Luis Suarez scored two goals and set up Raheem Sterling for another as Liverpool coasted to a 3-0 half-time lead over Cardiff City.

The home side started brightly and Sterling's vicious cross forced David Marshall into an early save before Suarez fired wide.

Suarez came close once more in the sixth minute as his effort was deflected wide of the far post.

For all of Liverpool's dominance, Cardiff continued to look a threat on the break and only a fine Simon Mignolet save prevented Craig Noone from giving his side the lead with a curling effort.

Suarez then saw another effort deflected wide, but it wasn't long before he put the Reds in front. A neat interchange on the edge of the box involving Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson ended with Suarez volleying the ball home from 18 yards with Marshall stranded.

Five minutes later, neat trickery from Coutinho took him past two defenders from a corner and the Brazilian show his low shot from a tight angle rebound back off a post, and Jon Flanagan saw his shot cleared off the line by the Cardiff goalkeeper two minutes later.

Liverpool doubled their lead four minutes before half time with an incisive counter-attack. Henderson freed Suarez, who squared the ball to Sterling, who was left with a simple finish to put his side 2-0 up.

In the final minute of the half, Suarez bent a 20-yard effort into the far corner to take his tally to two and extend Liverpool's lead to three with 45 minutes played.