Liverpool recorded a comfortable 3-1 win away to Fulham in the Premier League this afternoon courtesy of a fine Daniel Sturridge hat-trick.
The hosts took the lead just after the half-hour mark when Dimitar Berbatov was left unmarked in the box to nod home, but Liverpool responded immediately, Daniel Sturridge latching onto a long ball before finishing well.
Sturridge doubled his personal tally in the 62nd minute when he controlled Philippe Coutinho's deflected shot before slotting the ball past Mark Schwarzer.
The England striker missed a number of chances to complete his hat-trick before finally securing the match ball by lofting the ball over Schwarzer late on.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at an action-packed 90 minutes of football.
Match statistics:
Fulham:
Shots 7
On target 2
Possession 48%
Corners 7
Fouls 1
Liverpool:
Shots 14
On target 7
Possession 52%
Corners 8
Fouls 11
Was the result fair?
Most certainly. Liverpool were the better team from start to finish and it probably should have been even more comfortable for them. They started better than Fulham, although the hosts did come into the first half as it wore on. Even so, their goal was against the run of play and they created precious little else in the opening period. Liverpool dictated the tempo of the match but were made to wait for their chances. When they did come, however, it was only Mark Schwarzer who kept the score down.
Fulham's performance
Same old story for Fulham. They have been so disappointing for the last month or so, and their performance this afternoon was lacklustre yet again. They had some joy down the right in the first half through Sascha Reither and were denied on a couple of occasions in the second by Pepe Reina but, other than that, Liverpool had little to worry about defensively. It tells you everything you need to know that Mark Schwarzer was their best player.
Liverpool's performance
For a while it looked to be a typical Liverpool performance. They had plenty of possession but struggled to do anything with it for large periods of the first half. However, they responded well to going behind and were by far the better side in the second half. They were cutting Fulham open almost at will at times and should have scored more than three goals. Brendan Rodgers experimented with a new formation in the first half and, although Liverpool were again the better team in the opening 45 minutes, it didn't really work. The change back to the usual formation at half time was the main reason for Liverpool's improvement.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Daniel Sturridge: There is only one man for this award. Sturridge began the match finding space behind the defence but his shooting was a bit wayward. However, he took his first goal very well and was almost unplayable at times in the second half. His other two goals were very smart finishes but, in truth, he should have sealed his hat-trick long before he actually did. He had two chances in an identical position to his second goal, but Schwarzer denied him on both occasions. Still, it was a fine individual performance from the January signing.
Biggest gaffe
As mentioned above, Sturridge's shooting was a bit wayward at the start of the match, and this is the most striking example. He picks up the biggest gaffe for breaking free of the defence, only to send a woeful shot trickling out for a throw-in. It was by no means an easy chance, but he should have done a lot better.
Referee performance
For the vast majority of the match, Mark Halsey passed under the radar, which is always a good thing for the referee. However, he was put under microscope twice in quick succession in the second half. The first decision was whether Lucas Leiva had handled the ball inside the area. The ball clearly struck his hand, but presumably Halsey thought that he was too close to Bryan Ruiz to do anything about it. You could make a case for it from both sides, but they would be given more often than not. Shortly afterwards, Alexander Kacaniklic went tumbling under the challenge of Sebastian Coates when racing on to a through-ball. Fulham wanted a free kick and a red card, but Halsey gave neither.
What next?
Fulham: Depending on other results this week, Fulham could be fighting for survival when they take on Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on the final day of the season next week.
Liverpool: Liverpool, meanwhile, will face already-relegated Queens Park Rangers in the final day, with nothing much at stake for either side.
Barney Corkhill
