Watch Liverpool’s Luis Suarez score four goals vs. Norwich [Video]

Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan striker known as much for controversy as his goal-scoring ability, put on the performance of a lifetime for Liverpool on Wednesday by scoring four times in a 5-1 victory over English Premier League rival Norwich City.

Two of Suarez’s strikes were world class, including the game’s opening goal on a strike from more than 40 yards away as he corralled a header from a teammate and lofted a soaring shot over the goaltender with deft precision.

Suarez, who became the first EPL player to have three hat tricks against the same club, has twice bitten opponents, used a racial slur against another and has a penchant for diving -- although he’s far from alone in the latter category.

He’s also proved to be a reliable scorer in the world’s best league. He has scored 11 goals in five games against Norwich. And former Liverpool greats have taken notice, one comparing him to Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo.

“They were all wonder goals, not just tap-ins,” said Ian Rush, Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer with 346 goals. “You have to compare him with Messi and Ronaldo.”

Then there’s Robbie Fowler, Liverpool’s sixth-leading scorer with 183 goals, who added some humor to the conversation.

“I love him but I’m also starting to dislike him because he’s making all the ex-Liverpool strikers look very average,” Fowler said.

That’s because Suarez, who has 51 goals in 86 appearances for Liverpool, has the unique ability to score when nobody is expecting a shot. In 254 games since turning pro at 19, including 110 with Dutch power Ajax, he has 152 goals.

“At times it’s just a case of getting the ball to him and letting him produce,” Liverpool teammate Joe Allen said. “His goals came out of nothing, really.”

Wire and Internet reports contributed to this story.

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