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- I will eternally be grateful for how terrifically wrong I was about Daniel Sturridge, even if he occasionally confirms my worst fears about his selfishness. If he makes a bad decision or two in the midst of three goals I'm not going to complain, and by all accounts he's working hard at unlearning whatever sort of learned helplessness he has when it comes to passing the ball. Three goals might not become the norm, though with the type of service he's been receiving of late, it wouldn't be too shocking to see an even more elevated return than we could have hoped for.
- Related, PHIL. Not his most consistently excellent performance, but still one that has him among the league's best when it comes to creativity and vision. He had a few chances of his own, though if he never scored another goal in a Liverpool shirt I'd be happy. The pass to cap Sturridge's hat-trick has to be one of the assists of the season, and what's even better is that it's not too much better than a handful of other assists he's made during his first three and a half months in a Liverpool shirt. Also, that's not very much time at all.
- Was glad to see Sebastian Coates, Jonjo Shelvey, and Andre Wisdom return, but I wasn't overwhelmed with any of their efforts. That the two defenders made their respective returns as part of an adapted system seemed unfair, and Shelvey was about as inconsistent as you'd expect from someone who's spent most of his match time with the U21s. I'd like to see all three getting first-team minutes next season, and wouldn't necessarily be bothered if at least one or two of them were doing so elsewhere on a temporary basis.
- Fabio Borini is just a lovable character and there's no good reason to wish him ill. His career started poorly and the injuries didn't help, but hot damn I find myself investing a lot of emotion in his success. Even if his Liverpool career is limited to the types of cameos he's gotten since returning from injuries I'd be happy, as I'm guessing his sharpness in terms of finishing improves.
- There were more signs of recovery from Lucas, especially once Jordan Henderson was restored to a position that was closer to a partnership than what we've seen in the past. In general Brendan Rodgers' changes were successful--Enrique for Wisdom along with a more traditional formation that cemented Liverpool's hold on the match.
- Games that are hard to care about turn out to be sort of fun to watch, especially when you already know the result and are loaded on mimosas. Long may it continue.