FT: CARDIFF 3-6 LIVERPOOL

Date: Saturday 22 March 2014
Kick Off: 15:00
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
Competition: Barclays Premier League
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Broadcast: n/a


LINKS

http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=246461


Cardiff City host Liverpool in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

It has been a season of struggle for the home side in their first season in the Premier League, and off-field drama has not helped their cause with the harsh dismissal of Malky Mackay just after Christmas. New manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has failed to steer Cardiff away from the relegation zone, although they played well in their last outing before losing late on to Everton.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are currently flying. With eight wins and two draws, they are the only team unbeaten in 2014 in the league, and they will be looking to push on to maintain a title challenge which is really starting to gather pace following an emphatic victory away to Manchester United last weekend. They currently find themselves seven points off leaders Chelsea with two games in hand.

Cardiff have doubts over Andrew Taylor (knock) and Ben Turner (knock), while Mark Hudson (hamstring) misses out.

Liverpool are without Sebastian Coates (knee) and Jose Enrique (knee).


LIVE SCOREBOARD

CARDIFF - 3
Mutch 9', 88'
Campbell 25'

LIVERPOOL - 6
Suarez 16', 60', 90+6'
Skrtel 41', 54'
Sturridge 75'


LEAGUE POSITIONS AS IT STANDS

2. Liverpool - Pld 30, W 20, D 5, L 5, F 82, A 38, GD 44, Pts 65
19. Cardiff - Pld 30, W 6, D 7, L 18, F 26, A 58, GD -32, Pts 25


TEAMS

Cardiff
1 Marshall
35 Fabio
28 Theophile-Catherine
4 Caulker
27 Cala
42 John (Daehli 65')
8 Medel
13 Kim (Zaha 65')
18 Mutch
39 Bellamy (Jones 70')
10 Campbell

Subs
32 Lewis
6 Turner
7 Whittingham
9 Jones
17 Gunnarsson
29 Daehli
36 Zaha

Liverpool
22 Mignolet
2 Johnson
37 Skrtel
5 Agger
38 Flanagan (Cissokho 73')
8 Gerrard
14 Henderson
24 Allen
10 Coutinho (Sterling 68')
7 Suarez
15 Sturridge (Sakho 90+2')

Subs
1 B Jones
9 Aspas
12 Moses
17 Sakho
20 Cissokho
21 Lucas
31 Sterling


KEY UPDATES

2: LIVERPOOL BOOKING
Steven Gerrard receives a yellow card (9) for a foul on Fraizer Campbell.

9: GOAL - CARDIFF 1-0 LIVERPOOL
Joe Allen gives the ball away to Fraizer Campbell, and he pulls it back for Jordon Mutch (5), who finds an angle to shoot and slots it into the bottom left corner.

16: GOAL - CARDIFF 1-1 LIVERPOOL
Liverpool work a good move that ends with Jordan Henderson slipping a good ball through for Glen Johnson, who crosses it low across the box for Luis Suarez (26) to slot in.

25: GOAL - CARDIFF 2-1 LIVERPOOL
Jordon Mutch finds Fraizer Campbell (9) on the right hand side, and he makes his way down the right before cutting inside and slotting the ball into the bottom left corner.

33: CARDIFF BOOKING
Cala receives a yellow card (2) for a foul on Joe Allen.

41: GOAL - CARDIFF 2-2 LIVERPOOL
Cardiff defend a corner kick but the ball finds its way back out to the right hand side to Philippe Coutinho, who crosses the ball in for Martin Skrtel (5) to tap it into the far corner on the volley.

50: CARDIFF BOOKING
Fabio receives a yellow card (1) for a foul on Daniel Sturridge.

54: GOAL - CARDIFF 2-3 LIVERPOOL
Philippe Coutinho swings the ball in from a corner kick on the right hand side, and Martin Skrtel (6) manages to get his head on it and guide it into the far corner.

60: GOAL - CARDIFF 2-4 LIVERPOOL
Glen Johnson crosses the ball in from the right and Daniel Sturridge receives it, before back-heeling it into the path of Luis Suarez (27), who slots it into the corner.

65: CARDIFF SUBSTITUTION
Declan John is replaced by Mats Moller Daehli.

65: CARDIFF SUBSTITUTION
Kim Bo-Kyung is replaced by Wilfried Zaha.

68: LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTION
Philippe Coutinho is replaced by Raheem Sterling.

70: CARDIFF SUBSTITUTION
Craig Bellamy is replaced by Kenwyne Jones.

73: LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTION
Jon Flanagan is replaced by Aly Cissokho.

75: GOAL - CARDIFF 2-5 LIVERPOOL
Glen Johnson launches a long pass up field towards Luis Suarez, which he receives as Steven Caulker fails to intercept it. He races forward and sends a low cross across the face of goal for Daniel Sturridge (22) to slot in.

88: GOAL - CARDIFF 3-5 LIVERPOOL
Kevin Theophile-Catherine sends in a cross from deep which Kenwyne Jones heads down and Jordon Mutch (6) heads it into the net.

90+2: LIVERPOOL BOOKING
Martin Skrtel receives a yellow card (4) for a foul on Wilfried Zaha.

90+2: LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTION
Daniel Sturridge is replaced by Mamadou Sakho.

90+4: LIVERPOOL BOOKING
Joe Allen receives a yellow card (3) for a foul on Gary Medel.

90+6: HAT-TRICK GOAL - CARDIFF 3-6 LIVERPOOL
Martin Skrtel hits a long ball up field which Luis Suarez (28) latches onto after dashing past Cala. He takes it forward and slots it past David Marshall for his hat-trick.


LAST MATCHES

Cardiff
Saturday 15 March 2014
Barclays Premier League
Everton 2-1 Cardiff

Liverpool
Sunday 16 March 2014
Barclays Premier League
Man Utd 0-3 Liverpool

Head to head
Saturday 21 December 2013
Barclays Premier League
Liverpool 3-1 Cardiff


TOP SCORERS

Cardiff
Fraizer Campbell - 9
Jordon Mutch - 6
Steven Caulker - 4

Liverpool
Luis Suarez - 28
Daniel Sturridge - 22
Steven Gerrard - 11