The mention of the phrase “Maverick Genius” evokes a similar response from the Liverpool faithful, Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan arrived at Anfield having scored goals by the bucketful in Netherlands and enthralled the Kop during his short, yet exhilarating three and a half years at the club.
While the Striker continues with his goal scoring prowess at the Camp Nou and will definitely join the legion of legends who have plied their trade for the club, there is no denying he is amongst the top strikers who have graced the pitch of Anfield and is a legend at the Merseyside.
We were spoilt for choice when we had to pick Suarez’s best games in a Liverpool shirt. However, with a walk through the memory lane and numerous highlights of the player’s glorious years at Anfield, we have come up with the top 5 games in a Red shirt for the maverick genius.
#5 Liverpool 2-0 Stoke City 2010-11
The departure of an underperforming Fernando Torres and the arrival of the big burly Andy Carroll for a hefty sum of £35 million masked the capture of Luis Suarez from Ajax by the club in the closing minutes of 2011 winter transfer window. However, just minutes into his league debut against Stoke City, and Suarez showcased to the Kop what he truly brought to the table with a goal against a Stoke side that had developed a penchant for being one of the tidiest in defence.
The striker received the ball in the middle of the park and rounded off an approaching Asmir Begovic before slotting the ball home, although the ball did come off a Stoke defender at last. The goal made him an instant hit with the Kop and was truly an indication of what was to come from the striker. The fact that he had not even had time to train with his teammates prior to the game speaks volumes of his abilities as a footballer.
#4 Tottenham Hotspurs 0-5 Liverpool 2013-14
A match against Tottenham Hotspurs has been of greater consequence over the last few years, especially with Liverpool constantly haggling with the North London club for a place in the European spot. Liverpool travelled to the White Hart Lane with a poor record, having not won at the stadium in their previous 6 trips. To rub salt into their wounds, their talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was ruled out of the game owing to an injury and the armband was passed on to Suarez for the game for the first time in the Premier League.
To state that Suarez did justice to the armband would be a dire understatement. He scored 2 goals and assisted 1 to heap misery on Andre Vilas-Boas’ Tottenham as Liverpool ran out comfortable winners having scored 5 goals against a Spurs side that did not register a single shot on target. While his ability in front of the goal deservedly grabbed the limelight, Suarez was relentless in attack and displayed an ability to demolish any defence in the world. It was only after the game against Spurs that Liverpool’s title chase gained true credentials in the season.
#3 Liverpool 5-1 Norwich City 2013-14
If there is one team that got the best out of Luis Suarez, it was Norwich City and the Uruguayan proved to be a constant thorn in the flesh of the club during his time in England. Suarez went on to score a total of 3 hat tricks, in the process becoming the first player to score 3 hat-tricks against the same opposition.
However, it was his final hat-trick against the Canaries in the glorious 2013-14 season that can be termed as one of his best performances. The four goals he scored that evening could be termed as a combination of the most beautiful ones we have seen in recent years.
While the first one was a great display of technique, volleying the ball from 30 odd metres out, the third goal demonstrated Suarez’s great close control and ability to create space for himself despite a number of Norwich defenders flocking around him. However, he was not done for the evening as he found the bottom corner with a well-taken free kick to make it 4 goals and then turned provider for Raheem Sterling in the 88th minute to ensure a flawless night for the club.
#2 Wigan Athletic 0-4 Liverpool 2012-13
While the 2012-13 season will always be remembered for his bite on Branislav Ivanovic towards the end of the season, it was also the first time that Suarez crossed the 20 goal mark in the Premier League. He did so with a well-taken hat-trick at the DW Stadium against a Wigan side that looked threatening.
The Uruguayan had already bagged 18 league goals before the start of the game and reached the personal milestone with a cracking hat-trick against the Latics. After Stewart Downing had scored a rare goal in a Liverpool shirt off a Coutinho cross, the duo of Coutinho combined to double the advantage for the reds with Suarez latching on to a well threaded ball from the Brazilian.
While he was lucky with his first goal as his free-kick took a deflection off the Wigan wall, the third goal was a trademark finish by Suarez as he slipped the ball in between the Wigan goal keeper’s legs to truly put the game beyond Wigan in the 48th minute.
While the season was still deemed a disappointment, the Liverpool fans were truly mesmerised by their new found love, who would then take them close to winning their first Premier League title in over 20 years.
#1 Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United 2010-11
A game that often captures the imagination of millions of football is often the dirtiest. Into his first North West Derby since joining the Reds, Luis Suarez took the scruff of the neck and truly announced himself to the Premier League. While it was Dirk Kuyt who scored all the three goals in a feisty game at Anfield, Suarez was the destroyer in chief for the reds.
The former Liverpool number 7 helped his side take the lead after showing a great ability on the ball as he skipped past 5 United players, including goalkeeper Van der Sar to present Kuyt to slot the ball home with great ease. Constantly probing the visitor’s defence with his runs on and off the ball, it was Suarez’s cross that was headed into the path to present Kuyt with the second goal. Suarez turned provider yet again as Van Der Sar was unable to hold on to his free kick and Kuyt just had to run in to slot the loose ball home.
While he did put in other gracious performances, none matched the quality of the game against United, especially given the circumstances and was duly rewarded with a hair-raising reception to the player when he was substituted later in the game.
