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Liverpool 3-0 Sunderland
Match Reports, 18:01, March 28, 2010 ,
Fernando Torres' brace and Glen Johnson scored as Liverpool kept alive their top-four ambitions with a 3-0 win against Sunderland.
The Reds totally dominated the opening 45 minutes at Anfield and should have been more than two in front thanks to Torres' early strike and Johnson's deflected effort.
However a steadier second half display produced the killer third from Torres as Rafa Benitez's side move up to fifth position, four points behind Tottenham and having played a game more.
Sunderland barely troubled Reds keeper Pepe Reina and stay in the relative safety of 13th position, eight points above the relegation places.
Liverpool almost went ahead in the first minute when Steven Gerrard's free kick from the right fell kindly to Daniel Agger at the back post and his first time effort was parried away by keeper Craig Gordon.
The Reds only had to wait another two minutes before they did break the deadlock. Torres picked up the ball down the left side of the area before cutting inside Michael Turner and hitting a tremendous strike into the far top corner of Gordon's net.
Agger then fired wide from a corner, before Gerrard pulled the ball back to Torres and he hit a first-time shot wide from in front of goal on 18 minutes.
Gordon was on hand to brilliantly deny Maxi Rodriguez whose powerful header from a Gerrard right-wing corner was pushed over the bar by the Scotland international custodian on 25 minutes.
Agger was guilty of missing a third chance on 31 minutes when he could not direct a Gerrard free kick past Gordon with his head, before the Reds did grab a second a minute later.
Sunderland could only clear a corner to Johnson the edge of the area and the full-back's on-target effort beat Gordon via a big deflection off Tuner's knee.
It should have been 3-0 on 40 minutes when Dirk Kuyt teed up Ryan Babel in the area. And, when the Dutchman missed his kick, it fell at the feet of Torres who smashed his first effort off the post before hitting the rebound into the ground and well wide of the upright.
Chances were limited in the second half as Liverpool sealed the win on 60 minutes when Johnson's clever pass found Torres unmarked in the area and the Spaniard coolly flicked the ball past Gordon.
Sunderland had to wait until the 90th minute to test Reina as he produced a fine one-handed diving save to deny former Liverpool midfielder Bolo Zenden's fierce right-footed strike.