English Premier League: Sturridge hits treble as Liverpool sink Fulham

Striker scores 10th league goal of the season as Reds win 3-1.

LONDON: Daniel Sturridge hit a hat-trick as Liverpool won 3-1 at Fulham yesterday but he couldn’t prevent the Reds from finishing a second successive campaign below Merseyside rivals Everton.

The blue half of town celebrated David Moyes’s final home game in charge of Everton with a 2-0 win over West Ham that ensured they will end the season in sixth, one place above Liverpool.

In a season that promised much before faltering as so many before them had done, Sturridge’s treble, after Dimitar Berbatov had given Fulham a first-half lead, was indicative of Liverpool’s season.

Berbatov awoke the occasion from the sense of meaningless end-of-season procession in the 33rd minute by heading home a deep cross from the right by Sascha Riether.

Their lead lasted only three minutes before Sturridge provided a champagne moment, taking down a long punt from Andre Wisdom, juggling the ball over Aaron Hughes’s head before turning the defender on the outside and rasping a drive into the roof of the net.

He put the Reds in front just past the hour mark as a shot from Brazilian Phillipe Coutinho deflected kindly into his path, providing the former Manchester City and Chelsea striker with a close-range tap-in.

Sturridge sealed their fate five minutes from time after a slide rule pass from Coutinho played him in to chip nonchalantly over Mark Schwarzer.

Adebayor fires Tottenham into top four

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur improved their chances of playing Champions League football next season with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium yesterday.

Stoke, who played the second half with 10 men after the dismissal of their Scotland midfielder, Charlie Adam, took an early lead through Steven Nzonzi.

But Tottenham levelled with a goal from Clint Dempsey and scrambled the crucial three points with a late decider from Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Victory lifted Tottenham into fourth place, the last qualifying position for the Champions League; two points ahead of Arsenal, who face FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic tomorrow.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2013.