The captain came off the bench with half an hour remaining against Newcastle on Friday night to inspire a 3-1 victory in a Premier League match which was in danger of ending in frustration like so many previous fixtures at Anfield. He scored the crucial final goal which clinched the result but it was the visible effect his arrival had on the whole team which was more significant. "Some of the stuff he does you just can't teach," said Johnson of the 31-year-old, making only his second appearance after a two-month lay-off because of an ankle infection. "He makes a massive difference whether he comes on for 10 or 20 minutes. "We have definitely missed him and we are glad to have him back. "It is a big lift for everyone to have him fit again. "He has been training hard and working very well with the fitness lads and hopefully he will be back starting again soon." Gerrard's presence seemed to bring the best out of Andy Carroll in particular with the captain swinging in a number of dangerous crosses from the right. He perfectly picked out the unmarked £35million record signing inside the penalty area only for the striker's first touch to let him down. Carroll went even closer when he powered Gerrard's delivery against the crossbar from six yards. But fortunately for the former Newcastle player another ex-Magpie Craig Bellamy was much sharper as he drilled home a low equaliser in the first half after Daniel Agger's own goal before whipping in a free-kick which went between goalkeeper Tim Krul and Danny Simpson on the line. After four draws in five home games - and scoring more than twice for the first time since late August - Johnson believes the result could be a turning point. "It was nice to bounce back from last week's draw at home to Blackburn so we are very pleased," he added. "Craig did well and the longer that continues the better. "Anyone that can come in and score two goals the more the merrier. "The more we win the more confidence we are going to have. "We have one of the best defences in the league so the fewer goals we concede the better and hopefully we can put more away. "We have to try to beat every team that comes here and we have got off to a good start." Despite Newcastle's fortuitously taking the lead when the ball went in off Agger's shoulder under pressure from Demba Ba they rarely troubled Jose Reina. The closest they came was when Ba cleverly dinked the ball over the Reds goalkeeper only to see Martin Skrtel make a desperate goalline clearance. Despite the defeat - which made it one victory in the last eight matches - manager Alan Pardew was able to look back on a positive 2011 for the Magpies. "We have had a terrific year," he said. "I think we have had 10 defeats all year - and that is a club that has changed the team, changed the style and changed a lot of big characters out of the team. "We have shown in that calendar year we can be a force." Newcastle began the year 13th and finished it seventh as Liverpool moved up to fifth, behind Chelsea only on goal difference. "If you look at Liverpool and the quality of their individuals and the depth of their squad and say that is the sixth-best team then that is a big jump for us [to make]," Pardew added. "We have a budget where we have to work within our means and we are trying to close that gap. "In periods at Manchester City, Manchester United and against Liverpool we have shown we can match them but we need to do it for 90 minutes. "We need to get a victory against one of the top sides - that is something we are looking for this season."
