After disappointing results both last weekend and midweek, Liverpool returned to winning ways against a side with one eye on a cup final next weekend. This takes nothing away from a solid Liverpool performance however, who punished an extremely lacklustre Swansea. Liverpool started well and were testing Swansea’s defence with quick passing and good movement in attack. Glen Johnson slotted the ball towards Sturridge, who let it run into the path of Suarez. The striker released a powerful shot but it was straight into the keeper’s arms. An effort from Stewart Downing swerved just wide after the midfielder had moved into the middle from the right wing and hit the ball with power. Michel Vorm was untroubled but the Reds piling on the pressure in the first ten minutes. Suarez was causing problems for the Swansea defenders and was brought down on the edge of the 18 yard box. Gerrard’s free-kick smashed into the wall and Suarez went for a curling effort with the rebound, which whizzed just over the bar. Swansea saw very little of possession in the first 20 minutes and Liverpool were quick to move the ball forward when they had won it back. Suarez played a high ball over the defence and located Sturridge in acres of space. Sturridge darted into the box and ran across the face of the goal only to be shoved off the ball by Kyle Bartley. Coutinho picked up the loose ball on the left and hit his shot wide after being closed down by Vorm. Gerrard forced a corner when his shot was deflected wide. He played in a cross which fell to Suarez on the right side of the penalty area. Kemy Agustien was tight on Suarez but missed the ball with his challenge and brought the striker down. Gerrard stepped up to take the penalty and made amends for his miss last week by hammering the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0. The Reds continued to pressurise the visitors after the goal and Sturridge came close to adding a second when he was found unmarked in attack. Sturridge tapped the ball past Vorm, but Agustien was on hand to smash it away from goal.

Half time arrived and Swansea had only managed a total of three shots on goal against Liverpool’s total of 21. Possession had been fairly even in the first period but where the home side were calm and creative, Swansea had been wasteful and sluggish. Liverpool made the best possible start with just 16 seconds of the second half played when Suarez played the ball into the path of Coutinho. The midfielder sprinted towards goal and released a fierce strike. Vorm managed to get something on the ball but could not stop it from reaching the back of the net, giving Coutinho his first goal for Liverpool. Seconds after making it 2-0, Coutinho was inches away from adding a third. Suarez put a low cross in from the right and the midfielder flicked the ball on with his heel, only to see it skip just past the post. The third came minutes later when Liverpool were pressing the visitors on the left wing. Jose Enrique moved inside and passed it to Sturridge who knocked it back into the defender’s path. The move was too fast for the Swansea defence and Jose Enrique poked the ball into the net with his right, putting the Reds 3-0 up with only five minutes of the second half gone. Things went from bad to worse for Swansea when Downing located Suarez with a perfect pass 20 yards out. The striker jinxed past two challenges and placed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner, giving the home side a 4-0 lead. The Swans had completely lost what little control they had on the game as Liverpool began to open them up with ease. Vorm was all that prevented Sturridge from scoring a fifth when the striker was played through and released a rasping effort. Vorm turned it into the path of Suarez, whose follow-up shot was blocked. Vorm made another fantastic save when Jordan Henderson put Sturridge through on goal again. Sturridge put a great deal of power into his effort which would have crept into the bottom left if not for Vorm’s outstretched leg. Jose Enrique launched a cross into the Swansea area and Wayne Routledge inexplicably diverted it away from Suarez’s path with his arm. This time it was Sturridge who took the penalty and he knocked it over Vorm’s flailing body, Liverpool’s fifth goal of the day. The Reds were relentless in attack and Sturridge was unlucky not to claim his second when his fierce shot bounced off the top of the cross-bar. With the Swans yet to threaten Pepe Reina’s goal in the second half, Liverpool were about as comfortable as it gets with 15 minutes remaining. The only negative aspect of Liverpool’s day was the loss of Fabio Borini to a suspected dislocated shoulder. Swansea will aim to forget their poor performance and look towards their biggest day in footballing history next Sunday. Three points take Liverpool above Swansea to 7th in the Premier League and the Reds will aim to turn around a two goal deficit against Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday. Kopworld man of the match: Luis Suarez