Suarez: Five of the best
Luis Suarez made his 50th Barclays Premier League appearance for the Reds when he featured against Norwich City on Saturday. To mark the occasion, Liverpoolfc.com recalls five of his best performances in the top flight.
February 2, 2011 - Liverpool 2-0 Stoke City
Two days after the Reds had completed the signing of their brand new Uruguayan forward from Ajax, the Kop were given the chance to watch their soon-to-be hero in action. With Liverpool leading Stoke 1-0 at Anfield, Kenny Dalglish introduced Suarez shortly after the hour mark and he wasted no time in making an impression. Running onto a through ball, Suarez rounded the goalkeeper without breaking stride and slotted into the back of the net despite the best efforts of visiting defender Andy Wilkinson.
March 6, 2011 - Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United
Dirk Kuyt rightly took all of the plaudits after this famous victory over United, with the Dutchman grabbing a remarkable hat-trick from a combined distance of seven yards. Kuyt owed a considerable debt of gratitude to his new teammate, however, as Suarez set up all three strikes. Firstly, the Uruguayan dribbled past an endless stream of United challenges to set up Kuyt for the simplest of finishes. Then the No.7 delivered a cross which the Red Devils failed to clear, allowing the Holland international to nod past Edwin van der Sar. The icing on the cake came when Suarez's swerving free-kick was parried by the United 'keeper straight to Kuyt, who completed an historic hat-trick.
March 20, 2011 - Sunderland 0-2 Liverpool
Suarez was on a one-man mission to impress Liverpool fans and management alike during his opening weeks with the club, and the Uruguay star added another supreme piece of skill to his portfolio during this victory at the Stadium of Light. With 13 minutes remaining against the Black Cats, Suarez collected the ball on the right side of the penalty area and glided past his marker. With Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet expecting a cross, the forward blasted a precise effort into the roof of the net from a narrow angle to seal victory for the Reds.
April 28, 2012 - Norwich City 0-3 Liverpool
A week before the Reds travelled to Wembley for the FA Cup final, Suarez gave a masterclass of technical finishing at Carrow Road. The first of three goals for the Uruguayan arrived when Steven Gerrard won possession deep into Norwich territory and fed Suarez, who took one touch before curling a sublime finish into the far corner. Four minutes later, on the opposite side of the pitch, Suarez himself capitalised on sloppy defending and thundered a low shot past the goalkeeper. The best was undoubtedly saved for last, though. After winning the ball on the halfway line, Suarez, spotting John Ruddy off his line, immediately fired over the backtracking 'keeper to round off a sensational hat-trick.
September 29, 2012 - Norwich City 2-5 Liverpool
Just five months after his 2011-12 treble against the Canaries, Suarez returned to produce an equally impressive performance at Carrow Road. With the bit clearly between his teeth, the 25-year-old drilled the Reds' first goal into the corner within two minutes, and then, after taking advantage of some sloppy defending, nutmegged his marker before burying an effort into the far corner with the outside of his boot. After turning provider for teammate Nuri Sahin in the second half, the Uruguayan sealed his second hat-trick in as many visits to East Anglia with a beautiful, curling finish to perfectly mark his 50th Premier League appearance.
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