Liverpool moved up to eighth in the Premier League table courtesy of a 4-1 victory over Swansea City at Anfield this evening.
The Reds had a 1-0 lead at the break courtesy of an Alberto Moreno strike, while Adam Lallana added a brace in an action-packed second half.
Gylfi Sigurdsson pulled a goal back just a minute after Lallana's fortuitous first, but Jonjo Shelvey's mixed fortunes against his former club continued when he scored an own goal to put the result beyond doubt.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a thrilling encounter that provided a fitting end to Premier League action in 2014.
Match statistics
LIVERPOOL
Shots: 21
On target: 11
Possession: 44%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 8
SWANSEA
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 56%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 5
Was the result fair?
Yes. It was a brilliant match of football to end 2014 this evening, with the second half in particular providing shedloads of entertainment. Both sides played their part in the spectacle, but there is no doubt that Liverpool deserved the three points having dominated the vast majority of the match and created the best chances.
Two of the hosts' goals had a large slice of luck about them, with Lukasz Fabianski's blocked clearance looping in off Lallana and Shelvey flicking a corner into his own net, but ultimately Liverpool could have had more than the four goals they managed. Raheem Sterling hit the post moments after Sigurdsson's goal, while Philippe Coutinho was among those to miss other decent openings for the Reds.
Swansea also hit the woodwork and looked like they might get back into the game following Sigurdsson's strike, but they couldn't cope with Liverpool at times today. The hosts ran riot in the second half and thoroughly deserve to win by such a convincing margin. It really was a great way to end a superb year of Premier League action.
Liverpool's performance
It may have taken a while, but Brendan Rodgers seems to have found a system which suits his side this season. They have put in a number of improved performances recently, but this was arguably the best of the lot. The first half paled in comparison to the second, but still Liverpool enjoyed a measure of control, creating a few chances and taking the lead while also preventing Swansea from getting any joy up front.
As usual, there were times when the hosts shot themselves in the foot defensively. Mamadou Sakho was at fault for Sigurdsson's goal and almost gifted the visitors a second straight from the resulting kickoff, but overall they coped well with the threat of Wilfried Bony and co. Emre Can in particular looked to slot seamlessly into his new role at the back.
Going forward, it was as good as Liverpool have been this season. They have not scored four since Luis Suarez left and, while they needed a slice of luck to reach that tally today, on another day it could have been even more. Rodgers will know that this result isn't enough to paper over all the cracks, but there are certainly signs that Liverpool are on the right track.
Swansea's performance
For the neutral, and indeed Liverpool fans, this was a thoroughly entertaining match, but Garry Monk would have been watching it with a grimace. Swansea were nowhere near their best tonight and, while they played their part in the spectacle, they would have been better suited trying to take the sting out of the game when it really caught fire in the second half.
They did have to chase the match at that point, however, which may have contributed to their approach. It looked as though they might make a game of it when they pulled a goal back and almost equalised seconds later, but Liverpool responded well and Swansea struggled to contain the rampant Reds. Going forward, they got very little joy against a defence that has looked very suspect this season.
Liverpool tend to be good against fellow passing teams, and Swansea may have been better served changing their approach slightly tonight. Even so, Monk will feel that all four of the goals were avoidable. Both centre-backs made the same movement to create space for the opener, while the defending for the third was nothing short of shambolic. The second and fourth goals came from individual errors too, so Swansea were architects of their own downfall to an extent today.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Adam Lallana: Liverpool had two standout performers today, and both were in midfield. Coutinho put in a fine display, but the award goes to Lallana, who capped off his own impressive showing with a brace. The first was certainly lucky, but he showed good desire to close Fabianski down, even if the keeper should have done better. His second, however, was a very good finish as he coasted past a couple of defenders before drilling it into the bottom corner.
Biggest gaffe
There were a number of mistakes this evening, but it says something that one still stands head and shoulders above the rest. Fabianski had plenty of time to choose what he wanted to do with the ball when he received a back-pass early in the second half and, even when Lallana was closing him down, he could have simply booted it straight up the park and cleared the danger. However, for some unfathomable reason, he chose to kick it in the direction that Lallana was racing in from, and sure enough the ball hit the Liverpool man and looped into the empty net.
Referee performance
There were two incidents in particular for Andre Marriner to deal with today, and he was surprisingly lenient on both occasions. The first saw Shelvey appear to elbow Can and, while the referee was in the perfect position to see it, he took no action against the Swansea midfielder.
Later in the game there was also a scuffle between Federico Fernandez and Sterling, with the Liverpool man slapping the defender in the face. It happened right under the assistant's nose and, while it wasn't the most vicious action you will ever see, in today's game it is a red card more often than not. Once again it was ignored, though.
What next?
Liverpool: Liverpool will look to make it three wins in a row for the first time this season when they host Leicester City on New Year's Day.
Swansea: Swansea are also in action on January 1 as they face Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.
Barney Corkhill
