Daniel Sturridge scored a couple of goals against Aston Villa, both goals were brilliantly executed and showcased to the Liverpool faithful just why he is considered as one of the most lethal strikers in the League, when fit. His two goals also took his personal tally to 37 league goals in 57 games, a goal every 0.65 games for the club.
That might pale in comparison to the likes of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo but this stat is enough to give him the tag of the most prolific goal scorer in the Premier League era for the Reds. The fact that Sturridge has missed so many games due to injury might be a sore point, but if Liverpool can keep him fit, he could even better this record.
Liverpool’s new star
There was a time when Liverpool were floundering to find that great striker, ever since the departure of Michael Owen to Real Madrid, Liverpool searched high and low for a striker who could bang in goals. The names included the Euro 2004 golden boot winner Milan Baros, to the lanky yet occasionally brilliant Peter Crouch, to the unknown quantity that was Fernando Morientes, Liverpool tried almost every nook and cranny to get the goals.
They did succeed in luring Fernando Torres, who scored on his Anfield debut against Chelsea, that was the rekindling of the love affair between Liverpool and top quality strikers. Torres might have left for Bluer pastures at Chelsea but he was at his prolific best at Liverpool where he notched up 65 league goals in 102 appearances, a goal every 0.64 games.
The other player who comes close to this ratio is the recently departed, loved and equally vilified footballing genius that is Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan was trigger happy in his second season when he struck up a partnership with Sturridge but he was actually brought in to play alongside Torres.
Suarez might have had a slow start to his Premier League scoring career but once he got going, there was no stopping him. Many believe that Liverpool challenged for the title a couple of seasons ago thanks to the pairing of Suarez and Sturridge. The now Barcelona striker notched up 69 goals in 110 league games for the club but even his goal scoring exploits gave him a goal every 0.63 games for Liverpool.
Daniel Sturridge might be the new king in the Premier League scoring records for the Reds but until he maintains his fitness over the course of a complete season, no one will ever know just how many goals he can score. This is the challenge for the Liverpool medical staff and Sturridge, if they can keep him fit, Liverpool could actually do well this season. They missed him last year, they cannot afford to keep him out of the team due to injury this year as well.