Stunning Suarez Exudes World Class

So many times this season Liverpool have produced wonderful football spiced with anaemic finishing.  Today the top class play on display was aligned with finishing from the Gods by a truly world-class player.

The match suddenly exploded into life in the 23rd minute, when the irrepressible Gerrard, returning from injury, stole in to dispossess Fox delivering on the run a short pass to Suarez who smashed a unstoppable left footed drive inside the far post.  The two combined minutes later when the South American cut the ball back from the by-line to the marauding Gerrard whose goal bound shot was blocked.

Liverpool now comfortably slipped into overdrive and were pressing Norwich at every opportunity, from Suarez, through to Henderson and Shelvey, the later looking increasingly comfortable on the ball with his increased game time.  The dominance soon led to the second goal. Suarez picked up a misguided pass on the right touch line and a piece of role reversal ensued, showing the determination in a fifty-fifty tackle of a defender, he rode the tackle from the centre-half Ward to speed into the area and unleash a stunning low right-footed drive from an acute angle, again inside the far post leaving Ruddy clutching fresh air.

Norwich showed more fight early in the second-half, but Liverpool looked the more likely.  Shelvey helped Liverpool move further clear in hitting the woodwork, heading against the bar. Unbelievably, the 31st time Liverpool have struck the woodwork this season.  A glorious move followed with Bellamy’s sweeping ball out to Gerrard on the left, who sent Enrique on the overlap.  The Argentinian drove the ball across the face of the goal where Shelvey managed to spurn an open-goal sliding in unchallenged.

Bellamy congratulates Suarez

Suarez with a hat-trick for the taking inexplicably went for the chip when a clinical finish would have wrapped up the game.  It provided Norwich with a sniff of a possible come back with the recent capitulation at QPR fervently stamped into Liverpool’s embattled psyche.

In the 82 minute Luis Suarez delivered a moment of stunning excellence, capping a performance of heightened brilliance.  Latching on to a Johnson defence pass out of defence via Ward, summing up the situation in a flash, he deftly chipped a back peddling Ruddy from 45 yards to finally allow Gerrard and himself to leave the arena with the game won.

Kop-Post Man of The Match: Luis Suarez – A magnificent performance in which he showed the stellar talent to its upmost.  Stunning finishes with both feet and then the finesse of classical pianist for his final goal.

Critical Eye:  A magnificent performance in which Liverpool were totally dominant, enjoying 61 per cent possession, with 15 (on target 9) shots to the home teams 8 (on target 3).

An excellent performance was punctuated by bad finishing.  Even the wonderful show by Suarez fell foul. Had he finished his one on one, then Liverpool may would have benefited with both he and Gerrard allowed to leave the arena with almost 30 minutes to go with the Cup Final just a week away.  Liverpool need to start putting in a few tap ins as great finishes like this wont happen every week.

With Gerrard in full flight, Downing (looking sharper) and Bellamy, Shelvey and Downing providing support and movement, Liverpool looked potent and powerful and as such any player who played today barring Carragher, with the return of Skrtel would feel unlucky not to start at Wembley.  A top performance against a Norwich team who seemed to have switched off mentally with nothing to play for.

One wonders what might have been had Suarez and co been of a more clinical nature during the season, but the misses during the game also highlight a continued problem which will need too be a addressed in pre-season.

Top quote: Steven Gerrard on Luis Suarez, "world class, from a world class player...

On the third goal, "Not so much the technique, it was the vision"

Kenny Dalglish: "I don't have a catalogue of the best hat-tricks ever but certainly it was a fantastic hat-trick. But when you have got people of his ability there are no surprises.

"He is a fantastic footballer and a fantastic person. We are very fortunate to have him playing for us. And when he plays like that it is very difficult for anyone to stop him."