Liverpool Win Titanic Match Over Manchester City

 3-2 

Today's match between Liverpool and Manchester City has been on the radar for some time now with title implications on the line.  Playing at Anfield, there were no surprises in the starting line-ups with both clubs putting their best eleven out for this crucial match.  Suarez, Sturridge, and Sterling headed the Liverpool attack while David Silva, Nasri, and Dzeko lead Manchester City.

Liverpool got off to a great start and had all the momentum in the opening stages of the game.  A pair of goals in the first-half had them in good position, for a time, as City struggled to get into the match.  First Raheem Sterling made a run behind defender Kompany and Suarez played a through-ball to put him in-on-goal.  Keeper Joe Hart came off his line in an attempt to intervene, but ended up in no-mans-land allowing Sterling to work enough space and bury the shot (6').

Yaya Touré was then forced to come out soon after the first goal with an injury.  While taking a shot from range, Toure injured his groin and could not continue.  Javi Garcia replaced him less than twenty minutes into the match.

Liverpool added a second goal from a set-piece later in the half to extend the lead.  Captain Gerrard delivered a corner-kick into the box and Martin Skrtel was at the near-post to attack the cross.  With a glancing header, Skrtel was able to sent the ball to the opposite post and find the side netting (26').

Manchester City eventually got into the match and gained a lot of momentum coming out in the second-half.  James Milner came on in place of Jesús Navas and the visitors started to take control of the match.  Shortly after coming on, Milner setup the first goal for City by rolling the ball into the path of David Silva who turned the shot into the net (57').  Moments later David Silva created another goal for City to level the score.  He intended to play a ball across the face of goal, but the pass came off defenders Glen Johnson and Sktrel causing a fortunate own-goal (62').

To make matters worse for Liverpool, Daniel Sturridge was force out with an injury and Joe Allen came on in his place.  But the Reds found an opening thanks to a mistake by Kompany in his own box.  The City captain scuffed a clearance and Coutinho pounced on the loose ball, smashing the shot home for the winning goal (78').

This win is the biggest of the season for Liverpool who extend their lead in the league table.  Chelsea reamin in second-place and City in third, though Manchester have played two fewer matches.  With only four matches left to play, Liverpool control their own fate and will need another strong performance when they play Chelsea in two weeks time.

Liverpool Win Ninth Straight

 1-2 

West Ham United hosted a red-hot Liverpool team today, coming into the match with an eight game winning streak.  Liverpool needed only a draw to take the first-place position back from Chelsea, but realistically needed to win in order to stay alive in the title race.  West Ham have been on a decent run of late despite sitting in the bottom half of the league table.

Andy Carroll and Steward Downing went up against their former club while Suarez and Sturridge led the attack for the visitors.  The match was wide open from the start with equal chances for both clubs.  Only one shot was on target though, and the first-half seemed likely to end scoreless until some late excitement arose.

Luis Suarez created the first goal-scoring opportunity when a counter-attack left him one-on-one with centerback James Tomkins.  Suarez was likely to score on his own, but Tomkins was caught playing the ball with his hand and a penalty was awarded for Liverpool.  As usual, Gerrard stepped in to take the penalty and he scored the spot-kick to take the lead (44').

In the few moments before half-time, West Ham were fortunate to equalize on a terrible missed call.  A corner-kick by West Ham was claimed by keeper Mignolet out of the air and Andy Carroll knocked the ball loose with a raised arm allowing Guy Demel to tap home the loose ball (47').  What's worse is the sideline referee called the foul, but it was ignored by head referee Anthony Taylor and the goal was counted.

Neither team truly took control in the first-half, and after half-time the match remained in close contest.  It was not until another decision by the referee that enabled Liverpool to retake the lead.  Lucas came on at the start of the second-half and played Jon Flanagan in-on-goal with an early cross.  Flanagan was first to ball and was fouled by keeper Adrián in the box to earn another penalty.  Gerrard again stepped up to take the shot and scored the penalty (71').

With the lead re-established Liverpool were able to play the possession game and managed to keep West Ham from scoring another equalizer.  The Reds are now back at the top of the Premier League table with two points over Chelsea in second place.  Next week will be a tougher test though, as Liverpool host Manchester City.  Liverpool need to play better than they did today if they want to beat City and keep the league title dream alive.

Liverpool Take First Place, Dominate Tottenham

 4-0 

Liverpool came into today's match with a chance to take the first-place position away from Chelsea.  Losing to Crystal Palace, Chelsea failed to get any points which left only a one point margin over Liverpool in second place.  Tottenham came into Anfield hoping to snap a two game losing streak against a surging Liverpool side.  However the Hotspurs had little to offer offensively and really struggled to slow down Liverpool's attack.

Liverpool took no time at all to get on the score sheet, exposing the weak Tottenham defense.  Raheem Sterling played Glen Johnson in behind the Tottenham back line and Johnson made a cross into the box.  Tottenham captain Younes Kaboul had a chance to clear the ball off the line, but he got it wrong and turned the ball into his own net off his heel (2').

The situation only got worse for the Hotspurs as starting centerback Vertongen had to come out with an injury.  Michael Dawson replaced him in defense and immediately put his team in trouble.  Attempting to make a backwards pass to Kaboul, Dawson failed to see Suarez lurking.  Suarez intercepted the pass and fired a left-footed shot to score a second goal for Liverpool (25').

The second-half was not any better for Tottenham who failed to offer any real offensive threat.  Instead Liverpool continued to dominate and added two more goals.  Fullback Jon Flanagan initiate a break and made a strong run forward before passing to Coutinho.  With loads of space, Coutinho was allowed to shoot and he beat the keeper from outside the box (55').

Jordan Henderson then added a final goal from a free-kick.  His shot was a low driven free-kick that skipped in front of Tottenham's goal.  Suarez was in position to get a flick on the ball, but he made a dummy on the ball and Henderson's shot ended up in the net (75').

Liverpool is the only team in the top-four to come away with a win over the weekend and now claim the top spot in the league.  Chelsea's loss to Crystal Palace had disastrous consequences and now they sit two points behind Liverpool in first place.  Liverpool travel to West Ham next week and look to continue this fantastic run in the Premier League.

Suarez and Sterling Give Liverpool Egde Over Southampton

 0-3 

Southampton hosted a surging Liverpool side today for a Premier League showdown.  With the league's first and second leading scorers, Suarez and Sturridge respectively, Liverpool have been unstoppable since the new year.

Luis Suarez scored early in the match to put Liverpool in front.  Linking up with Daniel Sturridge, Suarez timed his run perfectly to stay on-sides when the ball was played to him.  With his first-touch Suarez whipped the shot towards goal to beat the keeper and take the lead (16').

After conceding the initial goal Southampton gained a foothold in the match and exposed Liverpool's defense as many other teams have done this season.  Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez only produced one shot on target between them, but nonetheless had defenders Agger and Skrtel scrambling to stop the their movements.

Southampton could not turn their possession into a goal though and after half-time Liverpool extended their lead.  Having been in the match for less than a minute, Raheem Sterling added another goal for the Reds.  Suarez made a good run into the box with the ball and slid a pass to Sterling making a trailing run into the box.  Sterling scored easily with a sweeping first-touch shot (58').

Liverpool's defense was shaky for a period, but stayed focused and in the end kept the clean-sheet.  A final goal for Liverpool came in stoppage-time when Suarez was tripped in the Southampton box by Jose Fonte.  A penalty was awarded to Liverpool and Gerrard finished from the spot to close out the match (90 +5').

With today's win Liverpool move up to second place in the Premier League table.  Arsenal lost to Stoke City, and Manchester City did not play.  Now Chelsea are the only club ahead of Liverpool in the table with ten matches left in the season.  Up next for Liverpool is a trip to Old Trafford for a test against a struggling United side.  Southampton also go on the road for their next match against Crystal Palace.

Liverpool Slip By Swansea, Sturridge and Henderson Net Two

 4-3 

Swansea City came into Anfield for a Premier League match with Liverpool today as the Reds looked to keep pace with the rest of the top clubs in the table.  Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City won matches yesterday putting the pressure on Liverpool to produce a positive result.

Liverpool came storming out of the gate and scored in the opening moments of the match.  Raheem Sterling was able to tackle the ball off Swansea rightback Angel Rangel to initiate a counter-attack.  Sterling saw the run of Sturridge and played a well weighted ball to beat the offsides trap.  Sturridge had to take a touch around the keeper coming off his line before finishing on an empty net for the opening goal of the game (3').

Liverpool extended the lead when Sturridge setup Jordan Henderson for a goal.  Sturridge came in across the egde of the box from the right and played a square-ball for Henderson who picked out the far corner for a second goal (20').

Swansea made a timely response and equalized in a matter of minutes.  From an almost mirrored image of the previous goal, Nathan Dyer drove across the egde of the box from the right and played a square-ball to Jonjo Shelvey.  Taking the shot first-time, Shelvey buried the ball into the near-post corner to get Swansea back in match (23').

The equalizer then came following a favorable deflection inside the Liverpool penalty area.  A Swansea free-kick was played into the box and Wilfred Bony managed to get a flicked header on the cross.  The forward's header did not have much power behind it, but it deflected off the shoulder of Skrtel giving the keeper no chance at a save (27').

Liverpool then reestablished the lead with a second goal by Sturridge.  Luis Suarez found space to work on the left and put the ball right on Sturridge in front of goal.  Sturridge scored with a header finish to put Liverpool back ahead (36').

Shortly after the half-time break Liverpool defender Skrtel gave Swansea a chance to again level the score when he was called for a foul in the box.  Bony was pulled down by Skrtel according to the referee and Swansea were awarded a penalty.  Bony scored from the spot and the match was level once more (48').

Liverpool's defense was rather on edge for the remainder of the match after seeing their lead lost twice already.  Despite some nervous moments however, the defense held strong and the Reds produced a winning goal.  Suarez created space to shoot following a great chest-trap, but defender Williams was in place to block his shot.  The blocked shot fell right for Henderson though, who he scored the game winner from the loose ball (74').

Liverpool have proven once again that their offense is nearly unstoppable.  The defense, on the other hand, shows more signs of vulnerability as the goals continue to be conceded.  All focus in on the Premier League for Liverpool going forward with a road trip to Southampton is next.  Swansea are still alive in the Europa Cup and a match at Napoli midweek.

Liverpool Crush Arsenal; Sturridge, Streling, Skrtel Score

 5-1 

Liverpool hosted Arsenal today for a wild Premier League match-up.  Arsenal came into the match at the top of the table with Liverpool eight points behind.  Playing at Anfield, Liverpool had a very danger attack and had the Gunners on their heels all day.

Liverpool could not have gotten off to a better start and scored in the first minute of the game.  An early set-piece allowed centerback Martin Skrtel to get forward.  Gerrard delivered the free-kick into the box and Skrtel was able to score with a volley off his shin (1').  The centerback scored again off a set-piece just minutes later.  This time from a corner-kick, Gerrard delivered the cross and Skrtel scored a well placed header floated to the back-post (10').

Liverpool then scored two more quick goals to stretch the lead.  Jordan Henderson tackled the ball off Özil in midfield and got the ball to Suarez pushing forward.  Suarez then played the ball across the face of goal for Raheem Sterling crashing the far-post.  Sterling finished with an easy tap-in to put Liverpool up three goals (17').

Daniel Sturridge scored the final goal of the first-half shortly after when Coutinho played him in-on-goal.  Coutinho's through-ball was weighted perfectly to allow Sturridge to split two defenders and beat the keeper with a first-touch finish (20').

Liverpool added one more goal in the second-half when Sterling scored his second of the match.  A long ball from the back by Cissokho put Sterling behind the Arsenal defense.  His first shot was stopped by keeper Szczesny, but the rebound came right back to him and Sterling finished with the extra chance (52').

After an hour of play, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger made all three substitutions at once, likely to save some players for the midweek match against United coming up.  The five goal deficit was obviously too much to overcome, but Arsenal did manage to get one back.  Gerrard missed his tackle on Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box to give Arsenal a penalty.  Mikel Arteta scored from the spot for the last goal of the match (69').  Aside from winning the penalty, Oxlade-Chamberlain was essentially non-existant though.  Fellow winger Santi Cazorla was also not a factor today in one of Arsenal's worst performances all year.

Today's win could be the most important match all season for Liverpool who still have a chance at the league title.  If they can continue to score goals at the current rate, very few teams will be able to keep up.  Arsenal are starting to show signs of slowing down and will look to bounce back against Manchester United on Wednesday.  Liverpool travel to Fulham next as the battle at the top of the table heats up.

Liverpool Win Merseyside Derby

 4-0 

Liverpool's attack was a non-stop onslaught today as the Reds hosted Everton in a Merseyside Derby.  Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge started at forward for Liverpool and together they gave Everton's defense all kinds of trouble.

Throughout the match Everton keeper Tim Howard had his hands full as Liverpool peppered the goal with shots.  Inevitably the goals came and captain Gerrard first found the net on a corner-kick.  Suarez delivered the corner-kick into the box and Gerrard won the header at the near-post to score (21').

Durring the corner-kick that put Liverpool ahead, Everton striker Romelu Lukaku went down with an injury.  Steven Naismith replaced Lukaku, but failed to make an impact on the match.

Daniel Sturridge then scored a pair of goals to stretch Liverpool's lead.  First Sturridge was played in-on-goal by a perfect pass from Coutihno.  The pass split two defenders and Sturridge had plenty of time to pick his spot (33').

Sturridge scored a second goal immediately after when Kolo Touré played him in-on-goal.  Touré smashed a ball forward from behind midfield that Sturridge was able to get onto and flick over keeper Howard coming off his line (35').

In the second-half Suarez added another goal to the Liverpool's tally with a terrific individual effort.  Suarez made a run with the ball from the midfield line all the way into Everton's box.  He finished with a confident left-footed shot to the back corner of the net (50').

Sturridge had a golden opportunity to complete the hat-trick when Liverpool won a Penalty.  Raheem Sterling made a run into the box and was fouled by Howard trying to stop the winger.  Sturridge missed the penalty over the crossbar though, and was soon taken out of the match.

Everton could not produce a goal by the end of the match as Liverpool won comfortably.  The Suarez-Sturridge tandem continues to fuel the offense for the Reds and today the defense was equally effective, keeping a clean-sheet.  Up next Liverpool face West Bromwich and Everton host Aston Villa in Premier League play.

Questionable Penalty Helps Liverpool Avoid Defeat

 2-2 

Liverpool welcomed Daniel Sturridge back into the line-up with Aston Villa coming to Anfield.  The striker has been out for the last nine matches and got to start next to Suarez today in the attack.

Despite playing on the road, Aston Villa gained all the momentum early in the match and kept Liverpool on their heels for most of the first-half.  Gabriel Agbonlahor was especially a handfull and helped the visitors take a two goal lead.  First Agbonlahor beat defender Kolo Touré to get a cross into the box that was finished by Andreas Weimann sliding into the shot (25').  Then Agbonlahor provided the cross that Christian Benteke finished with a header (37').  Benteke was helped out by Liverpool keeper Mignolet who missed his punch to allowed a free header on an open net.

Liverpool managed to get one back in the first-half stoppage-time to narrow the gap before the break.  Suarez made a pass to Jordan Henderson who used a heel-flick to play Sturridge behind the Aston Villa defense.  Sturridge was left onside by captain Ron Vlaar and beat keeper Guzan for Liverpool's first goal of the match (45 +2').

After half-time Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers replaced Philippe Coutinho with Lucas to help protect the defense.  This allowed Gerrard to push forward and get more involved in the attack.  Liverpool played better in this system and equalized when Suarez earned a penalty.  Aston Villa keeper Guzan came off his line to stop Suarez dashing forward, but missed the ball in his attempt.  Suarez went down rather easily to get the call and Villa players and supporters were shouting for a simulation yellow card.  Regardless Gerrard scored from the spot to level the match (53').

The rest of the match was left wide open with neither side taking control.  In the end though neither side could produce a go-ahead goal and the match ended in a draw.  The result was kind of win-win for both clubs with Liverpool recovering from a two goal deficit, and Aston Villa getting a point on the road.  Unfortunately Arsenal and Man. City won matches today and pull further away from Liverpool in the Premier League table.

Suarez and Sturridge Lift Liverpool Over Stoke City

 3-5 

Stoke City hosted Liverpool in a Sunday afternoon Premier League match-up that turned into an exciting shootout.  Liverpool are beginning to get some players back from injuries, most notably Steven Gerrard in the starting eleven and Daniel Sturridge first off the bench today.  Stoke featured a few former Liverpool players with Peter Crouch at forward and Charlie Adam behind him in midfield.

Liverpool caught a rather lucky break in the early moments of the game to take the lead.  Defender Cissokho stepped into a shot from 25 yards out with a half-volley.  The shot was heading wide, but Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross was in the ball's path and sent it into his own net off the deflection (5').

Liverpool then extended their lead following some sloppy Stoke defending.  A long ball forward by Martin Skrtel could have been cleared by defender Marc Wilson, but he instead chose to head the ball back to his keeper.  The pass was short and Luis Suarez was lurking in the area.  Shawcross came over to clear, but he ended up just getting in the way of the keeper and Suarez got a free shot for the second goal (32').

Stoke were persistant and got a ton of crosses into the box both from play and set-pieces.  Late in the first-half that persistance paid off and Crouch got his team back in the match.  Winger Arnautović delivered the cross to Crouch who finished with a near-post header (39').  Then right before half-time Stoke equalized with a scorching shot from Charlie Adam.  Henderson gave it away for Liverpool and Adam had a free shot from the edge of the box that found the net (45').

Liverpool were not shaken by losing the lead and came out in the second-half will the same confidence they had in the first-half.  Raheem Sterling won a penalty for Liverpool when he made a break in the Stoke box.  Defender Wilson bumped him to draw the foul and Gerrard finished from the spot (51').  Now back in front, Liverpool decided to bring in Daniel Sturridge who has been out injured for some time.  Sturridge did very well in his return and in the time he was on the field he got an assist and a goal.

Sturridge setup Suarez when his run attracted two defenders leaving Suarez unmarked.  Sturridge picked Suarez out with a simple pass and the striker finished his second of the day (71').  Stoke hung around and scored one more goal to close the gap back down to one.  Jonathan Walters found space in front of goal and shook centerback Kolo Touré before beating the keeper (85').

Liverpool did not let Stoke get further back into the game and scored a final goal to ensure the win.  Sturridge got two chances to score and finished the second.  A cross from Suarez gave him a chance at the far-post, but keeper Butland denied Sturridge.  The block was kept in play though, and Sturridge finished the second chance effort (87').

With this win Liverpool move back into the top-four.  The last few matches were tough for the Red as they lost points to Chelsea and Manchester City.  With Gerrard and Sturridge back in the line-up, Liverpool are far more formidable and have a chance to climb further up the table.  Stoke travel to Crystal Palace for their next league match while Liverpool host Aston Villa.

Manchester City Leap Liverpool With Win

 2-1 

Manchester City hosted Liverpool today in a battle between top flight clubs.  Manchester City and Liverpool are fighting for position in the table, and look to unseat the league leading Arsenal.  Today would prove to be a tough defensive test with the league's two top scoring teams meeting at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Liverpool scored first when Philippe Coutinho benefited from a run by Raheem Sterling.  Suarez played the through-ball for Sterling who managed to get a touch around keeper Joe Hart.  Sterling might have scored on his own, but Coutinho was in better position and came in late for the final touch that put Liverpool in front (24').

Manchester City were not down for long and scored the equalizer on a set-piece.  David Silva delivered the corner-kick that was won by Vincent Kompany at the near-post for a header finish (31').  Then on the verge of half-time Manchester City scored again to take the lead.  Jesús Navas setup Álvaro Negredo on a breakaway for the go-ahead goal.  Negredo's shot should have been saved by keeper Mignolet, but he was fooled by the flight of the ball and did not get a firm hand on the ball to turn it away.  Instead the ball ended up in the net for the deciding goal of the match (45 +1').

Liverpool worked several shots in the second-half, but none got past keeper Hart.  Victor Moses also entered the match in an attempt to add offense for Liverpool, but he never made any kind of impact.  The Reds fall to fourth place following today's loss, while City sit one point behind Arsenal in second-place.

Big Road Win For Liverpool, Crush Tottenham

 0-5 

Liverpool and Tottenham met at White Hart Lane for a Premier League matchup with big potential for the Reds.  First-place Arsenal lost the exciting match to Manchester City 6-3 the day prior, giving Liverpool a chance to gain on the league leaders.  Liverpool seized the opportunity and came away with a stunning win.

Through-balls were extremely effective against Tottenham all match with Luis Suarez, Raheem Streling, and Jordan Henderson getting behind the defense easily and often.  The first goal was scored when Henderson won a loose ball from defender Michael Dawson and played Suarez in-on-goal.  Suarez had to shake two defenders to work the shot, but scored and put Liverpool in front (18').

Henderson then scored later in the first-half following a barrage of shots by Liverpool.  Henderson took the initial shot that keeper Hugo Lloris saved well, but the rebound stayed in front of the Tottenham goal.  Suarez struck the rebound and Lloris made another big save to deny the goal, but again the rebound stayed in front of goal.  Lloris did all he could, however Henderson got a second chance and found the net for his first goal of the season (40').

The second-half did not improve for the Hotspurs and a loss of composure by Brazilian Paulinho left the home side playing with ten men.  Paulinho was caught with a high boot to the chest of Suarez and was send off with a red card.  From then on Liverpool was able to seemingly score at will and added three more goals after it was all over.

The young defender Jon Flanagan was next to score for Liverpool.  Suarez delivered the cross to Flanagan who scored with a well struck half-volley that caught a piece of the cross before finding the net (75').  Liverpool added two more when a pair of through-balls again beat Tottenham's back line.  First the substitute Luis Alberto played Suarez in-on-goal who finished with a chip-shot over Lloris caught off his line (84').  Then Suarez played Sterling in-on-goal who finished with a touch-shot for the last goal of the match (89').

Liverpool are now only two points behind Arsenal in the table with another winnable game against Cardiff City up next.  After that it will be two tough road tests against Manchester City and Chelsea.  The injuries to Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge, among others, has not slowed Liverpool down yet as they remain in top form, but that could be a factor against the bigger clubs going forward.

Super Match For Suarez, Scores Four Against Norwich

 5-1 

Liverpool have been in a slight slump after the terrific start to the season.  Coming off a surprising loss to Hull City, Liverpool looked to bounce back today against Norwich City.  Liverpool had to play without Daniel Sturridge who is out injured, but Luis Suarez more than made up for the absence with a monster game for the Reds.

Suarez already had two hat-trick games against Norwich on record and his fortunes continued against the Canaries.  Suarez was the first to scored today finishing a spectacular half-volley from over forty yards.  The ball was knocked forward by Steven Gerrard and fell in front of Suarez.  Instead of trapping the ball and pushing further forward, Suarez took the long shot and put the perfect flight on the ball to beat keeper John Ruddy (15').

The second goal came durring a corner-kick that was delivered by Philippe Coutinho.  Gerrard was making a near-post run and Coutinho tried to put the ball on him, but Gerrard missed his attempt to flick the ball.  Suarez was waiting behind him though and scored the one-hopper for his second goal of the match (29').  Suarez completed the hat-trick before the end of the half with another brilliant finish.  The striker made a good run with the ball and separated himself from Leroy Fer with a tricky chip move before blasting the shot to again beat the Norwich keeper (35').

The second-half was not much better for the visitors as Liverpool continued to create shots and keep the Norwich defense on its heels.  Suarez was able to score one more goal with a perfectly struck free-kick to add to his special night (74').

Norwich did eventually get one on the board when Nathan Redmond picked out Bradley Johnson for a header finish (83').  Unfortunately for Norwich, Liverpool got one back when Suarez added an assist to his stats.  He found Sterling with a cross in front of goal for a clean finish and the last goal of the match (88').

Liverpool do not move up any in the table following this win as Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City all won matches as well, but the confidence is certainly showing.  Liverpool host West Ham United over the weekend and look to keep momentum heading into the holidays.