Positive Pool fired up for final charge

Norwich City 2 Liverpool 3

“Wonderful invention and creativity, courage, arrogance on the ball, goal-scoring, young players and senior players all playing together and instructions that allow them to express themselves.”

Never short of a word or two is Brendan, although somehow he failed to mention the dodgy goalkeeper and the leaky defence. Yet, amazingly and strangely pleasingly, those unwanted extra ingredients don’t lessen Liverpool’s appeal one iota. For so long they have been the story waiting to happen — and happen it surely will now.

We will know more, of course, by Sunday, when Jose Mourinho brings Chelsea to Anfield for one last throw of the dice. But how pleasing it will be, for football-lovers in general not just the red half of Merseyside and their supporters across the globe, should Liverpool go on to win their first title since 1990.

How pleasing it will be to see a side win the whole shebang by playing fluid, attacking football. To out-score Manchester City and top the 100-goal mark over 38 games, as they surely will now. For young players to be moulded into a team that plays total football by a young Irish coach who just happened to have been Mourinho’s apprentice. Contrast Rodgers’ description of his players’ attributes with Mourinho’s moaning about the deficiencies of his forwards and his default state of blaming officials for all and sundry. Even Luis Suarez has been a breath of fresh Anfield air this season and has been rewarded with 30 goals from just 29 Premier League games.

Of course, the Uruguayan scored against Norwich. He always does, adding to Raheem Sterling’s eye-opening early opener to make it 12 goals in his last five games against the hapless Canaries. Sterling was his side’s outstanding individual though, setting up Suarez before netting the third in the second-half via a hefty, goalkeeper-confounding deflection off Bradley Johnson, the Norwich midfielder who had gifted him the ball in the first place. Rodgers is adamant Sterling is “arguably the best young player in Europe” right now and the 19-year-old can surely also look forward to playing a part in England’s World Cup campaign in the summer. But Suarez commands everybody’s attention, not least when he was clattered by a late challenge, went down clutching a leg as if it were broken and then bounced back up like a Spring lamb once he realised play was continuing and his colleagues were attacking. Truly a resurrection worthy of Easter Sunday...

You have to go back to 1987 for the last time a Liverpool player bagged 30 in a season — it was Ian Rush — and Suarez has achieved that despite being suspended for the first six games.

“It’s 30 goals out of 96 and it shows you how influential he is,” added Rodgers. “He’s a world-class talent. The team is about more than one player but it’s a great achievement and he’s got more goals left in him yet.”

Some achievement to be sure, but that’s the Liverpool story as a whole. Rodgers reminded those of a statistical bent that when he arrived at Anfield 20 months ago Liverpool were struggling to top the 50-goal mark let alone challenge for the title. They are now, at the very worst, assured of Champions League football next term. Norwich know they could be back in the Championship by then. Gary Hooper gave them hope by capitalising on some dreadful handling by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to make it 2-1 and Robert Snodgrass’s header, having climbed above Jon Flanagan, made it awkward for the visitors in the last 10 minutes.

But Liverpool came through to record their 11th straight victory in the Premier League and although it is possible that Manchester City, who will attempt to cash in another game in hand at home to West Bromwich tonight, will still be in the frame on the last day Liverpool know they can afford to draw with Chelsea and still come through.

Norwich are wondering where their next point is coming from and all three teams in the drop zone have now moved into over-taking positions. Their final three games are away at Manchester United and Chelsea and a last day hosting of Arsenal. They could end up bottom.

“The belief is there and we are 100% committed to staying in the division,” said Neil Adams, the coach elevated from the youth set up to replace the sacked Chris Hughton earlier in the month. We shall see.

NORWICH CITY (4-2-3-1): Ruddy 6; Whittaker 6, Martin 6, Turner 6, Olsson 7; Johnson 5, Howson 6; Snodgrass 7, Fer 5 (Josh Murphy 78), Redmond 7; Hooper 6 (van Wolfswinkel 78).

Subs not used: Bunn, Gutierrez, Garrido, R Bennett, Tettey. Booked: Snodgrass, Turner, Howson.

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 5; Johnson 6, Skrtel 7, Sakho 6, Flanagan 6; Lucas 7, Gerrard 8, Allen 8 (Agger 81); Sterling 9, Coutinho 7 (Moses 76), Suarez 7.

Subs not used: Jones, Toure, Cissokho, Alberto, Aspas. Booked: Skrtel, Flanagan.

Referee: Andre Marriner.