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He is a magnet to controversy and probably always will be but it is impossible not to admire Luis Suárez’s mercurial talent. The Uruguayan took centre stage here in an accomplished Liverpool performance that proved there is life after Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. With both players missing for a league game for only the eighth time in five years it was left to two of the six Kenny Dalglish signings in the Liverpool starting lineup to secure a deserved win over a hugely disappointing West Bromwich Albion team.

Charlie Adam scored the first from the penalty spot, after Suárez tumbled in the area, prompting a furious reaction from the Albion supporters, and Andy Carroll grabbed the second as half-time approached to put clear distance between the two sides. It was a sobering 90 minutes for Roy Hodgson, the Albion manager, who looked on with frustration as a team that was almost unrecognisable from the one that he was in charge of before Dalglish replaced him at the start of the year strolled to a comfortable three points.

The penalty incident in the eighth minute provided the first major talking point. Jerome Thomas clearly made contact with Suárez, clumsily tangling with the Liverpool striker, although Lee Mason’s handling of the incident was odd to say the least. The referee was perfectly positioned and turned away after deeming that there was no foul, only to stop in his tracks and point to the spot after noticing that Gary Beswick, the assistant referee, who was stood further away, was flagging for a penalty. Adam, after a lengthy hold up, composed himself before slotting home.

Liverpool, despite the absence of Carragher and Gerrard – Dalglish confirmed that the latter had picked up an ankle injury in training on Friday that had subsequently become infected – had already made the brighter start. Suárez could have been in on goal in the opening minute when he ran on to José Enrique’s long pass but for once the forward’s touch deserted him and the chance was squandered. He also sliced high and wide when Martin Skrtel’s downward header dropped invitingly for him later in the first half.

Carroll was not so forgiving on the stroke of half-time. Olsson’s careless pass presented possession to Liverpool and within the blink of an eye the visitors had doubled their lead with a classic counterattacking goal. Lucas Leiva superbly picked out Suárez on the right and the ball was quickly transferred to Carroll, who had a clear run on goal. The forward’s first touch was far from convincing but his second, with the outside of his left boot, slipped the ball neatly under Ben Foster.

Albion, badly missing the pace and intelligent movement up front that the injured Shane Long normally provides, had looked strangely subdued for the much of the first half. Liverpool, in contrast, carried a threat whenever they broke forward and had two other penalty appeals before half-time. Olsson, who was enduring a bad day at the office, seemed to bundle Carroll over in the six‑yard box, and later on in the half Steven Reid, arguably accidentally, blocked a header from the former

Craig Noone is hoping to face Steven Gerrard of Liverpool on Wednesday night but this time as his opposition rather than his roofer

High on Steven Gerrard’s roof, where he was hammering in tiles, Craig Noone would watch Liverpool’s most illustrious player leave for training and think: “I hope I get the chance to do that one day.” It was a bird’s eye view of a life Noone now shares as his Brighton & Hove Albion face Gerrard’s side at their new Amex Stadium in the Carling Cup third round.

“He was getting a conversion done on the back of his house – a games room and gym – and I was working on it. Now I’m playing against him. Working there, I’d never have dreamed of it. Now it’s happening it’s a bit surreal,” says Noone, a fizzy winger who has played a major part in Brighton’s promising start to their Championship campaign.

“I was at Southport, in pre-season, at the time. He was quite private, understandably, but I’d be there from eight o’clock in the morning and would see him go off to training. I have friends who are friends of his and when I turned professional it made a bit of news that I’d worked on his house, so I think he’ll know about it.”

Gerrard’s role in Brighton’s second Carling Cup tie with Premier League opposition (they kayoed Sunderland last time) has yet to be decided after his long absence though injury but Noone is hoping they both receive the call. Gus Poyet’s upwardly mobile team face Leeds United on Friday in their second Sky-televised game in three days and then Crystal Palace on Tuesday, so rotation is obligatory. “I just want to be in the team – but if not, there’s the Leeds game and a lot to look forward to,” Noone says. “This is a big game for me

• Confident Albion no longer panic when they lose possession
• Hodgson takes ‘no extra pleasure’ in beating previous club

The roar of delight, tinged with more than a little relief, which greeted West Bromwich Albion’s win over Liverpool would have drowned the relatively muted response to Liverpool’s narrow win against Albion last August when Anfield was reserving judgment on the management of Roy Hodgson. That is the difference between desperate hope and wary expectation.

The brevity of Hodgson’s employment with Liverpool already looks like being the salvation of West Bromwich. In the five games since he took over Albion have yet to lose. Having turned defeats into draws Hodgson is now turning draws into wins, and in terms of what needs to be done to avoid relegation the most significant moment on Saturday came in stoppage time when Nicky Shorey practically turned himself inside out to stop a chip from Luis Suárez floating in under the crossbar.

Two days before he took over at the Hawthorns Hodgson watched his new charges surrender a 3-0 lead to West Ham United, dropping a couple of home points in the process. He has wasted no time reshaping the defence to give a firmer base from which to make better use of attacking qualities which were already there. West Bromwich no longer get flustered when they lose possession.

Kenny Dalglish’s team faced defensive problems once Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger had been forced off with injuries during the opening 24 minutes. While Dalglish did not use this as an excuse – “It might have been a little bit disruptive but you should be able to cope” – the inability of one of the replacements, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, to cope with the nimble feet and sure touches of Peter Odemwingie led directly to the two penalties from which Chris Brunt won the match for Albion after Martin Skrtel’s header had given Liverpool the lead early in the second half.

Just past the hour Kyrgiakos, beaten by Odemwingie’s sharp turn, lunged back and although he got the ball first he also brought down the West Bromwich striker. Then in the 88th minute the Liverpool defender allowed Odemwingie to control a dropping ball deftly on an instep before taking it on past Pepe Reina, who then bowled him over. Brunt’s kicks were positively Germanic in their power and direction.

Hodgson does not do schadenfreude. “I gain no extra pleasure from this win,” he said. “My great pleasure is taken from beating Liverpool because West Bromwich don’t often do that.” In fact before Saturday Albion had lost all nine of their Premier League matches against Liverpool without scoring and had not beaten them in any competition since 1981.

While Dalglish has revived Liverpool and got them playing with more spirit and commitment they are far from a finished product. His team dominated the early period and for much of the first half restricted Albion to long shots. Reina’s most urgent save needed to keep out a header back from Skrtel, who had intercepted a cross from Jerome Thomas. Yet once Odemwingie started to drift out to the left to find more space before turning inside to take on defenders Liverpool became increasingly uncertain at the back.

In attack Andy Carroll looked short of match fitness following his recent lay-off and after going close in the second minute Dirk Kuyt was unusually subdued. The ability of Suárez to take the ball past opponents in tight situations became Liverpool’s best hope of saving the game and but for Shorey the Uruguayan might have done just that.

Premier LeagueWest BromLiverpoolDavid Laceyguardian.co.uk