First Luis Suarez earned the contract, now he is working on earning a statue near the Shankly Gates.

Even a club with as distinguished a history as Liverpool's have never experienced anything like this, the Uruguayan claiming his 19th league goal of the season in 12 appearances as Brendan Rodgers's side moved top with a 3-1 victory against Cardiff City.

Suarez is accumulating at a faster rate than Dixie Dean when he struck his seemingly unbeatable 60 goals for Everton.

He is making the likes of Ian Rush, Roger Hunt and Robbie Fowler appear like they were occasional marksmen. You imagine it cannot last, as if Suarez is caught in some sort of freak storm where every Anfield appearance yields a couple of goals as routine.

Cynics say his contract was signed to make it easier for him to leave in the summer, not tougher. Time will tell, but there is no reason to dispute Suarez's claim that he intends to remain on Merseyside for a "very long time" even if that must be conditional on the club restoring their Champions League place and competing for titles.

If that proves the case, only injury can stop him rewriting club records and prompting weekly 'who was the greatest?' debates. Suarez became the first Liverpool player to score at least twice in five consecutive home games.

We will need to recruit a modern-day Norris McWhirter to research the match reports soon. The first eminently gettable target is Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 34 league goals."He will certainly push it close," Rodgers said. "He looks like he can score a hat-trick in every game, doesn't he?"

Visitors to Anfield have become little more than walk-on guests in the Suarez extravaganza. You half expect the magician to start producing doves from his sleeve after each goal. It is not a question of whether he will score, or even how many, but what kind of goal it will be.

For the record, you can add a close-range volley and swerving right-footer from 20 yards to the collection here. They were Liverpool's first and third of a fixture which, like many others recently, was won after 45 minutes.

The woodwork and unselfishness prevented the hat-trick, Suarez choosing to pass to Raheem Sterling for Liverpool's second when he had only Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall to beat. It is the manner of those strikes that is so beguiling.

When Rodgers was asked to name his favourite, he had to pause 17 seconds to think (he opted for the 40-yarder against Norwich City three weeks ago).

This is a coach who 18 months ago was given the task of ending what had become a goal drought, but now boasts a two-goals-per-game average which has not been matched since Liverpool's formation in 1892.

Rodgers tried to emphasise Liverpool's return to the top was based on a team performance rather than an individual, but you cannot look beyond Suárez as the catalyst.

He is inspiring those around him. In the first minute Jordan Henderson did not flinch when sprinting into a 50-50 tackle. Two years ago Henderson looked like a startled bunny. He is unrecognisable from that player.

Joe Allen, rather like Philippe Coutinho, is ensuring that Liverpool play a more attractive, high-tempo passing game.

Liverpool's defence will face their toughest examination at Manchester City on Boxing Day, the second-half header by Jordon Mutch ensuring the hosts' search for a clean sheet on their own turf continues.

Cardiff, for all the turmoil surrounding their manager, Malky Mackay, and owner Vincent Tan, acquitted themselves well.

"We came up against one of the best players in the world who was unbelievable for 20 minutes," Mackay said.

You do not have to walk far around Anfield to find a club legend staring at you. There are murals all over the place of the icons, the majority of them from the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

There is an occasional modern, overseas great, a Sami Hyypia and Xabi Alonso, for example, but they have supporting roles, in the background, while Ron Yeats, Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson and Graeme Souness rightly take centre stage.

In Steven Gerrard Liverpool found someone who could sit comfortably alongside the gods, and in Suarez they have a player who has the capacity to achieve the previously unthinkable. Eclipse them all.

"There is a real feel-good factor," Rodgers said. "They know they are going to see a real world-class operator and also see a lot of young players who are developing to a really high level. We are on the right path."

Wherever he plays, Suárez is heading for greatness. He is dragging Liverpool with him and it is thrilling to watch.

Source: Daily Telegraph