Fulham 2 - 5 Liverpool

Pass and move is very much the Liverpool groove again. The result was beyond doubt within 15 minutes thanks to some frankly abysmal Fulham defending and, more pertinently from a Liverpool fan's point of view, a display of scintillating attacking football by the away side. Fortunately, the whole game was an enjoyable spectacle, as Fulham attempted a spirited come-back after half-time but Liverpool continued to attack with real purpose, and it feels like there are a surprisingly large number of talking points to be drawn from what might have been a fairly inconsequential Monday-night Premier League fixture.

Andy Carroll, still carrying an injury, was not included in the squad, so Maxi retained his starting place.  He took his chance by, unbelievably, scoring another hat-trick - the first two goals were a reward for his anticipation and movement (known in the industry as 'being in the right place at the right time') but his third was a 25-yard scorcher. He now has seven goals in three games, which is remarkable for a player generally regarded as tidy and dilligent but lacking in star quality. 

Zamora was on the bench for Fulham, with Dembele starting up front (although you wouldn't have known, totally anonymous as he was until he was shifted out to the right, to feed off Zamora's knockdowns, in the second half). Otherwise, they lined up as expected, but were generally poor apart from a 20-minute period after half-time. Gudjohnsen stayed too high up the pitch, which allowed Carragher (on his 666th Liverpool appearance) to do a stellar job of marking him out of the game. Fulham's midfield pairing of Murphy and Sidwell was too lightweight to deal with Liverpool's midfield three. Davies stayed wide, and was also a very peripheral figure.

Fulham were punished for adopting an extremely attacking mentality from the off - it's hard to know whether this was their initial game-plan, they might have been forced to readjust after going a goal down within 35 seconds, but they played wide, pushed up and committed midfielders and full-backs to attack. This left a lot of space for Kuyt, Maxi and Meireles to break into, and Suarez exploited Fulham's dodgy back-line superbly, punishing them time and time again. He looks dangerous whenever he gets the ball at his feet. Indeed, opposing defenders will now be having nightmares about getting exposed one-on-one with El Pistolero.

It's amazing to think that the general consensus, both amongst fans and in the media, is that Liverpool should be buying a lot of players in the Summer - but it's hard to imagine who can be dropped/sold if they do. They have scored 17 and conceded just three in the last five games. Even £35million Andy Carroll will struggle to regain a starting place with the team in such a rich vein of form without him, which is a testament to the fast-paced pass-and-move relationship which Suarez and Kuyt in particular have developed. Steven Gerrard, too, should have to prove that his early-season lacklustre form is well behind him if he is to regain one of the midfield starting spots when he returns from injury. It's quite incredible how effective Jay Spearing in particular has been with Lucas in the midfield these past few games. Glen Johnson (two assists and a faultless defensive performance tonight) is now routinely showing the form which has made him England's number 1 right-back, and although a world-class left-back should be sought this Summer, John Flanagan has been reliable when called upon.

When Meireles picked up a second-half injury, Jonjo Shelvey came on in his place and immediately impressed in his cameo appearance, particularly in terms of his ability to pick a pass, and his interplay with Suarez. Hopefully if he stays injury-free next-season he'll be able to make a bigger contribution. He is another who will soon be competing for Gerrard's place in the starting line-up.

I had also planned to write something on Skrtel (who has been widely overlooked for Liverpool's player of the season, even as 2nd or 3rd choice, despite having performed solidly in nearly every game this season), or Reina (who made his 150th consecutive start for the club), or Carragher (who, after tonight, has made more appearances than any other Liverpool player besides Ian Callaghan). They will all have to wait for another time, though, as tonight we should just rejoice in the fact that glorious attacking football has returned to a Liverpool team which, despite being tipped for a relegation battle earlier in the season, is now impressing with every single performance and looks odds-on to claim fifth-place in the Premier League.

Fulham vs Liverpool - Tactical Preview

Fulham

Fulham will probably line up in their usual narrow 4-4-2 formation, which can sometimes look like a 4-2-3-1 as Dempsey and Davies look to cut inside to support the striker and Gudjohnsen drops deep to receive the ball from midfield. The experienced Icelandic forward (who, at 32, is not as old as some people think) is a tidy link-man who can make intelligent use of possession, but it's possible that Mark Hughes will prefer the pace of Andy Johnson up front in an attempt to test Liverpool's relatively immobile centre-back pairing of Carragher and Skrtel.

Another option that Hughes might consider is Gael Kakuta who, if Dempsey hasn't regained full fitness, will probably retain his starting place from Fulham's 3-0 win at Sunderland, giving him the chance to use his pace and skill to try and beat Liverpool's young right-back John Flanagan as Jonas Gutierrez did well last weekend. If Kakuta does feature on Fulham's left, Dalglish might consider starting the more experienced Glen Johnson in his preferred right-back position, and either switching Flanagan to left-back or recalling Jack Robinson.

It's also possible that Dickson Etuhu will be recalled to the Fulham starting line-up, most likely in favour of Steve Sidwell, to add some extra steel to the midfield, and especially to drop deep and restrict Suarez's space. Hughes does tend to trust his team shape to restrict opponents' chances though, keeping a deep back-line and a narrow midfield. Ex-Liverpool favourite Danny Murphy is Fulham's influential midfield playmaker, but he is not the only one given licence to pick out a pass - the whole side is instructed to hit the centre forwards whenever they have time to get their head up, partly because Zamora in particular is so adept at playing the target-man role, bringing in others around him.

Fulham also take a good deal of their shots from long-range: against Chelsea, they hit 7 of 13 shots from outside the box, against United it was 10 of 12, and most recently against Bolton 12 of their 18 attempts were from long-range. Liverpool's midfield, with Spearing and Lucas as two tough-tackling holders, should be well placed to deal with this threat.

Fulham are on a good run of form, with two 3-0 wins in their last two games (against Bolton at home and Sunderland away), and they've only lost two (away against Man United and Everton) of their last eight in the league.

Liverpool

The return of Andy Carroll to the starting line-up should see a return to Dalglish's usual fluid 4-4-2. Meireles will probably return to his left-sided midfield role, but it is possible that Maxi will be rewarded for his four goals in the last two games with a starting place.

When Kuyt and Suarez have been paired together in the absence of Andy Carroll, they have formed an interesting partnership. Neither naturally suits the role of a traditional number nine/target man, so they have relied on their unpredictable (yet intelligent) movement and quick passing to terrorise the likes of Man United and, most recently, Newcastle. When Carroll has featured he has, on occasion, looked to be slowing down the attacking build-up play, as well as (through no fault of his own) encouraging lazy long-balls from the defence. He will be keen to prove that he can form a relationship with Kuyt and Suarez, especially one that is more based on "pass and move" than "hit and hope."

If Fulham afford Liverpool any space, it is likely to be between the defensive lines, which suits Suarez perfectly. He has been incredibly impressive since arriving at Anfield in January, and he could well be the most important player for Liverpool on Monday.

Liverpool have also been enjoying a good run of form - they have scored 12 and conceded one in their last four games. However, although their away form has picked up slightly under Dalglish, they have recorded losses at The Hawthorns, Upton Park, Bloomfield Road and Ewood Park since Christmas. They will be desperate not to add Craven Cottage to that list, especially if they want to beat Spurs to the final European qualification spot.

***

Thanks to Jack de Aguilar of @FulhamWeekly for his help with this preview.

Liverpool 3 - 0 Newcastle United

Andy Carroll hadn't regained full fitness so featured only as a substitute late-on. Liverpool stuck with the team that demolished Birmingham last weekend, with the exception of the left-back position, where Glen Johnson returned from injury to replace Jack Robinson. Meanwhile, Newcastle fielded their expected 4-4-2 with Barton on the right-wing:

This was a comfortable win for Liverpool thanks to a first-half deflected goal from Maxi, a coolly-dispatched Kuyt penalty (after some tenacious harrying from Suarez and, subsequently, a naive challenge from Mike Williamson), and a simple finish from close range from the Uruguayan to wrap things up. Newcastle didn't have much to offer today, and the home team strolled to victory in the end.

It hadn't always looked so assured for Liverpool, though. They were, in fact, pinned back in their own defensive third towards the end of the first half. Newcastle, in search of an equaliser, won a number of freekicks and corners - it was just fortunate for Liverpool that they had nicked Andy Carroll in January, and that Joey Barton's set-piece taking wasn't up to its usual high standard.

Jonas Gutierrez had been enjoying the best of a battle with the young John Flanagan on Newcastle's left-wing, a state of affairs which changed after half-time. Dalglish instructed Flanagan and Johnson to switch sides, and the England international excelled defensively, winning 7 of his 8 second-half tackles and keeping his Argentinian counterpart quiet.

by Guardian Chalkboards

Liverpool stepped up a gear in the second half, with particularly influential performances from Kuyt and Suarez. They look to have formed an excellent relationship already, their intelligent movement and swift interchange of passing routinely dazzling and dizzying opposing defenders. The midfield was strong as ever, restricting Nolan and Tiote to sideways passes almost exclusively, and Reina, Carragher and Skrtel were rarely troubled.

This win leaves Liverpool in 5th place, above Tottenham on goal difference having played a game more. Spurs' visit to Anfield on the 15th of May takes on real significance in the battle for European qualification.

Liverpool 3 - 0 Man City

A superb first-half performance sealed the win for Liverpool tonight. A mature, patient second-half followed, but the game seemed to be comfortably over. During the first forty-five minutes, our fans had relished an exuberantly fast-paced, energetic brand of distinctively Liverpudlian football which blasted its way through City’s expensive defence on three occasions. In truth, City never threatened us in an attacking sense – the debutant right-back John Flanagan was comfortable and untroubled throughout – whereas we looked like scoring whenever we went forward.

It’s great to have a game-plan which can work so effectively. Lucas and the excellent Spearing found the feet of Suarez time and time again who, although slightly shy of his best form, scared Lescott and Kompany when he turned and ran at them. And long balls to Carroll never look aimless – his hold-up and link-up play was absolutely superb, and he was rewarded with two goals. He scored his first goal for Liverpool – a 25-yard blast – in euphoric style, and sheer determination and brute force saw him direct Meireles’ deep cross beyond Joe Hart, against the odds, for his second.

There is little more to add, except to pay testament to the incredible energy and desire of the team – especially Spearing, who seemed to account for Gerrard’s absence quite superbly. Kuyt, too, was absolutely fantastic, grabbing a goal but also tackling and harrying the opposition to great effect. Flanagan should thank him for making his job at right-back a hell of a lot easier, both in terms of the Dutchman’s defensive work, and his effort in making passing angles for the Scouse debutant.