(SPORT) Steve Gerard Restores Liverpool's Hope

Liverpool climbed back into the top four of the Premier League with a thrilling 5-3 win over Stoke City.

Liverpool raced into a two-goal lead thanks to an own goal from Ryan Shawcross and a Luis Suarez strike.

However, Stoke fought back to level matters before the break through two former Anfield men Peter Crouch and Charlie Adam, Sky Sports reports.

Steven Gerrard restored Liverpool’s lead early in the

second half with a penalty before Suarez netted his 22nd goal of the season to make it 4-2.

Jon Walters pulled a goal back late on before substitute Daniel Sturridge made the same safe with Liverpool’s fifth goal three minutes from time .

Liverpool got off to a flying start when they broke the deadlock after just five minutes courtesy of an unfortunate own goal from Shawcross.

There looked very little danger when Aly Cissokho tried his luck with a shot from 35 yards out, but his effort took a wicked deflection off Shawcross to wrong-foot Jack Butland and fly into the net.

Stoke tried to respond and won a succession of corners, but Liverpool almost caught them on the break on 20 minutes when Raheem Sterling beat Erik Pieters on the halfway line and ran to the edge of the box before cutting the ball back for Philippe Coutinho who curled his effort just over the crossbar.

Suarez wasted a good chance to score on 28 minutes when he beat Butland to Coutinho’s cross, but the normally deadly striker got his header all wrong and the opportunity went begging.

Four minutes later Suarez made amends when he capitalised on confusion between Marc Wilson and Shawcross, with the latter poking the ball beyond Butland and allowing the Liverpool striker to slot the ball into the empty net.

Stoke pulled a goal back on 39 minutes when Marko Arnautovic fired over a cross from the left and Crouch lost his marker Kolo Toure to power his header into the bottom corner past Simon Mignolet.