The prolific Uruguayan did not find the net himself against the Gunners – despite striking the post in the first half – but his boss insists his star man still played a key role
The selflessness of Luis Suarez was a key factor in Liverpool’s 5-1 drubbing of Arsenal, according to Brendan Rodgers.
The Reds boss was understandably thrilled by his side’s performance at Anfield on Saturday, which was highlighted by four goals in an electrifying opening 20 minutes.
Although Suarez, the Premier League’s leading marksman with 23 goals in 20 appearances this term, was not among the scorers, he still earned fulsome praise from Rodgers after impressing in a wider role.
Rather than playing centrally as usual, the Uruguayan operated largely from the right in a three-pronged attack spearheaded by Daniel Sturridge and featuring Raheem Sterling on the left.
Sturridge scored for the seventh successive match, while Sterling was on target in each half.
Explaining a tactical decision that paid off handsomely, Rodgers said: “We played Daniel Sturridge through the middle to try and exploit his speed centrally.
“Luis Suarez – if anybody needed to know about a guy who plays for the team – he played in a wider role but put in a selfless job.
“The players were tactically brilliant today, but you’ve also seen the appetite and hunger for the game and that was important for us.”
While remaining cool over his side’s chances of winning the Premier League, Rodgers hailed the consistency shown by a team who sit fourth, six points behind new leaders Chelsea.
“There’s no doubt that we’ve been outstanding for a big part of the season. We’ve had one or two off days but in the main the quality and consistency of our game has been incredible,” he added.