The comforts of home will determine Liverpool's fate in 2014, according to Brendan Rodgers, and they made a convincing start against Hull City. This was far from Anfield's finest treat of the season but it mattered not as Luis Suárez eased the pain of two successive defeats on the road.
The Uruguayan struck a superb free-kick to reach the 20-goal mark in only his 15th appearance of the season, a Premier League record. Daniel Agger had opened the scoring as Rodgers' team demonstrated that defeats against two Champions League rivals had not damaged their self-belief and prowess on home soil.
Initially the Liverpool performance was more in keeping with last month's defeat at the KC Stadium than the levels reached at Chelsea and Manchester City. Injuries were partly responsible, with the cumbersome Aly Cissokho replacing the hamstrung Jon Flanagan and the anonymous Iago Aspas given a chance to impress in place of Joe Allen. Those opportunities were not taken as Hull largely contained the Liverpool threat only, to Steve Bruce's understandable fury, to be found wanting at set pieces.
Suárez converted Liverpool's first chance of the game but was adjudged fractionally offside as he headed home an inviting free-kick from the right by Philippe Coutinho. The Hull goalkeeper, Allan McGregor, then denied the lively Raheem Sterling after he was sent clear by Liverpool's leading marksman.
That was the sum total of incident until Agger broke the deadlock eight minutes before the break. Hull were untroubled, albeit without once endangering Simon Mignolet's goal, when David Meyler conceded a corner with a block tackle on Suárez. Liverpool's fortunes had appeared increasingly reliant on a moment of magic from the Uruguay striker – and that was to come – but Hull's aerial vulnerability was also decisive when Coutinho swung the corner over from the right. Agger, Liverpool's captain for the day with Steven Gerrard returning to the bench following his recent injury, escaped his marker too easily and headed into the bottom corner despite the goalline presence of McGregor and Maynor Figueroa.
Coutinho dragged a good chance wide when, after he latched on to a fine through-ball from Jordan Henderson, the Hull defence parted to invite a shot from 18 yards. The visitors were also reprieved when Alex Bruce avoided a second yellow card for a high challenge on Suárez and were forced into a retreat in the second half as Liverpool improved immeasurably.
Bruce showed his opinion on Hull's performance after the interval with a triple substitution but by then it was too late. Liverpool were already coasting towards three points courtesy of the latest wonderful goal from their irrepressible No7. Suárez was upended 25 yards from McGregor's goal by James Chester while Hull were appealing for a foul by Sterling. The call went Liverpool's way and, despite his obvious intent, Suárez's technique with a dead ball throughout the season and McGregor's best endeavour, the outcome was predictably brilliant. The Hull keeper could only grasp thin air as Suárez swept the free-kick into his top right corner.
via Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663845/s/3565ac62/sc/13/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Cfootball0C20A140Cjan0C0A10Cliverpool0Ehull0Ecity0Epremier0Eleague0Ematch0Ereport/story01.htm
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