Liverpool: The Reds from Merseyside moved to within four points of fourth-placed Tottenham to keep their dreams to securing Champions League football next season alive with a thumping 3-0 win over Sunderland at Anfield on Sunday. Goals from Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson sent Liverpool on their way.
The home side went into half-time with the score somehow only at 2-0 as they could have and should have had many, many more after their best 45 minutes of the season.
Their first chance came just 55 seconds after kick-off, when Dirk Kuyt headed on a Steven Gerrard free-kick and Daniel Agger, unmarked at the far post saw his vicious left foot volley by Sunderland’s in-form goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Gordon though, could nothing two minutes later, when Torres cut inside Michael Turner before unleashing a beautiful curling effort, which floated over his outstretched hand and into the top corner.
Gerrard and Maxi Rodriguez then combined to set up Torres, whose shot went just on the wrong side of the post.
Maxi then flicked on a Gerrard corner at the near-post, but Gordon somehow managed to get fingertips to it and tip it over the bar.
Agger then had another glorious opportunity when Gerrard’s delivery found him unmarked six yards from goal but the Danish centre-back somehow managed to drag his header wide.
Liverpool didn’t have to wait too long for their second though. On 32 minutes, Gerrard’s corner was not properly cleared by Sunderland and Glen Johnson’s shot from 25 yards out took a wicked deflection off Michael Turner’s knee and settled in the corner of the net.
Torres then had another great opportunity, when he collected Kuyt’s pass ten yards from the goal. His initial effort came back off the post, and the Spaniard scuffed the rebound wide.
The second half was not as lively as the first as Liverpool were not able to maintain the same tempo, but their defence was hardly threatened by Sunderland’s front men.
Torres got his second and Liverpool’s third on the hour-mark and this goal was almost as good as his first. Glen Johnson passed to Torres, who waited for Turner to slide in and after the centre-half had done so, calmly lifted the ball into the unguarded corner of the net.
Pepe Reina made his only real save of the match late on, when the Spaniard did well to get low and beat away a low right-footed effort from former Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden.
This victory meant Liverpool leapfrogged Manchester City into fifth place, though the latter have two games in hand.
Liverpool will take a lot of positives from the game though, especially the fact that Torres is hitting form at just the right time for them. This double took his tally to seven in the last four in all competitions and 18 overall in the Premier League. It also meant that Torres has now scored 20 goals or more in each of his three seasons at Liverpool.
This victory was also Liverpool’s eighth straight win at Anfield, and they will be hoping to continue that form in their chase for fourth.
Source: Fernando Torres scored twice as Liverpool coasted past Sunderland at Anfield
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