It took coming from behind twice and a Luis Suarez hat-trick but Liverpool have their 6th consecutive Premier League win, with a 9 goal game in Cardiff.
Cardiff City went ahead after 8 minutes when Jordan Mutch scored a perfectly struck low drive from the edge of the area. The shot left Simon Mignolet motionless in the Liverpool goal on its way to the far corner.
Liverpool were level within 8 minutes, with Luis Suarez finishing off a finely worked move with a tap in finish. The Uruguayan completed a move that centred around a superbly weighted pass from Jordan Henderson into the Cardiff box, where Glen Johnson was able to run on and lay the ball off for Suarez to finish.
Cardiff were back in front just 10 minutes later when Fraizer Campbell pulled inside onto his left foot, leaving Johnson flat footed before he buried it past Mignolet.
Liverpool levelled again before half-time, with Martin Skrtel scoring from a Coutinho cross. The Slovakian defender got ahead of a crowd of Cardiff defenders to get his toe on the cross and send it into the Cardiff goal.
There were just 8 minutes gone in the second half when Skrtel added his second, this time a simple header to put Liverpool ahead.
Suarez added a second following a fine back heel pass from Daniel Sturridge to set up the Uruguayan,
Liverpool appeared to put the game beyond doubt in the 75th minute. Suarez out thought his marker to properly judge a long ball forward and then played a square ball into the path of Sturridge, who finished from 6 yards.
Cardiff showed signs of a minor revival with just 3 minutes left. Mutch scored a point blank header to begin a nervy few minutes for the visitors.
Cardiff swarmed forward and Liverpool looked to be hanging on. You felt if Cardiff got their fourth then the fifth might quickly follow in the 5 minutes of added time.
However, it was Suarez who had the last action of the game. A one on one with Marshall in the Cardiff goal never looked like going anyway other than the striker’s. A few feints before a low finish and the sixth hat-trick of his Liverpool career.
