Liverpool’s Luis Suarez targets Champions League spot

Striker Luis Suarez has pledged to carry on scoring the goals which will fire Liverpool back into the Champions League.

Manager Brendan Rodgers believes the 26-year-old is the happiest he has been at Anfield and that was certainly the case on Wednesday as he left the ground clutching the match ball after another stunning performance.

The 26-year-old scored four and provided the cross for Raheem Sterling’s late effort in the 5-1 win over Norwich.

Only four months ago Suarez wanted to leave to play Champions League football but with Liverpool in the top four and only three points behind second-placed Chelsea he is keen to maintain that form. And with fellow striker Daniel Sturridge out until possibly the middle of next month Suarez is happy to shoulder the goalscoring burden.

"I think we can achieve what we set out to do," the Uruguayan, who became the first Premier League player to score three hat-tricks against the same side, told Marca when asked about their Champions League chances.

“My aim is just to help make the team better. My job is just to score the goals that mean we keep winning games and get as high in the table as possible.

“I am happy to be in the Premier League, the best league there is. I don’t know about challenging for the title, but we want to be as high up in the table as possible and do as well as we can. I think we can achieve our target.”

Suarez’s numbers are impressive. He has now scored 51 league goals in 84 appearances and against Norwich he has 11 in his last four appearances at an average of a goal every 33 minutes.

He is also the Premier League’s leading scorer with 13 in just nine games.

His first was an brilliant 45-yard dipping effort, his second an instinctive hooked finish, the third saw him flick the ball over Leroy Fer before smashing home and he finished off with what is now becoming a trademark free-kick.

Suarez then provided the cross for Sterling to score after Bradley Johnson’s late consolation.

Rodgers likened the "incredible" performance to those from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and believes the striker will have a long-term future at the club.

“Sheer brilliance that was, a remarkable individual performance,” he said. “You have to hold up Luis as one of the best strikers in the world. Incredible performance.

“I think he is the happiest he has been here. I think this club suits him perfectly and I still think his best years are going to be here. The profile of the club, the connection with the supporters, you can see it is a hand-in-glove fit for him.

“The modern-day world-class operators - the Ronaldos and Messis - it is all about the numbers and what they produce and it is not any more one and two, or two and three (goals).

“I think if you look at Messi and Ronaldo they have been out on their own for a couple of years. Luis is only 26 and I think he will make improvements to his game over the coming years.”

Dejected Norwich boss Chris Hughton could not argue with Suarez's quality but felt his side should have handled him better.

“He is a world-class player and if you afford him that much space and time then he is one person that has the ability to do what he did,” he said.