Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has labelled his team-mate Luis Suarez as “unstoppable” after the striker netted twice in the 3-0 win over QPR on Sunday.
The victory at Loftus Road saw Brendan Rodgers’ team climb up to ninth in the Premier League table going into the New Year, with Suarez grabbing a double inside the opening 15 minutes.
With the 25-year-old forward having already surpassed last season’s tally of 11 league goals at the halfway mark this term, Allen believes performances like the one against the struggling Rs make him such a difficult player to play against.
“We were all desperate to bounce back after what was a bitterly disappointing result at Stoke,” Allen told the Liverpool Echo.
“We wanted to put things right and we did that with the way we played in the first half. As a team we were excellent and that’s the way we want to play in every match. When you’ve got someone like Luis Suarez you’re always going to cause teams problems. When Luis plays like that he’s unstoppable.
“For his first goal, when he picked up the ball I’m sure QPR didn’t think there was much danger. But he created something out of nothing and then produced a great finish. That’s why he’s a world-class striker. He’s scoring a lot of goals for us this season and long may that continue.”
The 22-year-old, who had started from the bench for the club’s two previous outings before the QPR clash, was pleased to be involved again from the off and felt that the team dealt well with manager Rodgers’ absence through illness.
He added: “I got a chance to start and I’m just glad to be part of a winning performance,” he added. “As much as everyone wants to play every game, I think sometimes a rest does you a bit of good.
“I’ve had a slight problem with my pelvis in recent weeks which luckily settled just in time for this game. I felt strong out there.
“It was a shame we couldn’t score more goals in the second half but we didn’t need to chase the game too much and leave ourselves exposed. QPR had nothing to lose in the second half and threw more players forward but we defended well.
“When you score three goals away from home and keep a clean sheet you’ve got to be very happy. It took everyone by surprise when we heard the manager was ill and wouldn’t be at the game but we dealt with it very well,” Allen added.
“We’ve got an unbelievable staff here capable of stepping into Brendan’s place. As a team we wanted to get a positive result for everyone.”