Luis Suarez scored another brace as Liverpool put in a ruthless display for a 4-0 win at Anfield against Fulham and reclaimed second spot in the Premier League table.
Suarez, once again, provided the match’s main talking points as he increased his goal-scoring tally to eight for the season. It was an afternoon which Martin Jol’s team need to forget quickly with little on offer for the Cottagers in their third straight defeat and seventh in total for this term.
The away team never got going from the very first minute at Anfield, with the returning Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Agger coming close in the first couple of minutes.
Fulham didn’t learn their lesson from the early Liverpool warning shots and on the 23rd minute, the home team broke the deadlock when Luis Suarez attempted a header from Steven Gerrard’s free-kick and the ball eventually nestled into the bottom corner off Fernando Amorebieta.
The Venezuelan endured another rough test a few minutes later, as Martin Skrtel was left with acres of space to run into and thump in a pinpoint delivery from the reds skipper Gerrard for the second.
After the 2-0 lead, it was inevitable Liverpool were in destruction mode and the reds didn’t disappoint adding a third before half-time.
On this occasion Suarez finished off a fast flowing move which was started by Gerrard and finished by Jordan Henderson’s sublime pass down the channel as the Uruguayan maestro fired past Martin Stekelenburg with an excellent first touch.
Jol’s came into this game with containment in his mind, but the result showed otherwise as the Cottagers have been left just hovering above the relation zone in 16th.
Fulham only had one chance and even that would best be described a half-chance, Pajitim Kasami shot deflected into the side-setting after Dimitar Berbatov’s cross-field ball had given Elsad Zverotic the space for a cross from the right.
Liverpool kept knocking on the door and if it was not for the Fulham goalkeeper, who knows what the final score may have been.
It wasn’t long into the second-half when the reds scored the fourth and final goal of the game. Gerrard robbed Kieran Richardson before bursting forward and playing a delightful pass through to Suarez, the Merseyside hot-shot considering squaring the ball but after pulling away from Philippe Senderos he fired past the goal-keeper into the back of the net.
The defeat leaves the Fulham pondering on this season’s future and on the other hand Liverpool have done no harm to their chances of finishing in the top-four.
Source: DSG
