A hat-trick inside 49 minutes, but Luis
Suarez still did not want to pick up the match ball and call it a night
when the final whistle blew.
Instead, typically, he chose to kick the
ball, to toy with it a little longer. He did so with both of those
magical feet, all the way to the tunnel.
'If he wasn't playing against Wigan he'd
be playing in the park over the road,' said Liverpool legend Kevin
Keegan. 'It's his enthusiasm I like.'
Hero: Luis Suarez celebrates his hat-trick goal during Liverpool's dominant win
MATCH FACTS
Wigan: Al
Habsi, Scharner, Caldwell (Espinoza 51), Figueroa, Boyce,
McCarthy, McArthur, Beausejour (McManaman 61), Kone, Di Santo (Alcaraz
52), Maloney.
Subs not used: Robles, Henriquez, Gomez, Stam.
Booked: Caldwell, McArthur.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Jose Enrique, Gerrard, Lucas, Allen, Downing, Suarez, Coutinho (Henderson 70).
Subs not used: Gulacsi, Assaidi, Coates, Suso, Shelvey, Wisdom.
Goals: Downing 2, Suarez 18, 34, 49.
Booked: Lucas, Allen.
Att: 20,804.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
Liverpool fans cannot get enough of the
controversial Uruguayan - and he cannot get enough of football. That
much is wonderfully obvious.
But how do you tell one of the world's
top players that Champions League football is not important enough to
warrant moving on at the end of the season, one that has brought him 28
goals in all competitions already?
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers smiled
at the dilemma, and answered like this: 'It's hard to say it [Champions
League football] isn't important - top players want to play at the top
level.
'But he's got a real affinity with the
players, the supporters and the city. He genuinely sees there's a bright
future for us. The next couple of years are important for us and for
him.'
It would be remarkable if Suarez proves as loyal as Rodgers believes he will be for another year - let alone two.
Champions League suitors are sure to
come calling, and if Liverpool fans love him now, imagine the adoration
from the Kop if he turns his back on the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern
Munich.
Opener: Stewart Downing headed home from inside the six-yard box to give Liverpool the lead
Free header: Downing was unmarked in the centre from Philippe Coutinho's cross
Flying start: Downing's goal set the tone at DW Stadium as he scored inside two minutes
Yesterday's hat-trick brought his
Premier League total to 21 goals so far. Only Fernando Torres and Robbie
Fowler have scored more Liverpool goals in a Premier League season -
and you get the feeling there are plenty more to come.
Liverpool were already already ahead before Suarez found the scoresheet.
It took less than two minutes and owed
much to the mesmerising Philippe Coutinho, whose arrival might just
prove crucial as Suarez weighs up his options come summer.
The Brazilian left Emmerson Boyce for
dead before dinking a cross to Stewart Downing, who accepted the
invitation to head past Ali Al Habsi.
Lead: Steven Gerrard congratulates Downing after the first goal
Within 18 minutes Liverpool were further clear, Coutinho turning it on again before feeding Suarez for his simple first.
It was all too much for Boyce and his
team-mate, the masked James McArthur, who looked set to come to blows
over the chaos until referee Martin Atkinson calmed them down.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez said of
the incident: 'I was glad to see it - you need passion. There was
frustration, they were demanding a bit more from each other and it
became an argument.
'If we'd had that sort of passion from
the start, we wouldn't have defended like we did in the first 20
minutes. We can't defend the next five games at home like that, we were
too soft.'
Cruising: Suarez latched on to Coutinho's pass to double Liverpool's lead
Quick: The Uruguayan's first goal put Liverpool 2-0 ahead inside 20 minutes
It certainly did not get better. Indeed,
when Wigan captain Gary Caldwell clumsily fouled Suarez on the edge of
the area, you almost knew what was going to happen.
The hero of the day picked himself up
and made Caldwell pay with one of his deadly free-kicks, the shot
clipping Shaun Maloney and bouncing beyond Al Habsi before finding the
net.
There could be little doubt the
match-ball was destined to belong to Suarez. He almost got his hat-trick
with a snap-shot before the break, but this time Al Habsi managed to
block.
No 3: Suarez scored a free-kick, with the aid of the wall and Ali Al Habsi, just before half-time
However, after 48 minutes and 15
seconds, the treble was complete. Glen Johnson's immaculate attack left
Wigan defenders sprawlng and Suarez was unleashed once more.
This time he threaded his finish between
Al Habsi's legs. What followed was a formality, though Martinez was
right to point out that several saves from Pepe Reina rubbed salt in
Wigan wounds.
Running riot: Suarez celebrates with his team-mates after putting Liverpool 3-0 ahead
As for Suarez, hungry as ever, thoughts already turn to summer, and his key decision.
'It must be a nightmare for defenders,'
said Stewart Downing afterwards. 'He can be quiet and then create
something out of nothing.'
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