On this day (April 23) in 2011, Liverpool swept aside Birmingham City 5-0 at Anfield as Maxi Rodriguez netted a hat-trick for the Reds.
Club legend Kenny Dalglish was at the helm as goals from Dirk Kuyt and Joe Cole supplemented what was very much Rodriguez’s day. The Argentine taking home the match ball on the first of two occasions during his career on Merseyside.
Captained by Jamie Carragher in the absence of Steven Gerrard, Liverpool were irresistible at a sunbathed L4 stadium and the result looked a mere formality from the moment they took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes.
Notably, the lineup on the day contained a quartet of locally born players, Jon Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Jay Spearing and Carragher himself.
The three points took Dalglish’s side up to sixth in the Premier League, four points adrift of Manchester City in fourth place.
That is ultimately where the Reds ended the 2010/11 campaign, unable to secure UEFA Champions League qualification for the following season.
Liverpool are in a not dissimilar boat as things stand, with Jurgen Klopp attempting to steer the current crop to a top-four finish having struggled to recapture the form of recent seasons.
Saturday will see Newcastle Untied arrive at Anfield, with nothing less than a win sufficient to the Reds’ chances.
