Liverpool's season to now has been far from memorable. Wins against Manchester United and Everton have provided rare highlights in a desperately disappointing opening. Wednesday's win against Wigan was a sigh of relief more than anything, in truth Liverpool never really looked in danger until Charles N'Zogbia's late goal saw the jitters re-appear.

Amongst all the uncertainty though has been the emergence of of a promising centre forward. David Ngog's first season at Anfield was littered with late cameo appearances and regular reserve run outs, at £1.5 million it triggered the knee-jerk reaction of many to cast the Frenchman as a 'flop' from fans and media alike.

Questions were asked when Rafa Benitez signed the youngster from PSG considering he had only scored one senior goal in two years for the Ligue 1 outfit. His goalscoring exploits were more impressive at French youth levels however and Rafa obviously saw something in the 20-year-old to make a move for the striker.

The Spaniard's decision now looks vindicated. Fernando Torres received the headlines once again on Thursday after making his 100th appearance for the reds but the performance of David Ngog was sensational at times. In fact the mumblings around Anfield were those of excitement for the arrival of Torres yet disappointment for the exit of Ngog, something that would have seemed unthinkable last season.

Ngog has certainly chipped in with his share of goals this season (six in total now this season), but his general game has to be admired. It's clear there is no better mentor to have than Fernando Torres for Ngog's position and judging on this season the Frenchman has certainly improved his game considerably.

While Ngog did score three times as a substitute last season he always looked lightweight and shy of becoming involved in general play. After scoring against Manchester United Ngog hasn't looked back. His movement, pace and trickery look extremely promising for someone who has only a handful of first team appearances to their name.

Despite being slated in the media for his dive against Birmingham (note how Rooney's terible dive against Villa at the weekend was hardly mentioned), his performance that night was excellent, he tormented the Birmingham defence from start to finish, proving to the fans he could perform from the start.

To replace one of the best strikers in the World is not easy, and Liverpool may still need to use the transfer market for a more established forward in January, but the performances of Ngog have certainly warmed the Anfield faithful in a so far chilly season.