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20 April 2024

Title countdown: Liverpool's Sterling leaves Man Utd (and Zaha) safe and sorry with Moyes

Liverpool's English midfielder Raheem Sterling (2-R) dives following a tackle by Norwich City's Dutch midfielder Leroy Fer (3-R) during the English Premier League football match between Norwich City and Liverpool at Carrow Road in Norwich on April 20, 2014. (AFP)

Published
By Football Correspondent with Agencies

Is Raheem Sterling the prime example of David Moyes’ mis-steps costing Manchester United heavily.

Both Liverpool and United began the season with two young, untried and heavily hyped stars.

Raheem Sterling at Anfield and Wilfried Zaha at Old Trafford.

Sterling has shone on being given the chance and under Brendan Rodgers has now fired Liverpool towards the Premier League title.

Zaha has faded, without really being given a chance, most pundits feel.

It is in this better safe than sorry mode – playing an injured Rooney against Bayern when an in-form Hernandez was available - that Moyes seems to have operated for most of the season, and has ended up sorry.

Liverpool on the other hand, move closer to a first league title since 1990 with a 3-2 win at Norwich City on Sunday that sent them five points clear in the Premier League.

Quick-fire early goals from Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez put the visitors in control at Carrow Road, before Gary Hooper replied for fourth-bottom Norwich in the 54th minute.

Sterling appeared to have made the points safe with a deflected shot minutes later, but a late Robert Snodgrass header obliged Liverpool to endure a nervy last 10 minutes.

It was Liverpool's 11th consecutive league victory and means that they are guaranteed to qualify for next season's Champions League, but Brendan Rodgers's side now have a bigger prize in their sights.

They need seven points from their remaining three games to win the league and can eliminate Chelsea from the title race by winning at home to Jose Mourinho's side next weekend.

"It was massive," Rodgers told Sky Sports.

"We said before the game, every victory at this stage of the season, whether you're top, middle or bottom, is important, and I thought we showed great courage today.

"We will go into the next three games looking to perform well. We want to continue to fight and now look to Chelsea next week, where it will be an incredible atmosphere at Anfield."

Sterling scored from 25 yards with a fine shot that took a slight deflection off Michael Turner.

Sterling then teed up Suarez to add a second goal in the 11th minute, making the Uruguayan the first Liverpool player to score 30 league goals in a season since Ian Rush in 1986-87.