Aquilani feeling at home at Anfield

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani feels he has finally arrived at Anfield after scoring his first goal in front of the Kop – and is keen to have a major say on the remainder of the season.

The £17m summer signing was instrumental in the Reds' 4-1 victory over Portsmouth on Monday night to finally answer many of his critics who have questioned whether he could cut it in the Premier League.

While crisis-club Pompey did not provide much in the way of opposition, it provided the Italy international with the chance to show off the talents which have been kept under wraps for so long by manager Rafael Benitez.

On only his fifth Premier League start - and 17th appearance in total - Aquilani scored his first Liverpool goal during a six-minute first-half goalscoring spree, and produced a sublime through-ball to set up Fernando Torres' second and the team's fourth in the second half.

He has not yet answered all the questions which were posed on his arrival last summer - including, crucially, whether he can perform against the top sides or in the real heat of a midfield scrap - but feels he is now at a level where he can influence games.

"When I arrived, I looked at the Kop and said I wanted to score in front of it," said the 25-year-old, who has been troubled by numerous fitness problems since his arrival from Roma.

"Now I have done that and I am very happy. But above all, the big thing was that we played well and won. It has been a difficult season for me because I have had a lot of injuries but now I feel fit and am right to play.

"I had a chance against Portsmouth and I had to take it. I have waited a lot of time but I am very happy because we won the game.

"Can I do better? Everyone can do better, but Fernando is a great player and it is easy to play with him and Stevie."

It remains to be seen whether he will keep his place for tomorrow's Europa League visit of Lille, who lead 1-0 from last week's first leg.

And his participation in what is likely to be another blood-and-thunder encounter against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday appears even less likely.

But whether his display against Portsmouth will turn out just to be an impressive cameo or the turning of a corner, Aquilani is focused on helping Liverpool improve.

"We have to take things step by step now. We can only think about Sunday after Thursday," he added. "We need to win a lot of games to get into the top four and this was the first.

"It was a really good performance; one that we really needed."

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