Torture by Luis Suárez is routine for Norwich City but that does not diminish his capacity to astonish. The Liverpool striker continued his personal crusade against the men from Carrow Road with four goals and one assist as Anfield witnessed an individual masterclass, one Brendan Rodgers placed in the company of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. No one privileged to be present would disagree.
Suárez took his tally to 11 goals in his last four appearances against Norwich with one outrageous 40-yard strike, a superb piece of improvisation, a glorious half-volley and a 25-yard free-kick, becoming thePremier League's leading goalscorer in the process – and to think his season only commenced on 25 September. He also found time to create the fifth for Raheem Sterling. The 26-year-old has 51 league goals in the red of Liverpool and 11 have come against Chris Hughton's team. Quite what Norwich have done to warrant this relentless, ruthless punishment is unknown but even the Liverpool manager offered his sympathy.
"I've not seen many individual displays better than that. It was sheer brilliance," Rodgers said. "I always like to talk about the team but tonight you've got to hold up Luis as one of the best strikers in the world. With the modern-day, world-class operators – the Ronaldos, Bales and Messis – it's about the numbers and what they produce. It's not one and twos, but twos and threes. It was a pleasure to watch that. He is up there with Ronaldo and Messi. The quality of his finishing is just at an incredible level. He is the happiest he has been here, this club suits him, and I think his best years will be here. I actually felt for the Norwich players because to come up against a world-class player like that is really, really difficult."
After defeat at Hull City on Sunday, the talk from Rodgers was of Liverpool being unable to cope without the injured Daniel Sturridge plus, for 66 minutes at least, Philippe Coutinho. Few teams would have been able to cope with Suárez on this form, though Hughton insisted Norwich had given the Uruguay international a helping hand by "affording him too much time and space". The Norwich manager added: "We gave him the opportunities that he gratefully took. There aren't many players who can score goals like that though, but he can."
Norwich started quite well but there was greater urgency and intent to the Liverpool performance than they showed at the KC Stadium and, once Suárez brilliantly capitalised on a slight error from Leroy Fer, confidence surged through the home team. Fer had every reason to believe he would escape with a careless pass that fell to the Liverpool striker near the centre circle but Suárez stunned everyone by taking a first-time shot from 40 yards. John Ruddy was not too far off his line but powerless to prevent Suárez scoring his latest incredible goal from distance against Norwich.
Wes Hoolahan missed a decent chance to equalise from a Bradley Johnson cross and, from Liverpool's next attack, Suárez doubled the home side's lead. Again the finish was immaculate, a hooked volley from close range, but Hughton again had cause to rue the lapses that allowed Coutinho's corner to sail through to an unmarked Suárez six yards from goal.
Liverpool's No7 was simply unstoppable, unplayable, and his hat-trick goal was another that left Anfield drooling. A swarm of white shirts closed in as he attacked Norwich down the inside-left channel. He reacted by flicking the ball over Fer, letting it drop on the edge of the penalty area and angling his body to drive a wonderful half-volley across Ruddy and into the far corner. The hat-trick was Suárez's third in four games against Norwich, ensuring he became the first player in Premier League history to score three trebles against the same team. "I wish Luis Suárez would just leave us alone," tweeted Norwich's Anthony Pilkington.
Liverpool continued to penetrate easily after the interval. Ryan Bennett cleared off the line from Steven Gerrard's diving header at the end of a flowing move, Ruddy saved brilliantly from a Joe Allen drive from 25 yards – the Welshman recalled at the expense of Lucas Leiva – and Suárez forced another low save from the keeper before scoring his fourth of the night.
Opposition teams have had enough warning of Suárez's ability from free-kicks of late but there is little they can do about them. Ruddy was easily beaten as the striker whipped his set piece over the Norwich wall and inside the keeper's right-hand post. The visitors grabbed a late consolation when Johnson headed in from Nathan Redmond's cross but the final word deservedly belonged to Liverpool. Suárez was inevitably involved with a low centre that Sterling converted at the back post.
"I am happy to be in the Premier League," Suárez said. "It is the best league. I don't know about challenging for the title but we want to be as high up in the table as possible and do as well as we can. I think we can achieve what we have set out to do this season."
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