Jamie Carragher says the return to full fitness of Fernando Torres is just the lift Liverpool need in their push to end their Premiership title drought.

Carragher said: "Having Torres back has given everyone a big lift. It is great when you see a player of that calibre coming back for the second half of the season.

"We hope the time he has been out will refresh him, because he had a long season with the Euro 2008 finals last summer.

"A lot of players have played a lot of games this season, because the manager hasn't changed it around so much.

"It has been a feather in the cap for everyone concerned with the club that we have reached the top of the table without having the best striker in the world in the side.

"You miss a player of that quality, but it will give us a lift to have him out there."