Déjà vu as Suarez destroys Norwich again

If ever you wanted to use a match as a standard to show the difference between a team with a world class player and one without, this was it.  To say his first goal was brilliant would be understatement, it was quite simply outstanding.  He showed vision and opportunism to sum-up Ruddy’s positioning in an instant, produce a dipping volley, sailing over Ruddy and into the back of the net.  Simply genius.

FSG owe the player and the fans and have to make a concerted effort to get the talent in to play alongside one of the world’s truly great players.  Norwich were by no means poor, they could quite easily have scored 3 on another day, but Suarez, even with decent performances by Gerrard and Coutinho was head and shoulders, as he so often is, above anything else on the pitch becoming the first player in Premiership history to score 3 hat-tricks against the same team.  He now has 11 goals in 5 games against Norwich, surpassing Ian Rush’s 9 in 21 matches and he now is the Premiership’s leading goal scorer with 13 goals in 9 matches.

Rodgers made 3 changes, bringing back the much maligned Agger, Allen and Sterling for his 50^th appearance in a red shirt.  Norwich started brightly, moving the ball around confidently with Liverpool suffering the after affects from the embarrassing defeat by Hull City 3 days earlier.

On the quarter hour came the wonderful piece of individualism which set the ground alight when the mercurial forward fastened on to a Gerrard’s header forward an in an instant summing up the situation, Suarez unleashed a dipping volley over Ruddy into the corner from over forty yards.  Stunning.   He wasn’t finished.  15 minutes later, he produced a poacher’s finish.  Philippe Coutinho corner was missed by Gerrard stooping low to head on only for the ball to fall to Suarez who adjusted magnificently to hook the ball home left-footed.

Norwich and Chris Houghton justifiably looked stunned.  In open play, were a match for Liverpool only for the incomparable Suarez to have taken the game away for them.  If Norwich felt stung, they were left staggering on the ropes 6 minutes later.    Moving in from the left he flicked the ball over the Leroy Fer and on the second bounce hit a dreamy half-volley which motored past Ruddy’s despairing dive into the corner of the net.

The second-half much like the first started with Norwich very much on an equal footing and with our centre-half pairing looking fairly insecure, especially Agger squaring up to Redman in one to ones.  That being said, Ruddy was in outstanding form producing top quality diving saves from Allen and Suarez respectively.  But, Suarez would not be bowed.

Liverpool were fortunate to pick up a free-kick 25 yards out with Gerrard appearing to slip.  Suarez produced a stunning whipped free kick over the wall into the corner of the net past the flailing Ruddy.

Norwich finally got there deserved goal, when Redmond excellent cross was dispatched with a powerful header by Johnson leaving Agger in a heap on the turf.  A lot has been said about our defence and with one clean sheet in our last 12 games, this was another game where we very fortunate to have conceded only one goal and once again the midfield failed to shut down opposition runners which is continues to be a worry.

Two minutes from time Suarez crowned a fabulous night with an exquisite cross, which was swept home with a left-footed flourish by Raheem Sterling.

Liverpool’s brilliant marksman was substituted to as loud a standing ovation as Anfield has witnessed in a many a year.   A truly great player at the peak of his powers.

Man of the Match: Luis Suarez – A stunning four-timer and one that will live in the memory banks for its pure brilliance.  The technique on all four of his goals was staggering and he has now scored 26 goals from his last 26 games.

Team: 22 Mignolet, 2 Johnson, 38 Flanagan, 24 Allen, 37 Skrtel, 5 Agger, 14 Henderson (Luis Alberto – 69 mins), 8 Gerrard, 7 Suarez (Iago Aspas, 92 min), 10 Coutinho, 31 Sterling

Substitutes: 1 Jones, 4 Kolo Toure, 6 Luis Alberto, 9 Iago Aspas, 12 Moses, 17 Sakho, 21 Lucas

Norwich City: 1 Ruddy, 2 Martin, 23 Olsson, 10 Fer (Whittaker – 72 mins), 24 R Bennett, 5 Bassong, 14 Hoolahan (Murphy – 62 mins), 8 Howson, 16 Elmander (Hooper – 69 mins), 4 Johnson, 22 Redmond

Substitutes: 3 Whittaker, 6 Turner, 11 Hooper, 18 Garrido, 19 Becchio, 20 Nash, 31 Murphy

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Attendance: 44,541