Good afternoon and welcome to the live commentary of the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Norwich City.

Liverpool are in desperate neeed of a win this afternoon to ease the growing pressure on manager Brendan Rodgers. The Reds are currently on a three-match run without a victory in the Premier League following their back-to-back defeats at the hands of West Ham United and Manchester United, which has seen them concede six goals in their last two games. The Merseysiders got some respite in midweek when they drew 1-1 with Bordeaux in the Europa League, but Rodgers will know that he will have to guide his side to better fortune in the top flight to turn the tide.

Norwich are enjoying their best start to a Premier League season since 1993 as Alex Neil has continued his fine work from last season to guide the club to two wins and a draw in their first five matches. The Canaries defeated Bournemouth 3-1 last week in a fine display at Carrow Road to notch their second victory of the campaign following their success against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Neil has made his side an threat in the final third, despite the lack of top goalscorer to lead the line. However, the Scot will know that the Canaries face a major test this afternoon.

Rodgers have received backing from men in and around the club this week to reverse their fortunes. One of his main problems has been the effect of his summer signings this season. The Reds paid £32.5m for the services of Christian Benteke from Aston Villa and despite scoring a sublime overhead kick against United, the Belgian has been underwhelming in his first five matches. Roberto Firmino has also struggled to find his form in the first month of the campaign since his £29.5m move from Hoffenheim, and considering the outlay of cash of both players Rodgers really needed them to hit the ground running.

In contrast, Norwich have already seen their summer signings make an impact for them this season. Eyebrows were raised when the Canaries decided to spend £7m on Robbie Brady, but the Republic of Ireland international has had a solid start to his career at Carrow Road. Matt Jarvis also made an instant impact on his debut for Neil's men as he found the net in their 3-1 win over Bournemouth. The only disappointment has been Youssouf Mulumbu, who has yet to see the field since his free transfer in the summer from West Bromwich Albion due to a knee injury.

The team news has been announced and we'll start with the home side.

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet, Clyne, Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Can, Milner, Coutinho, Benteke, Sturridge
SUBS: Bogdan, Lovren, Firmino, Gomez, Lallana, Ings, Ibe

NORWICH STARTING XI: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Brady; Redmond, Dorrans, Tettey, Jarvis; Howson; Jerome
SUBS: Rudd, Grabban, Mbokani, Hoolahan, Olsson, R Bennett, O'Neil

Daniel Sturridge is put straight into the starting lineup by Rodgers this afternoon after stepping up his recovery from hip surgery to make his first appearance for the Reds since their FA Cup win over Blackburn Rovers last season. The 26-year-old leads the line with Christian Benteke in front of a four-man midfield, which includes James Milner and Philippe Coutinho. Joe Gomez drops to the bench following his mistake at Old Trafford last week and Alberto Moreno slots into the side at left-back, while Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho anchor the middle of the defence. Captain Jordan Henderson misses the fixture due to a broken foot, which will keep him sidelined for another six weeks at least.

Neil makes two changes to his starting lineup from his side's win over Bournemouth last week, and one is a surprise as playmaker Wes Hoolahan drops to the bench and is replaced by Graham Dorrans. The other less so as Steven Whittaker returns from suspension to replace Andre Wisdom at right-back, who was ineligible to play against his parent club. Cameron Jerome leads the line in attack after notching his first goal of the season against the Cherries, while Nathan Redmond and Matt Jarvis support the forward from the flanks. Dorrans, Jonny Howson and Alex Tettey operate as a three-man midfield to protect the back four at Anfield this afternoon.

Rodgers has issued a rallying cry for support from the Liverpool faithful at Anfield this afternoon to help fire his team back into form.

He has written in his programme notes: "I'm well aware that the last two league matches haven't produced anywhere near the level you want to see from a team representing you and we are all working night and day to put that right.

"However this team, this group of players, needs your support and needs you to stay with them and help them as they bed-in and find their fluency. It is something that you have done brilliantly for us throughout my time here. It's what sets you apart."

Neil has insisted that Liverpool are not a club in crisis and backed the under-fire Rodgers, but he is adamant that his team have to believe that they can secure the three points this afternoon.

Neil told BBC Sport: Brendan Rodgers has proved himself as a manager. He nearly won the league with Liverpool.

"I don't buy this [talk of] 'Liverpool are in crisis'. Liverpool have got good players, they're well managed and they'll be a danger to any team in the league.

"We've got to go to Anfield believing that we can win. I think that's the biggest bit, the players must go there and believe that they can do that."

PAST MEETING! Liverpool won the last clash between the sides 3-2 at Carrow Road thanks to a brace from Raheem Sterling and a strike from Luis Suarez. Of course neither player is still at the club, which will delight Norwich as Suarez scored 12 goals past them in just five appearances.

STAT ATTACK! Liverpool have won their last five games on the spin against the Canaries, including 5-1 and 5-0 victories in the sides last two clashes at Anfield.

The Sports Mole pundits had had their say on the match this afternoon. Check out the video below to hear their views.

A sight to please all Liverpool supporters. The return of Sturridge is a huge boost for Rodgers as only Newcastle United have scored fewer goals in the Premier League than the Reds this season.

PREDICTION: Liverpool have struggled immensely for form since the start of the season, but with the return of Sturridge they will have enough to get back to winning ways this afternoon in a 3-1 victory.

The players are making their way out on to the pitch so we should be underway shortly.

Liverpool have only lost three matches on the spin once before under Rodgers, which came last season in November when they lost to Newcastle, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

KICKOFF! We're underway at Anfield.

Benteke takes the ball out of the air in the Norwich half and advances with menace before he has his heels clipped by Tettey and wins a free kick 35 yards from goal.

YELLOW CARD! Very early booking for Milner as he brings down Jerome when he tried to turn and run at the Liverpool defence. Cynical challenge from the Reds skipper and he will have to be very careful.

PENALTY SHOUT! Sturridge almost makes an immediate impact on his return to the pitch as he backheels the ball into the path of Milner, who raids into the box and goes down under the challenge of Brady. However, referee Anthony Taylor is unmoved and the replays suggest that Milner went to ground easily.

Clyne raids down the right and manages to win a free kick as Brady goes in late after the England right-back had knocked the ball past him. An opportunity for the Reds to put a dangerous ball into the box from the right.

CHANCE! Moreno's free kick is cleared to the edge of the box, and Coutinho takes a fresh air swing at his first attempt on the volley. Fortunately for the Brazilian he gets another crack at the ball, but he sends his half-volley tamely wide of the post.

SHOT! An early attempt for Norwich as they work the ball well in the Liverpool half between Howson and Dorrans, and the Scot decides to take a shot at goal from 30 yards. However, his effort lacks direction and sails wide of the post.

Liverpool go nowhere with passes at the back and Jerome pushes forward to apply pressure to Skrtel who goes back to Mignolet. The Belgian tries to find Moreno on the left wing, but his clearance goes straight into touch.

Sturridge wins a free kick for his side in a promising position down the right, and Milner lifts the ball into the box, but he gets his delivery all wrong and Ruddy claims the ball with ease. A waste from the Reds.

Norwich work the ball well around the edge of the box when Dorrans, Howson and Jerome all exchange passes, but no one takes responsibility to strike at goal. Milner eventually manages to win the ball and clears the danger for the home side.

CHANCE! Moreno does well down the left as he beats the challenge of Whittaker. The left-back squares the ball for Milner on the edge of the box, who has space and time to pick his spot, but his strike at goal his blocked by Brady and Norwich are able clear their lines. A great opportunity for the hosts.

PENALTY SHOUT! Sturridge wants a penalty as he tries to raid past Bassong in the area, and he falls theatrically to the ground. Taylor is not interested though and he waves play on, much to the frustration of the striker and home supporters inside Anfield.

Coutinho weaves his way past two defenders in the middle of the park and finds Sturridge and then continues his run into the box. The striker tries to pick out the Brazilian in the box, but Martin reads the danger and makes a vital interception.

Moreno raids down the left and his low cross finds the feet of Sturridge in the box. The 26-year-old takes a touch to get the ball out of his feet, but it's too heavy and Bassong nips in to clear the ball downfield.

Norwich's turn to put pressure on the hosts as Brady speeds down the left wing and lifts a cross to the back post for Redmond, and although the winger heads at goal, he is flagged for a foul on Moreno.

A scary moment for Liverpool on the halfway line as Benteke plays the ball back to Sakho, but the defender slips and Redmond pounces on the ball. However, the Frenchman manages to get to his feet and wins the ball from the winger to alleviate the danger.

CHANCE! Clyne brings the ball forward from the back and Brady fails to close him down, so the right-back goes for goal with a powerful right-footed strike, which sails just past the post.

Benteke controls the ball on the edge of the box and lays the ball into the path of Sturridge. The 25-year-old tries to release the run of the Belgian into the area, but his pass is just too heavy and Ruddy is able to gather.

CHANCE! Sturridge spurns a great chance to fire Liverpool ahead as he collects the ball from Milner and has space and time to put his effort beyond Ruddy, but the forward can only fire his strike straight at the keeper, who makes a good save. Martin made the error by misplacing his pass in the middle of the park and Sturridge should have made him pay.

Moreno causes further problems down the left and he squares the ball for Milner on the edge of the box. Milner takes a touch to nudge the ball into the path of Benteke, who tries to play his teammate back in on goal, but the pass is too powerful for the midfielder and Ruddy smothers the ball at Milner's feet.

Liverpool are slowly clicking into gear in the final third, but are yet to properly test Ruddy, bar Sturridge's strike from Martin's error.

Another mistake in the Norwich backline nearly allows Benteke to pounce as Brady gives the ball away in his own box. Milner lifts the ball, and although Whittaker gets a head to the ball it causes problems for Ruddy as the Belgian challenges him for the ball and the keeper manages to punch it clear under immense pressure.

CHANCE! Liverpool press forward again and Moreno's cross from the left is headed clear, but only as far as Milner on the edge of the box, who takes the volley on first time. However, his effort is straight into the arms of Ruddy, who makes a comfortable save.

Norwich press on the break and Jerome gets down into the left inside channel to race towards goal after being played in by Dorrans. However, the striker goes for an ambitious strike at goal from a tight angle and Mignolet is able to make the save. Jerome had Jarvis in support and that looked to be the better option for the visitors.

There will be one minute of added time.

It remains goalless at Anfield after an interesting 45 minutes of action. Liverpool were the better side and carved out the best opportunities, although they only tested John Ruddy once, when he was called to deny Daniel Sturridge. The 26-year-old has made an impact for the Reds this afternoon as he has tried to provide a link-up with Christian Benteke and Philippe Coutinho, but it just has not come off for the home side so far.

Norwich were on the back foot for the majority of the half, but they managed to show resilience under pressure to limit Liverpool to efforts from distance. Cameron Jerome has been isolated at time, but he has held the ball well to alleviate the pressure on his back four. Neil will be pleased with what he has seen so far from his team.

SUBSTITUTION: Danng Ings comes on at the break to replace Benteke for the home side. The Belgian has a hamstring injury.

RESTART! We're back underway at Anfield.

Howson threads the ball through the Jerome to raid into the box. Mignolet comes out to force the foward wide, and the keeper does well to block Jerome's attempted pass to find the run of Howson in the middle. Good keeping from Mignolet.

Ings opens his Liverpool account with a neat finish to hand his side the lead. The goal came from a mistake in the Norwich backline as Martin gave the ball away for the second time of the match, and Moreno lifted the ball over the defence for the run of the England Under-21 international and he held his composure to fire left-footed strike through Ruddy into the net.

Whittaker makes a vital interception for the visitors as Milner almost plays Sturridge through beyond the Norwich backline, but the Scot managed to get a boot to the ball and Ruddy was able to gather.

YELLOW CARD! Tettey goes into the book for a clash with Lucas, although the actual booking may have been for dissent over the decision. That's the midfielder's fifth yellow card of the season, quite an achievement considering this is only the sixth game of the campaign.

CHANCE! Coutinho comes within inches of doubling his side's advantage as he collects the ball on the edge of the box and takes a touch to beat the challenge of Whittaker. The Brazilian curls the ball towards the top corner, but his strike sails just wide of the target. Liverpool in command at Anfield.

Whittaker raids forward from the back and no red shirts go to close him down even though he gets to the edge of the box, and the Scot decides to take the shot on. However, Whittaker displays why he is a defender as he blazes his strike over the bar.

Dorrans plays a low ball into the box for the run of Jarvis and the visitors win a corner as the winger plays the ball off the legs of Skrtel. A chance to threaten for the Canaries.

Norwich find an equaliser in spectacular fashion as Martin finishes superbly from a corner as Mignolet flapped at the ball and the defender controlled the ball on his chest before guiding the ball over the keeper with the outside of his foot. A lovely finish, but the keeper had to do better to punch Brady's corner away from danger.

SUBSTITUTION: Sturridge's return lasts just over an hour as Lallana comes on to the pitch to replace him.

CHANCE! Norwich come so close to taking the lead as Jerome knocks the ball into the path of Redmond and his low cross finds Jarvis at the near post, who fires the ball at goal. However, Mignolet makes an excellent reaction save to keep the ball out. The Belgian may just have atoned for his error for the equaliser.

CHANCE! The Reds repond immediately down the left as Moreno advances into the box and blasts a left-footed strike towards the top corner, but Ruddy palms his strike over the bar.

Brady gives the ball away in the final third and Ings pounces on the loose ball and drives towards the edge of the box. The striker rifles a left-footed shot at goal, but Martin manages to get back at him to make the crucial block.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Grabban returns to the fold for the Canaries to replace Jerome, while Lucas is replaced by Firmino for the home side.

CHANCE! Whittaker loses the ball in a dangerous area down the right and Ings feeds Firmino in the box, who tries to beat Ruddy at his near post, but the keeper makes the save to keep the scores level.

Brady drives forward with menace and tries to find space to attempt a shot at goal, but Milner sticks to his task to divert the ball behind for a corner.

CHANCE! Liverpool should be ahead once again as they hit Norwich on the counter from the corner. Firmino releases Coutinho down the flank and the midfielder advances into the box with only Ruddy to beat and all the time in the world to pick his spot, but he can only fire his effort straight at the keeper.

CHANCE! Liverpool come close again as Lallana weaves his way between two defenders, and the ball ricochets into the path of Ings, who takes a touch to control the ball. However, the touch proves to be his downfall as Ruddy prevents the strike and when he tries to take the ball around the keeper the ball goes out of play.

SUBSTITUTION: O'Neil replaces Dorrans for the visitors.

Norwich's defending has been poor at times this afternoon, but not on this occasion as Whittaker does well to edge Ings out of position to win the ball from a lofted pass from Firmino, which looked threatening for the home side.

Milner wins the ball from Brady at the corner flag and whips the ball into the box at the near post, but no red shirt attacks his cross and Ruddy is able to gather with ease.

There will be four minutes of added time.

Liverpool have struggled to get the ball forward in stoppage time, but Lallana manages to win a corner down the left.

CHANCE! The corner is cleared as far as Lallana on the edge of the box, but his volleyed effort sails wide despite the best attempts of Can to divert it towards goal.

Liverpool's search for a win goes on in the Premier League as they extend their run without a victory to four matches as they fail to defeat the Canaries at Anfield this afternoon. After a tepid first half, the introduction of Danny Ings brought the team to life as he collected the ball and fired his effort past John Ruddy to hand his side the lead and the Reds had chances to extend their advantage, but failed to capitalise. However, Russel Martin found the net with a sublime strike as he made the most of an error from Simon Mignolet to earn the draw for Neil's men.

Thanks for joining our commentary this afteroon. Until next time, goodbye.