Thrilling Liverpool can see the finish line (ESPN article)

by Dave Usher for ESPN

“We go to Norwich. Exactly the same!” bellowed a fired-up Steven Gerrard after the Reds' heart-stopping 3-2 victory over Manchester City a week earlier. His teammates took his inspirational words a little too literally, as Kopite nerves were once again shredded following another dramatic victory by "exactly the same" scoreline at Carrow Road.

Liverpool deserved their victory, but just as they did last week, they made their supporters sweat. The final whistle was greeted with huge relief by players and supporters alike. It may have been too close for comfort, but at this stage of the season, the result is all that matters; comfortable victories are few and far between when you’re up against teams scrapping for Premier League survival.

Sunderland did themselves and Liverpool a huge favour with those two heroic performances against Manchester City and Chelsea, but it would have counted for little had the Reds failed to win at Carrow Road. Not only would a defeat to Norwich have severely dented Liverpool’s title hopes, but it would have also seemed more than a little ungrateful to a Sunderland side hoping to overtake the Canaries in the fight to avoid the drop. This result ensured that it’s been quite the week for supporters of Liverpool and Sunderland.

Much of Liverpool’s success this season has been based on making a fast start. Usually it has been at Anfield, but this time they took their flying start on the road and were 2-0 up before some of the home fans had even settled into their seats. No Daniel Sturridge? No problem. Raheem Sterling simply stepped up to fill the void, firing in an unstoppable 25-yard strike and following it up by putting one on a plate for Luis Suarez, who gleefully stroked in his 12th goal in his last five games against the Canaries. That's goal No. 30 on the season for the man hotly tipped to be crowned Footballer of the Year in the coming weeks.

That should have ensured a comfortable afternoon and perhaps a repeat of the Suarez-inspired romps they have enjoyed on this ground in the previous two seasons. Had a third goal arrived, then it surely would have, but their intensity dropped off a little and allowed Norwich to get back in the game. Liverpool had to defend at times in the first half but did so with great resolve, led by the tigerish Joe Allen and Jon Flanagan, who snapped into tackles and made blocks as though their lives depended on it.

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