Spain striker Fernando Torres recovered his scoring form with two goals in four minutes as Liverpool beat Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park yesterday.

The victory put Liverpool on top of the English Premier League with 14 points from six matches, at least until Arsenal plays Hull City and Chelsea completes its match at Stoke City later.

Everton's misery was compounded when Tim Cahill was sent off 10 minutes from time for a second yellow card?-- the 17th player to be sent off in the last 33 Merseyside derbies.

Torres, who had not scored on his last six appearances for Liverpool, ended his famine after 59 minutes when he was left unmarked in the Everton box and volleyed home a perfect cross from Robbie Keane.

Four minutes later Keane played in Dirk Kuyt, whose shot was thwarted by an interception by Phil Jagielka but the ball bounced kindly for Torres who lashed it high into the net again giving goalkeeper Tim Howard no chance.

Torres thought he had scored a hat-trick three minutes later when he chested down a cross and shot into the far corner, but referee Mike Riley had already blown for a foul by Kuyt.

Everton, which rarely looked like scoring, has now lost all three of its opening home league matches following earlier defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth.

Liverpool, in contrast, maintained its unbeaten start to the season after 10 matches in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Kevin Keegan will return as Newcastle United manager when the English Premier League struggler is under new ownership, according to caretaker boss Joe Kinnear.

Kinnear, who last managed a Premier League side in 1999, was appointed by Newcastle on Friday on a short-term contract he calculated would last six to eight matches.

He told British media he was merely a stop-gap ahead of the return of the much-loved Keegan to Tyneside.

Keegan, who was in his second spell in charge of Newcastle, resigned three weeks ago over differences with owner Mike Ashley who is on the verge of selling the club.

"(Ashley) informed me the new owners coming in had Kevin Keegan in mind to come back. I'm aware of that but I want to get the place in shape before Kevin comes back," said former Wimbledon manager Kinnear.

Kinnear, 61, added former England and Newcastle captain Alan Shearer to the mix when he said Ashley "assures me they have a buyer and the consortium coming in have Kevin Keegan lined up and possibly Alan Shearer.

In Germany, Schalke 04 surrendered its unbeaten Bundesliga record when it lost 0-1 at FC Cologne on Friday.

The visitors got away with a series of defensive lapses until Youssef Mohamad headed in for promoted Cologne just before halftime after a long throw from Pierre Wome bamboozled the defense.

Schalke remains top with 11 points from six matches followed by 1899 Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV on 10 points from five.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily September 28, 2008)