New Champions Crowned Fulham 2 (Dembele 57, Sidwell 86) Liverpool 5 (Maxi 1,7,70 Kuyt 16, Suarez 75)

Liverpool boosted their challenge for a top four finish in the Premier League as Maxi Rodriguez's hat-trick fired the Reds to a 5-2 victory against Fulham on Monday.

Kenny Dalglish's side romped into a three-goal lead within the first 16 minutes at Craven Cottage, with Rodriguez scoring twice before Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer allowed Dirk Kuyt's weak shot to squirm into the net.

Moussa Dembele got one back for Fulham but Rodriguez struck again for his second hat-trick in three games and Luis Suarez bagged the fifth goal to complete the demolition.

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Steve Sidwell's late strike meant little to Fulham and Liverpool's five-star display lifted them above Tottenham in fifth place and within four points of fourth placed Manchester City in the race for the final Champions League spot.

With only two matches left, Liverpool are more likely to have to settle for Europa League qualification, but a slip by City in their game in hand against Tottenham on Tuesday will have the Anfield faithful dreaming of a return to Europe's elite club competition.

Whatever the outcome of their European charge, Dalglish has surely done enough to persuade Reds owner John W Henry to hand him the manager's job on a permanent basis.

Liverpool's record signing Andy Carroll was missing again after suffering an injury in training, but the Reds arrived in west London in fine form and took the lead in 31 seconds.

Manchester United may be about to take Liverpool's record of 18 league titles, but even Sir Alex Ferguson's team haven't scored such a fast goal this season.

Suarez broke away down the left and the Uruguayan's cross was miscued by Fulham defender Carlos Salcido towards Schwarzer.

Schwarzer could only scramble the ball away from Kuyt and into the path of Rodriguez, who fired home emphatically.

Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher couldn't have wished for a more perfect start on his 666th appearance, an astonishing total that made him the club's second highest appearance holder behind Ian Callaghan.

It got even better for Carragher when Argentine midfielder Rodriguez struck again five minutes later.

Lucas Leiva's long pass picked out a surging run from Glen Johnson on the right wing and the England defender's looping cross to the far post was met with a powerful volley from Rodriguez that flashed past Schwarzer.

Dalglish's men were pouring forward in waves and they didn't have to wait long for a third goal as Schwarzer blundered in the 16th minute.

Kuyt's low shot from the right side of the penalty area should have posed no problems for Schwarzer, yet the Australian somehow allowed the tame effort to trickle through his legs and into the net.

Schwarzer hung his head in embarrassment as Dutch forward Kuyt celebrated his ninth goal in eight matches.

After Raul Meireles was forced off early in the second half, Fulham scored in the 57th minute when substitute Bobby Zamora slipped a pass for Dembele to shoot past Jose Reina.

But Liverpool had too much firepower for Fulham and Rodriguez sealed his treble in the 71st minute.

Taking John Flanagan's pass 30 yards from goal, Rodriguez advanced unopposed before blasting an unstoppable strike into the top corner.

Liverpool hadn't finished there. Suarez capped a fine display as he jinked round Schwarzer to slot in the fifth in the 75th minute and Sidwell's superb 85th minute goal was no consolation for Fulham.

Liverpool fans, do you think you can nick the 4th Champions League spot from Manchester City or are you happy with the revival under King Kenny, let us know, email us at admin@worldwidefootball.co.uk or twitter @jamiemason76

LINE UPS


Fulham: 01-Schwarzer, 03-Salcido, 05-Hangeland, 06-Baird, 07-Sidwell, 13-Murphy, 18-Hughes, 22-Gudjohnsen, 23-Dempsey, 29-Davies, 30-Dembele SUBS USED: 08-Johnson, 24-Kakuta, 25-Zamora
Liverpool: 25-Reina, 02-Johnson, 04-Meireles, 07-Suarez, 17-Maxi, 18-Kuyt, 21-Lucas, 23-Carragher, 26-Spearing, 37-Skrtel, 38-Flanagan SUBS USED: 10-Cole, 33-Shelvey

Arsenal title challenge overArsenal 1 (van Persie 90+8pen) Liverpool 1 (Kuyt 90+12pen)

Arsenal saw their Premier League title hopes all but extinguished after Dirk Kuyt secured a point for Liverpool with a last-gasp penalty just moments after Robin Van Persie's spotkick had looked to have secured the points for Arsenal

The Gunners - now six point points behind leaders Manchester United having played the same number of games - had plenty of possession and hit the bar in the first half through Laurent Koscielny, but were unable to make their dominance count until deep into eight minutes of stoppage time when van Persie crashed home a spot-kick.

However, Liverpool - who had earlier seen captain Jamie Carragher carried off following concussion - snatched a point with the final kick of the match after Emmanuel Eboue had pushed Lucas Leiva.

While the match ended in high drama, before kick-off there was a minute's silence in memory of late Arsenal director Danny Fiszman, who passed away following a battle against cancer and also remembering the 96 Liverpool supporters who died 22 years ago this week in the Hillsborough tragedy.

The sale of Fiszman's holding in the Gunners' parent company led to American Stan Kroenke crossing the takeover threshold, but it remains to be seen whether the Denver-based entrepreneur will be able to complete his proposed £730m buyout.

When the action got under way, Arsenal - unbeaten in 14 matches and yet to lose in 2011 - started well, with Abou Diaby glancing a header wide from Samir Nasri's curling free-kick. Arsenal were careless in possession far too often, with Liverpool quick to capitalise on the break.

The hosts sparked into life, though, after 12 minutes when Theo Walcott stung Pepe Reina with a fierce 25-yard drive which the Reds keeper spilled and van Persie hooked the loose ball back across an open goal, which was headed behind. From van Persie's right wing corner, Laurent Koscielny got up above the Liverpool defence and in front of Reina to crash a header against the bar.

Liverpool were forced into a change on 21 minutes when full-back Fabio Aurelio limped off with a recurrence of his hamstring problem, replaced by 17-year-old Jack Robinson for a second senior appearance.

Luis Suarez's slip allowed van Persie and Cesc Fabregas to open up the Liverpool defence, but the Arsenal skipper drilled his 20-yard shot wide. Liverpool were being pegged back, with Walcott firing a low ball in from the right which was booted behind.

It continued to be one-way traffic with Liverpool defending deep, but Arsenal could not find a telling pass in the final third. In first-half stoppage time, Eboue's angled drive at the near post was deflected across the face of goal and away.

It was again a bright opening by Liverpool after the restart. Suarez created space for himself at the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, but dragged his shot wide. There was a scare for the visitors when Andy Carroll went down after twisting his knee and ankle when challenging for a loose ball in the box. After some treatment, though, the £35m England man was back in the action.

Reds skipper Carragher then appeared to have been knocked unconscious after a clash of heads with John Flanagan, sparking more anxious scenes on the visitors bench as the medical staff from both teams attended. The former England defender was eventually carried off on a stretcher, his neck in a brace and given oxygen. Sotirios Kyrgiakos came on as a substitute.

With 20 minutes left, Carroll was replaced by Jonjo Shelvey before Arsenal made a double change when Jack Wilshere and Walcott were replaced by Nicklas Bendtner and Andrey Arshavin, the Russian making his 100th appearance for the Gunners.

Wojciech Szczesny got down well to beat away an angled shot from Suarez as Liverpool looked to snatch all three points. Reina made a decent block when van Persie was played into the left side of the Liverpool area, before at the other end, Suarez spooned his shot high and wide in space at the near post.

Because of the injury to Carragher, there were some eight minutes of stoppage time, and just when that seemed to be running out, Fabregas went tumbling over Jay Spearing's leg and this time, the referee pointed to the spot. Van Persie stepped up to send Reina the wrong way and seemingly keep Arsenal in the title hunt.

However, there was more late drama after Alex Song tripped Lucas right on the edge of the area. Suarez's free-kick went into the wall, but Eboue then pushed over Lucas to conceded another stoppage-time spot-kick which Kuyt dispatched.

It proved the last action of an amazing end to the game, which leaves Arsenal all but out of the title race and left a dejected Arsene Wenger confronting the officials - and opposite number Kenny Dalglish as they walked off.

LINEUPS:

Arsenal: 53-Szczesny, 02-Diaby, 04-Fabregas, 06-Koscielny, 08-Nasri, 10-van Persie, 14-Walcott, 19-Wilshere, 20-Djourou, 22-Clichy, 27-Eboue SUBS USED:17-Song, 23-Arshavin, 52-Bendtner

Liverpool: 25-Reina, 04-Meireles, 06-Aurelio, 07-Suarez, 09-Carroll, 18-Kuyt, 21-Lucas, 23-Carragher, 26-Speaing, 37-Skrtel, 38-Flanagan SUBS USED: 16-Kyrgiakos, 33-Shelvey, 49-Robinson

Holland 2 Denmark 0

Scorers: Agger O.G (Hol), Kuyt (Hol)

Attendance: 83465

A Daniel Agger own goal and Dirk Kuyt’s late winner earned the Netherlands a deserved 2-0 win over Denmark at Johannesburg’s Soccer City as the Dutch took an early lead in Group E and stretched their long unbeaten run.

Oranje coach Bert van Marwijk had sprung a pre-match surprise with the inclusion of Arjen Robben as a substitute and the early stages could certainly have done with the Bayern Munich winger’s pace and trickery. With Soccer City bathed in afternoon sunshine, the players took some time to establish the expected tempo, and the best efforts of a tight opening 20 minutes came through two hugely ambitious and off-target free-kicks from Wesley Sneijder and Thomas Enevoldsen.

Neither side were doing themselves justice at this stage but, of the two, it was the Netherlands who were displaying the greater attacking intent, with Rafael van der Vaart proving a lively deputy for the sidelined Robben. Twice in as many minutes midway through the half, the Real Madrid midfielder turned neatly on the edge of the box to fashion scoring opportunities, but on each occasion was unable to find the target.

Thomas Sorensen, fit again after suffering a dislocated elbow, endured a heart-stopping moment shortly after when he fumbled a tame-looking Dirk Kuyt shot only to recover the ball at the second attempt. The Dutch would have been worthy of a goal at this stage, but their failure to convert territorial dominance into goals threatened to cost them dearly as half-time approached.

The warning signs had been there when, with 28 minutes played, Nicklas Bendtner found space at the back post to head wastefully wide from a measured Dennis Rommedahl cross. Rommedahl himself tried his luck soon after, firing straight at Maarten Stekelenburg at the end of a lightning Danish break, while Thomas Kahlenberg provided the best effort of the half with a flashing left-foot shot that forced a terrific save from the Dutch No1.

However, it is not for nothing that Van Marwijk’s side came into this match on a record 19-match unbeaten sequence, and they took a deserved lead within a minute of the second half commencing. Robin van Persie was the goal’s architect, beating Sorensen to a through ball before curling over an inviting cross which Simon Poulsen, in his attempts to clear, headed across goal, but crucially against the back of Agger and into the net.

The Danes nearly self-destructed again four minutes later when a misplaced pass allowed Van Persie a clear sight of goal, but the Arsenal forward hesitated and Sorensen smothered bravely. Van der Vaart then came close an early contender for goal of the tournament with an audacious flick matched only in quality by Sorensen’s agile save, while Sneijder rattled the crossbar with a deflected 25-yard shot.

The Dutch were not to be denied, however, and their continued superiority was rewarded with five minutes remaining when Dirk Kuyt slotted home from close range after substitute Eljero Elia’s initial effort had struck the post. The bounce of the ball had again favoured the Oranje, but there could be no Danish complaints about a result that is sure to enhance their Group E rivals’ standing as genuine FIFA World Cup™ contenders.

Holland: 1. Stekelenburg, 2. Van Der Wiel, 3. Heitinga, 4. Mathijsen, 5. Van Bronckhorst, 6. Van Bommel, 7. Kuyt 8. De Jong, 9. Van Persie, 10. Sneijder, 23. Van Der Vaart

Subs Used: 14. De Zeeuw, 17. Elia, 20. Afellay

Denmark: 1. Sorenson, 2. Poulsen, 3. Kjaer, 4. Agger, 6. Jacobsen, 10. Jorgensen, 11. Bendtner, 12. Kahlenberg, 15. Poulsen, 19. Rommedahl, 20. Enevoldsen

Subs Used: 8. Gronkjaer, 17. Beckmann, 21. Eriksen