when you're a centre-forward and Champions League top scorer you always need goals."
This richly merited win banished memories of the 1-0 Anfield defeat to Manchester United and the 2-0 reverse at Southampton. Though these were punctuated by Carling Cup success over Watford, they prompted Liverpool's captain Steven Gerrard to grumble.
With Gerrard rumoured to be set for Chelsea in the summer, Benítez will have work to do to persuade him to stay. "I and the board talked with Steven during the whole week and [the chief executive] Rick Parry said to him we want to build a team around him.
"I don't have a crystal ball to read the future but when you sign Xabi Alonso, Luis García, Fernando Morientes and you already have Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in your squad, you know you have a good team. If we recuperate Djibril Cissé, Harry Kewell and Milan Baros in the team we'll see."
But those names hang like a millstone around his neck. The Spaniard has confessed to sleepless nights; performances such as this are all too rare.
Gerrard has, though, recognised his own failings and in the early stages here set about putting that right. García was unmarked in the box when he forced a fine block from Dean Kiely and the rebound fell to Gerrard, whose crisp follow-up hit the bar.
Liverpool were working the ball with far greater confidence than they were entitled to from recent results, and Baros forced two more saves from Charlton's keeper. But, with Benítez having sacrificed the fifth midfielder to partner Morientes with Baros, Charlton slowly gained control, the pace of Paul Konchesky and Jerome Thomas on the wings perplexing Liverpool's full-backs.
Danny Murphy, himself a former Liverpool player, won a corner and took it himself. The ball eluded Jerzy Dudek and his defenders and was the perfect weight for Shaun Bartlett to crash his downward header in from seven yards.
The lack of any further first-half goals was due to outstanding saves from both keepers. Having already denied Gerrard from a low shot, Kiely's point-blank block from Morientes underlined his form.
But it was Dudek who pulled off the save of the half. Again Murphy struck a dead ball and again a Charlton header was unchallenged. Hermann Hreidarsson entered the box late and used the speed of the ball to glance it towards goal until Dudek leapt acrobatically to claw it wide.
Liverpool were brighter after half-time. García nimbly approached the box, feeding a through-ball for John Arne Riise, who advanced a few yards before unleashing a shot against the underside of the bar. It was a notice of intent; Charlton defenders lay off Morientes too far and from the edge of the area he twisted Talal El Karkouri to give himself space to find the roof of the net.
Charlton almost hit back - Murphy would have moved on to the rebound from Konchesky's blocked shot, had Djimi Traoré not cleared - but Liverpool had the last word. Again García's through-ball gave Riise a golden chance and the Norwegian slid his shot under Kiely for the decisive goal.