Norwich 2 - Liverpool 3: Reds in debt to Raheem's Sterling effort #CarryGobySeanKellz #FutureGroupNG via @i_amreginaldjr

AT THE end, Raheem Sterling collapsed on top of Luis Suarez on the turf, the pair embracing as Liverpool’s fans rejoiced.

Raheem Sterling scored twice and assisted once to give Liverpool an 11th successive victory[GETTY]

They know the moment of glory is edging ever closer. Liverpool are not there yet, they still have to face Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday and Manchester City still have five games left.
But seven more points and the title is theirs. If the fat lady has not yet started singing, she is certainly clearing her throat.
It was unusual in fact to see Brendan Rodgers’ team make such hard work of a game as they did at Carrow Road, such has been their imperious progress lately. Especially after racing into a two goal lead in their first 10 minutes.
In the end, Neil Adams’ Canaries ran them close and caused a few nerves to jangle. But eventually the 11th win on the trot came, as it was always likely to do.
Such is the unpredictable nature of this Premier League this season, it could well be at Crystal Palace on May 5 that Rodgers’ team clinch the title, if their rivals continue to slip up. But do not hold your breath.
In fact, had Ricky van Wolfswinkel not completely fluffed a clear header with seven nervy minutes to go yesterday, instead plopping it straight into Simon Mignolet’s hands from six yards, we might have had to wait even longer. But then one goal all season for £8.5million tells a story.
Sterling three times had the goal in his sights and scored twice and set up Liverpool’s second. That is the difference between top and bottom.
The Liverpool youngster was mesmerising yesterday, notching his team’s early goal, scoring the crucial third, and generally running Norwich ragged.

 

Luis Suarez and Sterling celebrate after sending Liverpool five points clear at the top [GETTY]

The Canaries are now looking nervously over their shoulders with three games left, two of them away at Manchester United and Chelsea and one at home, against Arsenal.
They fought hard yesterday but ultimately they were not good enoug and, with Sunderland and Fulham reviving, you fear for them.
For Liverpool, 24 years of pain are surely now set to end.
Rodgers’ team were imperious at times, powerful at others but oddly vulnerable on some occasions.
Norwich’s only real hope had been to frustrate Liverpool and hold out. It was a plan that was blown away inside four minutes. That was all the time it took for Sterling, the youngster Rodgers calls the best young player in Europe at the moment, to unlock them.
The 19 year old picked up a pass from Philippe Coutinho, jinked past a challenge and fired the ball into the top corner from 20 yards.
Six minutes later Sterling laid a lovely ball across the back of a floundering Canaries defence and Suarez slid in the goal that made him the first Liverpool striker since Ian Rush in 1986 to hit 30 goals in a season.
At this stage, as Steven Gerrard pinged the ball about and Sterling ran amok, it seemed a trouncing might be on the cards.
Joe Allen shot just wide, Coutinho missed with a chip and Sterling fired over. But inspired by some harsh half-time words from Adams, Norwich fought back.
Bradley Johnson cannoned into Mignolet, who sloppily dropped the ball and Gary Hooper shot Norwich back into the game from six yards.

Suarez maintained his excellent goalscoring record against the Canaries yesterday [GETTY]

It was Sterling, of course, who killed them off, as he picked up Johnson’s awful pass and raced clean through the middle.
Johnson performed a miracle to get back and block but only succeeded in deflecting the ball in a cruel loop over John Ruddy and into the net.
Norwich did not give up though and, when Martin Olsson crossed from the left, the indefatigable Robert Snodgrass got up to nod home at the far post.
Liverpool had to show other qualities then - a determination to hang on and grind out the win.
They did just that, thanks to Van Wolfswinkle’s errant radar.
“Now you’ve got to believe us, we’re going to win the league,” sang Liverpool’s fans in the Jarrold Stand. Maybe they are right.
Norwich (4-1-4-1): Ruddy 6; Whittaker 5, Martin 6, Turner 6, Olsson 5; Johnson 5; Fer 5 (Murphy 78 6), Snodgrass 6, Howson 5, Redmond 6; Hooper 6 (Van Wolfswinkel 78 6). Booked: Booked: Snodgrass, Turner, Howson. Goals: Hooper 54, Snodgrass 77.
Liverpool (4-1-2-1-1): Mignolet 7; Johnson 6, Skrtel 7, Sakho 7, Flanagan 6; Gerrard 7; Lucas 7, Allen 7 (Agger 81 6); Sterling 8; Suarez 7, Coutinho 7 (Moses 75 6). Booked: Skrtel, Flanagan. Goals: Sterling 4, 61, Suarez 10.
Referee: A Marriner.
Next Up: Norwich – Saturday: Manchester Utd (a) league.
Liverpool – Sunday: Chelsea (h) league.