"I think when he goes to St James' next year, he'll get it again - I don't think it will be put to bed, will it? He's a young boy but he's got broad shoulders." - Kenny Dalglish is philosophical about Andy Carroll's mixed reception.

“You’ve let your city down” – Newcastle fans voice their dissatisfaction with the, er, Gateshead lad.

NEWCASTLE should have kept their eye on the ball. After spending a week in the build up to this game worrying about the presence of one big money Liverpool striker, they forgot about the other.

Andy Carroll may have been the story of the afternoon at Anfield, but Luis Suarez was its star.

There was, predictably, a hostile reception for Carroll from the travelling Newcastle supporters. Angered by the perceived disloyalty of their former idol, the Toon Army let him know exactly what they think of his switch to Anfield. Their curious lionising of Steven Taylor, who allegedly clashed with Carroll at St James’ Park, raised an eyebrow. Carroll, typically, just grinned and continued his warm up.

In the event, the Reds’ number 9 was scarcely required. A 21-minute cameo was all the £35m man could manage upon his return from a knee injury sustained at Arsenal last month.

But whilst Carroll’s contribution to the game itself was mainly minimal, the same cannot be said about Suarez’s afternoon. The Uruguayan, quite simply, was the difference between the sides.

Having taken no time at all to settle into the rigours of Premier League football since his January switch from Ajax, he continued his impressive form here with yet another virtuoso display, in front of Anfield’s biggest crowd of the season.

He was heavily involved in the build-up to Maxi Rodriguez’s 10th minute opener, won the penalty from which Dirk Kuyt doubled the Reds’ lead, and then rounded off a relatively comfortable victory with his 3rd goal for the club soon after. As he made way for Joe Cole five minutes from time, he was afforded a standing ovation from the Kop. It was well deserved.

Kenny Dalglish’s men now find themselves in the box seat to secure a Europa League berth next season. Tottenham may have a game in hand, but victory in each of the Reds’ remaining three fixtures will surely guarantee them 5th spot. The visit of Harry Redknapp’s side to Anfield in a fortnight’s time should be a stirring occasion.

Dalglish’s side were far from fantastic here, but in truth they rarely needed to be to see off a Newcastle side that played as though their summer holidays were uppermost in their minds.

Pardew’s side won the corner count by 12 to 3, they bossed possession by 54-46%, and they had almost as many efforts on goal as their hosts. Yet few could dispute that Liverpool deserved their win.

At St James’ Park back in December, Liverpool were dismal. But that was winter-time, when the mood around Anfield was as gloomy as the weather on Tyneside.

Four-and-a-half months on, the landscape has shifted significantly. No longer does the Reds defence gift opponents the kind of goals that Newcastle gobbled up that day. Nor does the side play with the kind of fear and lack of confidence which unfortunately pockmarked Roy Hodgson’s ill-fated six-month tenure. This is Dalglish’s side now, Dalglish’s club, and the skies over Anfield are infinitely brighter.

Just like against Birmingham a week ago, they were ahead early on here. And once more, it was Maxi Rodriguez who picked up the game’s opening goal.

And while it may have been a scruffy finish, with the Argentine’s right-foot strike taking a hefty deflection off the arm of Toon defender Danny Simpson en route to goal, the build up to the goal showcased the confidence which is coursing through Dalglish’s side at the moment.

After Martin Skrtel won a defensive header on the edge of his own box, the ball was worked neatly through Suarez, Dirk Kuyt and Maxi, before Lucas Leiva switched the play incisively to John Flanagan on the right.

From there the youngster produced a teasing cross, and when Mike Williamson failed to get sufficient distance on his own defensive clearance, Rodriguez was perfectly placed to score his fourth goal in eight days. No mean feat, considering the former Atletico Madrid had taken 41 games to net his previous four.

Newcastle briefly threatened a revival before half-time, with a succession of dangerous set-pieces yielding no reward. But once Joey Barton had steered a shot wide of Pepe Reina’s left hand upright just after the break, it was all about Suarez.

His presence and energy was a constant menace to a nervy looking Newcastle backline, and when Williamson tried to shepherd the ball out for a goal-kick in front of the Kop in the 58th minute, he was simply asking for trouble.

Sure enough, Suarez wriggled free, and the former Wycombe man hauled him back. Kuyt dispatched the penalty with ease for his 14th goal of the season, and his eighth in his last seven league games. Derided in some quarters during the latter days of the Hodgson era, the Dutchman is in the form of his Anfield career under Dalglish.

He soon created a third for Suarez, who confidently stroked the ball past an under-protected Tim Krul just six minutes later. From there on it was cruise control.

Dalglish confessed afterwards that it had been a difficult afternoon for his players. But having inherited a side lying 12th in the Premier League back in January, and been told that his squad required hefty surgery as a consequence, the Scot will have no qualms about accepting a win which takes them above a lauded Tottenham side, and puts them firmly in the hunt for a Europa League spot – an achievement which would represent a significant success at the end of a turbulent season.

It may not have the glamour of the Champions League, but European football is what Liverpool’s history was built upon. Now, with just three games to go, it is tantalisingly within reach once more.

And, hand on heart, how many genuinely believed that would be a possibility at the turn of the year?

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Flanagan (Shelvey 81), Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Lucas, Spearing, Meireles, Maxi (Carroll 69), Kuyt, Suarez (Cole 85) SUBS: Gulacsi, Kyrgiakos, Robinson, NgogGoals: Maxi (10), Kuyt pen (59), Suarez (65)Booked: FlanaganNEWCASTLE : Krul, Simpson, Jose Enrique (Ferguson 90), Williamson, Coloccini, Barton, Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Lovenkrands (Ranger 73), Ameobi (Kuqi 82) SUBS: Harper, Tavernier, R Taylor, S TaylorBooked: Tiote, WilliamsonReferee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)Attendance: 44,923 Goals: Maxi (10), Kuyt pen (59), Suarez (65)Booked: FlanaganNEWCASTLE : Krul, Simpson, Jose Enrique (Ferguson 90), Williamson, Coloccini, Barton, Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Lovenkrands (Ranger 73), Ameobi (Kuqi 82) SUBS: Harper, Tavernier, R Taylor, S TaylorBooked: Tiote, WilliamsonReferee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)Attendance: 44,923 Booked: FlanaganNEWCASTLE : Krul, Simpson, Jose Enrique (Ferguson 90), Williamson, Coloccini, Barton, Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Lovenkrands (Ranger 73), Ameobi (Kuqi 82) SUBS: Harper, Tavernier, R Taylor, S TaylorBooked: Tiote, WilliamsonReferee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)Attendance: 44,923 NEWCASTLE : Krul, Simpson, Jose Enrique (Ferguson 90), Williamson, Coloccini, Barton, Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Lovenkrands (Ranger 73), Ameobi (Kuqi 82) SUBS: Harper, Tavernier, R Taylor, S TaylorBooked: Tiote, WilliamsonReferee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)Attendance: 44,923 Booked: Tiote, WilliamsonReferee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)Attendance: 44,923 Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)Attendance: 44,923 Attendance: 44,923