And Luis Suarez who else scored his 20th Premier League goal of the season as
Liverpool got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Hull on
Wednesday.
Daniel Agger settled the early jitters permeating
Anfield with a smart header from Philippe Coutinho's corner to open the
scoring on 36 minutes.
But it was Suarez, not for the first time this season, who orchestrated
everything to help steer his team past tricky opponents and provide
some festive relief after two defeats at title rivals Manchester City
and Chelsea.
The Uruguay international had already got the ball in the net, nodding
in Coutinho's free-kick, only to be denied by an offside flag and his
creativity continued to spark, setting up Raheem Sterling with a cute
nodded through-ball.
And while Jordan Henderson and Coutinho wasted chances to double the
lead with dragged shots from close range, Suarez was becoming
increasingly agitated with the treatment by David Meyler and Alex Bruce,
who were marshalling the striker like two heavy-handed bouncers.
With just the single goal at the interval, there was still reason to be
cautious for the hosts, especially playing a team who smashed in six
second-half goals against Fulham at the weekend.
Any hope of a revival was extinguished in brutal yet beautiful fashion four minutes into the second period.
You may have excused Suarez for coming out after the interval in body
armour, but he responded to Hull's enforcers by first winning a
free-kick outside the box and then curling the dead ball over the wall
into the top corner to make it 20 league goals this season.
Apart from tame shots by Robert Koren and Yannick Sagbo at the start of
this contest, the visitors offered little threat and in the closing
stages, they had their keeper Alan McGregor to thank for restricting the
damage as he smothered a shot from the impressive Coutinho.
It was a thoroughly deserved victory for Brendan Rodgers and his team
who climb back into the top four with Everton failing to beat Stoke and
they will also be buoyed with a second-half appearance of fit-again
Steven Gerrard.
After Match Rodgers hails finest performance Liverpool's classy 2-0 win over Hull City was their finest performance of the campaign so far, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.
Daniel Agger's headed opener and Luis Suarez's 20th goal of the season
proved too much for the tired visitors as the Reds stormed back from
back-to-back defeats to climb back into the top four.
"I said to the players afterwards that I thought that was our best win of the season," said Rodgers.
"In a lot of games we've been vibrant with great energy, scored goals and performed well, as well as won.
"But on the back of the games that we've had over this period - and to
play with a lot of the same players against a team that won their last Premier League game 6-0 - we knew we were going to have to tough it out and dig in.
"We might not have always been at our best, but we got two great goals, had other opportunities and actually restricted Hull to no shots on target.
"I'm very, very pleased with today because it was a great victory for us."
Suarez's free-kick meant he became the joint-fastest player in Premier
League history to reach 20 goals, achieving the feat in 15 games. Andy
Cole also got to 20 on New Year's Day 1994 while with Newcastle.
"Today was very much about the team. Luis will, of course, always get
the plaudits because he's a world-class player," added Rodgers.
"Nine out of 10 players would not have played. He had a real bad knock on the top of his foot from the Chelsea game. I know, having managed and worked with players, that most players wouldn't have played with what he had today.
"He had strapping on it and he put himself out there for the team yet
again. That's why he gets the goals that he does, because he's so
determined.
"But it was very much a team effort. It was a great header from Daniel Agger from the corner and that set us off."
