Four Star Reds Go Top

After mixed results for their title rivals on Saturday, Liverppol went into yesterday's home game against Tottenham knowing that they would go top of the table with a positive result.

 Only one change was made from the midweek win over Sunderland with Sterling returning to the attack with Allen moving to the bench. In what is becoming a tradition at Anfield, Liverpool raced out of the blocks with Johnson spearheading the attack down the right side before delivering into the area and in searching for Sturridge found Kaboul who hit into his own net to open the scoring.

Tottenham had lost 5-0 in the reverse meeting and hoped to quell a repeat after such a bad start and had a good chance to level when Eriksen sneaked through the defence but was denied by Flanagan who cleared.

Sturridge could have extended the lead had he been just a touch taller as a cross from Suarez came achingly close to finding his strike partner but the wait soon ended in record breaking style as Suarez collected the ball down the left before racing forward and gliding a superb finish past Lloris into the far corner for his 29th league goal, taking him above Robbie Fowler's record of 28.

Bentaleb tested Mignolet with a powerful effort and the Belgian also denied Soldado who hit a curler from the edge of the area but again it was Liverpool who had the best chance as Sterling found Suarez and the Uruguayan headed for goal only to be denied by a fine save from Lloris that hit the underside of the bar before being cleared by Bentaleb on the line.

Tottenham needed to score next to have any hope of avoiding defeat but it was a third for Liverpool that came next as Coutinho collected a spectacular overhead pass from Flanagan before advancing on goal and letting fly with a stunning shot that glided into the bottom corner past the diving Lloris.

It was game over for the visitors with 15 minutes to go as after Gerrard had gone off, Henderson took over the free-kick duties and did so with dramatic effect as he guided the set-piece through all of the onlookers in the area and past Lloris for a 4-0 lead.

Soldado had the chance for what would be some consolation but was denied by Flanagan who had been superb all afternoon and meant that Liverpool returned to the top of the pile for the first time in 2014 and kept their title hopes alive.

Fortress Anfield Sees Nervy Win

After three consecutive away games, Liverpool returned to Anfield with their title aspirations intact as they faced Sunderland in a the re-arranged game from a fortnight ago due to Sunderland's FA Cup campaign.

Liverpool retained the same line up from the win at Cardiff meaning Sterling was on the bench for a second successive game but as they have done in recent home games, Liverpool started well with Johnson and Coutinho both chancing from long range with their efforts sailing over the bar with Suarez drifting a free-kick over the bar.

Sturridge had a good effort go off target and was unfortunate not to latch on to a cross from striker partner Suarez as Liverpool dominated the possession with Allen having a go after combining with Suarez but Mannone collected comfortably.

Suarez ran towards the area looking to score himself and was felled by Sunderland defender Vergini who was booked as it was deemed that he was not the last man with Brown also in sight but Liverpool were awarded a dangerous free-kick that Gerrard curled over the wall superbly to put the hosts in front.

Sunderland responded and forced their former 'keeper Mignolet into action as Wickham's deflected shot led to a full stretch save from the Belgian who ensured his side went into the half-time interval in front.

Liverpool wasted no time in extending the lead as Henderson picked out Sturridge and he swerved an effort at goal that clipped Brown and sailed past Mannone for a 2-0 lead and the Englishman's 20th league goal of the season breaking a 50 year record since two Liverpool players scored 20 in the same season.

Sunderland came close to pulling one back in the 70th minute when Dossena's pass found Cattermole and the midfielder powered a volley at goal only to see it cannon off the crossbar and minutes later at the other end, Sturridge looked to replicate his goal but saw his effort hit the bar before bouncing to safety.

Sunderland did get a lifeline and piled pressure on Liverpool when Ki headed into a gaping net after connecting to an inswinging corner and it gave them the momentum as they searched for a leveller but thankfully for the hosts, it failed to come and Liverpool were able to celebrate a seventh successive win which saw them move back into second and just a point behind Chelsea. 

Suarez Treble Wins Nine Goal Thriller

Fresh from two successive 3-0 away wins against Southampton and Man United, Liverpool were on their travels again as they visited Cardiff.

Liverpool made a single change from the win at Old Trafford with Coutinho replacing Sterling after they had swapped last week, Cardiff started the better with Theophile-Catherine hitting high over the bar after being found by Campbell.

It was a sign of things to come as minutes later, Cardiff took the lead as Campbell gained possession and picked out Mutch who slotted past a helpless Mignolet to the joy of the home fans. Liverpool were soon level as a nice passage of play enabled Henderson to make his way through the defence and find Johnson who swept a cross to Suarez who tapped past Marshall.

Cardiff went back in front when Campbell drifted inside and hit past Mignolet with pace to put the hosts 2-1 up and Liverpool's response came in the form of Coutinho but he hit wide from range and Suarez could only find the wall with a threatening free-kick with Sturridge testing Marshall when he clipped an effort towards goal, the chance deflected off a defender but found Marshall comfortably.

As halftime approached, Liverpool were level for a second time when a corner drifted in was cleared but right into the path of Coutinho who swept a superb cross into the danger area for Skrtel to tap past Marshall for 2-2.

The Cardiff stopper was on hand to prevent Liverpool leading at the break when he denied Suarez from close range, the result of a one-two with Johnson.Liverpool took the lead inside nine minutes of the second half as the combination of Coutinho and Skrtel paid off for a second time with the latter heading past Marshall from the Brazilian's corner.

The lead increased as the game reached an hour with Sturridge displaying a spectacular skill to set up Suarez for the Uruguayan's second strike, the No.15 slid a blind back-heel that found perfectly found Suarez who slotted past Marshall  to complete a truly stunning piece of play.

Cardiff's prowess from the first half seemed to have left them as Liverpool struck a fifth goal to surely end the hosts' hopes of a much needed win, Suarez and Sturridge combined with the latter getting a well deserved goal but the scoring spree continued as Cardiff claimed their third to close the gap as Mutch bagged his second.

The last say went to the man of the afternoon as Suarez raced clear of the defence and after a delay slotted past Marshall to complete his hat-trick and hit Liverpool's sixth for a 6-3 victory that keeps them in touch at the top of the league.

Reds Complete Double Over United

After a fortnight without a game due to the Sunderland game being cancelled due to their FA Cup tie, Liverpool resumed their league campaign with a trip to face fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Liverpool made one change from the victory over Southampton as Sterling replaced Coutinho and it was the visitors who made the better start as Sturridge received a nice pass from Henderson but hit a powerful shot that went off target. Van Persie collected a pass from Fellaini who had swept a cross to the back post towards the Dutchman but the resulting attempt was blocked.

Joe Allen had a great chance just before the half-hour mark as Sturridge looked to combine with Suarez and the ball bounced into the path of the Welshman but he mistimed the shot and De Gea collected it with ease.

Liverpool went in front within minutes as Suarez looked to cross and saw the ball rebound off the hand of Rafael reuslting in referee Mark Clattenburg pointing to the spot, Gerrard stepped up and cooly slotted past the diving De Gea to the joy of the travelling fans as Liverpool gained the advantage.

United looked to reply and Gerrard was on hand to deflect Van Persie's chance out for a corner and Mignolet palmed away a strong shot from Rooney who was then denied by a well-timed challenge from Skrtel which meant the visitors led at the break.

United's hopes of levelling were dealt a blow just seconds after the interval as Jones knocked Allen over in the penalty area and for a second time Clattenburg pointed to the spot. Gerrard stepped up and tapped an accurate effort into the corner to double the advantage and United's top four hopes were slipping away.

Januzaj looked to threaten the Liverpool defence as he dashed down the right wing and into the area but his reward was only a corner and from the resulting set-piece, Vidic leapt to meet the ball but his effort went over the bar.  Rooney looked to pull one back but a melee in the Liverpool defence cleared the danger and Fellaini then hit over as time ticked on.

Rooney dribbled down the left and picked out fellow striker Van Persie in the middle but he glanced a header wide and Liverpool raced up the other end, Sturridge raced into the area and he went down after a challenge from Vidic who had been booked earlier on and as a result was dismissed. In doing so he extended his record to four dismissals against Liverpool in what is likely to be his last match against them before leaving United in the summer.

Gerrard stepped up looking to become the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in the league but saw his effort cannon back of the post and the joy of a hat-trick would have to wait. Suarez looked to make it 3-0 when he connected to a pass over the top of the United defence but a superb volley was punched away by De Gea.


The Uruguayan got his reward for his efforts as Sturridge hit a shot that found the path of Suarez and he went on to slot past De Gea for his 25th league goal of the season that sent the away fans into hysterics and silenced the home fans who voiced their frustration at the final whistle as Liverpool celebrated a double over the defending champions while putting themselves firmly in the title race.

Reds End Poor St Mary's Record

Liverpool made the trip to the south coast to face a Southampton side with a good record against the Reds and the remaining team on Suarez's scoring checklist as Liverpool looked to move up to second in the table.

A solo change was made to the Swansea lineup with Allen replacing Sterling who dropped to the bench as Liverpool moved to four in midfield and early on the tactical switch put pressure on the hosts as Coutinho looked to setup Suarez with Lovren lucky to end the danger.

The hero of previous meeting was called into action again to thwart a cross from Henderson to Coutinho with defensive partner Fonte ending an exchange between the fabled 'SAS'. Lallana swept a cross to Rodriguez but Agger was on call to deny the attacker with a vital clearance. The Dane's block proved even more important when Suarez connected to a Johnson throw-in and moved well into the box with Sturridge close to finding him but a Saints block saw the ball ricochet to the Uruguayan who finished superbly past Boruc to break the deadlock. The strike saw him match the tally of Anfield legend Robbie Fowler by hitting his 62nd goal in a century of appearances.

Southampton responded and buzzing with confidence after his debut England call-up, Luke Shaw clipped a cross to Lambert but a mixed connection saw his effort go high above the goal, Lallana connected to Lambert's knockdown and saw his effort cannon off the post to the relief of the visitors.

Liverpool looked to go into the break 2-0 up with Sturridge and Suarez combining but the latter's effort failed to test Boruc. Southampton came out for the second half with a continuance of their attacking mood and Schneiderlin had a chance go over with Mignolet denying Rodriguez with a strong save.

The pressure from the hosts saw Rodgers make a change by bringing Sterling on for Coutinho meaning a return to the usual 4-3-3 and it paid off instantly as Gerrard picked out Suarez with the Uruguayan laying off to Sterling who tapped home at the back post only 80 seconds after coming on to the field.

Suarez turned creator again as he supplied strike partner Sturridge who looked to net for a ninth successive game but despite rounding Boruc, he was left with too narrow of an angle to hit the target, Southampton's pace began to stutter and Suarez again found his partner but Fonte intercepted and quelled the danger.

Fonte went from hero to villain as he pulled Suarez back and conceded a penalty which Gerrard converted to cap off a brilliant performance and propel his side to second in the table ahead of a fortnight's break ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.

Reds Win Thiiller Over Swans

After the FA Cup exit to Arsenal, Liverpool's sole chance of silverware became the league title and a classic sign of 'champions' is being able to grind out results which was clear in the visit of Swansea on Sunday.

Liverpool made three changes with Henderson and Johnson replacing Allen and Cissokho while Mignolet returned back between the posts, Swansea had barely settled into the game as Liverpool took the lead as Sterling gained possession and picked out Sturridge who rounded Vorm and slipped the ball into the empty net to the joy of the Anfield crowd.

Sterling had a a chance to make it two as he tested Vorm but the Swansea stopper denied him, this prompted Swansea to respond and Bony was inches from levelling after a pass from former Liverpool man Shelvey who found him from the right side.

The deficit was soon cut to one as Shelvey netted against his former side just like in the reverse meeting as he powered a shot that clipped the woodwork and went in past Mignolet and his refusal to celebrate against his former team-mates drew praise from the home fans.

 

But praise turned to groans as within minutes Swansea were level as Bony connected to a well worked free-kick to divert the ball against Skrtel and past Mignolet it went for a 2-2 score. 

If four goals described a crazy first 45 minutes then five made it more exciting as Liverpool made it 3-2 with nine minutes left before half time, Suarez had been fairly quiet so far but swept in a superb pass that found the head of Sturridge who headed past Vorm to continue his rich scoring run and treated the home fans to another classic celebration.

 Akin to the first half, the opening minutes of the second period saw a goal but this time it was a third for Swansea as Skrtel was penalised for a foul on Bony and the referee pointed to the spot, Bony stepped up and slotted past the Belgian to make it 3-3.


Swansea looked to have gone in front in the views of some fans as De Guzman hit a strong effort from 20 yards that swung wide and he had another good chance as he latched on to a clever backheel from Bony but failed to truly test Mignolet.

Liverpool responded as Sturridge connected to a through pass by Allen but was denied by a well times block from Williams. Suarez hit wide as Liverpool looked to regain the lead and he attempted for a second time shortly after and it paid off as after being picked out by Gerrard, he hit for goal but the resulting block flew into the path of the advancing Henderson who powered it past Vorm at the second time of asking to settle the tie and ensure Liverpool kept in touch at the top.

Reds Exit The Cup At Arsenal

After a last-gasp win at Fulham in midweek, Liverpool made their second trip to London in a week to face Arsenal with the prospect of a quarter final against city rivals Everton on the cards.

Liverpool surprisingly made changes despite the fact their next game is not for a full seven days but in came Jones, Agger and Allen as they looked to complete a mini double over Arsenal in February.

In a copy of the previous meeting between the sides, Liverpool had the first chance as Sturridge connected to a superb pass from Gerrard but he was denied a continuance of his scoring streak by a block from Fabianski. Minutes later, Sturridge had another chance via a pick out from Suarez which saw the Englishman collect the pass and round Fabianski but sadly saw his shot travel wide of the post.

The failure to convert the early chances was costly as in the 16th minute, Arsenal took the lead after a delivery from Arteta led to a melee in the area and the result was a collection by Oxlade-Chamberlain who hit a low finish past Jones. The SAS combined with Suarez hitting a superb volley but sadly for the visitors the move broke down. Sterling had a great chance to level on the half-hour as he swished past two markers and looked for team-mate in space but Flamini was able to block.

Skrtel was on hand to block a chance from Ozil and in stopping a rapid Arsenal counter-attack by Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gerrard became the fifth player booked inside the first half while Fabianski was called into action just before the interval and was at full stretch to deny Suarez as the Uruguayan swept in a volley that was a tough test but at the break it remained 1-0.

 

Suarez began the second half as he ended the first with the ball and on the attack as an quick turn of pace allowed him to drive at Fabianski but the 'keeper denied him with an outstretched boot to retain the lead which increased when Oxlade-Chamberlain and Podolski exchanged with the latter hitting a superb shot that beat Jones and breached the net at pace. 

Sturridge created space and hit a curling shot that failed to trouble Fabianski but it was a sign of things to come as Liverpool pulled one back minutes later after Suarez was felled by Podolski in the area and Webb pointed to the spot. Gerrard stepped up looking for his second penalty goal this week and side-footed past Fabianski who dived the opposite way.

 

Liverpool could have been level rapidly after Coutinho and Sturridge combined but Fabianski put a stop to the move to keep his side in front but he was caught out with five minutes remaining as a superb free-kick from distance saw Agger connect when the Arsenal keeper had come out to punch but the ball drifted wide and meant Liverpool exited at the fifth round stage and were denied of a Merseyside derby in round six.