LIVERPOOL, (AFP) — Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said that Luis Suarez still had his best years ahead of him after his four goals inspired a 5-1 demolition of Norwich City at Anfield.

The Uruguay international needed just 35 first-half minutes to smash a spectacular hat-trick in Wednesday’s game, with his third goal marking his 50th Premier League strike.

He added his fourth goal with a stunning 74th-minute free-kick as Liverpool rampaged back to form.

“This is the happiest Luis has been at this club,” Rodgers said.

“But there is more to come from him. He is only 26 years old, but his best years are ahead of him and those best years are going to be here. Anfield is a hand-and-glove fit for him.”

Suarez took his total for the season to 13 goals and proved there is life in Liverpool’s challenge for a Champions League place without his injured strike partner Daniel Sturridge.

“Luis was sheer brilliance,” Rodgers added.

“It was a joy for me to watch that. I think for anyone to witness that, they would say it was a remarkable evening. It was not just the fact he scored four goals, but it was the manner of those goals.

“Luis has got to be up there as one of the best strikers in the world after that. The repertoire he showed here tonight (Wednesday) was incredible. Undoubtedly, he is a top, world-class player.”

Rodgers had demanded an instant response from his side after a dismal 3-1 defeat at Hull City on Sunday and his players delivered in style at Anfield.

“That was a bit of a tap on the shoulder for us at Hull,” Rodgers said. “We were only at 75 percent and you cannot afford to do that in the Premier League these days and hope to get away with it.

“But we categorically put that right against Norwich. We were up to speed and deserved everything we got. There were lots of positives for me to take away from this.”

Blazers end Thunder streak to top West

PORTLAND, Ore (AP) — Portland took over as the NBA Western Conference leader by beating Oklahoma City 111-104 on Wednesday, ending the Thunder’s eight-game winning streak.

LaMarcus Aldridge had a season-high 38 points and added 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Portland moved half a game above San Antonio for the West lead because the Spurs’ scheduled game against Minnesota in Mexico City had to be abandoned due to a fire in the generator room which choked the arena with smoke just before tipoff.

Elsewhere, an accurate Phoenix downed Houston, Kyle Korver matched a three-point record as Atlanta beat the Los Angeles Clippers and Indiana notched an overdue win at Utah.

Portland’s Nicolas Batum hit a three-pointer with 29.9 seconds to go that all but sealed it for the Blazers, who have won 14 of their past 15 games. The win also snapped Oklahoma City’s seven-game winning streak against the Blazers.

Kevin Durant finished with 33 for the Thunder.

Phoenix’s Eric Bledsoe had 20 points and seven assists to lead the Suns over Houston 97-88.

P J Tucker added 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting with six rebounds for Phoenix, which shot 45.6 percent from the field, including 45.8 percent from behind the arc.

Dwight Howard had 15 points and 18 rebounds for the Rockets.

Atlanta’s Kyle Korver tied the NBA record for consecutive games with a three-pointer and scored a season-high 23 points in the Hawks’ 107-97 victory over the Clippers.

NZ cricketers in fixing investigation

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Former test opening batsman Lou Vincent has confirmed he is one of three New Zealand past players being investigated by the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption and security unit over possible match or spot fixing.

The 35-year-old Vincent, who played the last of 23 Tests for New Zealand in 2007, issued a statement to say “I am co-operating with an ongoing ICC anti-corruption investigation that has been made public today.” He said he was unable to make further comment and asked for privacy while the investigation continues.

Former allrounder Chris Cairns, who was also named by New Zealand media as being under investigation, refused to confirm those claims. In his only statment, he told Fairfax Media “we need to let the investigation by the ICC run its course.”

Cairns had been due to provide television commentary on the test between New Zealand and the West Indies at Dunedin yesterday but left the ground unexpectedly during the day.

The New Zealand Herald newspaper revealed yesterday that three New Zealanders were under investigation in what it described as “the biggest sports scandal in New Zealand’s history.”

Spain, Brazil, Germany favourites for World Cup says Ronaldo

MADRID, (AFP) — Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo believes Spain, Brazil and Germany are the favourites to win next year’s World Cup and is keen to avoid all three in today’s draw for the group stages.

The Real Madrid forward ensured his country will be represented in Brazil next summer with a stunning individual performance as he scored all four goals in Portugal’s 4-2 aggregate playoff win over Sweden last month.

However, having been eliminated by Spain in each of the last two major tournaments, he is keen to avoid some of his club teammates along with Brazil and three-time winners Germany in the early stages.

“The candidates to win the World Cup are Brazil, Spain and Germany. Ideally it is not a good moment to be drawn with them, but we are not thinking about that just now,” he told Spanish sports daily Marca.

“We will see what the draw presents us with. We are confident, in good shape and we have achieved our objective of getting to Brazil. Hopefully we will not be drawn with any of these really strong teams from the start.”

Arjen Robben out for 6 weeks with knee injury

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben will be out of action for about six weeks after injuring his right knee in a German Cup match, the club said yesterday.

Robben was taken off the field on a stretcher after he was hurt in a tackle during the first half of Wednesday’s 2-0 victory at Augsburg.

“I was in such a good shape, I was looking forward to every game and now this,” Robben said.

Robben had a deep laceration, club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt said after the Netherlands winger was examined at an Augsburg hospital.

Sporting director Matthias Sammer said he was “endlessly sorry” about Robben’s injury.

“Arjen was in the form of his life and has helped decide so many games for us recently,” Sammer said.

Robben scored five goals in the last four games. He scored Bayern’s first goal in Augsburg, before being taken out on a stretcher in the 16th minute.

Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz was responsible for Robben’s injury. Robben was called for offside but continued running with the ball and Hitz charged off his line to bring Robben down with a hard tackle.

Hitz said he challenged Robben because he didn’t know if the winger would stop.

“I was late and really hit him. I am very sorry,” Hitz said.

Robben will miss the Club World Cup in Morocco later this month, next week’s Champions League match against Manchester City and Bundesliga games against Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV.

The good news for Bayern is that Franck Ribery is back after cracking a rib in a match for France on November 15.

Sevilla’s president gets seven years for embezzlement

MADRID, (AFP) — Jose Maria del Nido, president of Sevilla football club, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for embezzlement and breaching the course of justice, the club said yesterday.

A lawyer by trade, Del Nido was accused of charging the local authority in Marbella millions of euros for work that was either unnecessary or never even carried out between 1999 and 2003.

The 56-year-old was first sentenced to seven-and-a-half years for the crimes by a provincial court in Malaga back in 2011.

Sevilla confirmed yesterday that his appeal to the Supreme Court had only been succesful in reducing that sentence by six months.

“The criminal chamber of the Supreme Court has sentenced the lawyer and president of Sevilla FC, Jose Maria del Nido, in the so-called ‘fees case’, relating to services rendered to the local authority in Marbella,” said a statement on the club’s website.

“The High Court has only reduced the sentence imposed on Del Nido by the Provincial Court in Malaga that ruled on the subject in 2011 by half a year.”

Del Nido has been in charge of the Andalusian club since 2002 and oversaw one of the most successful spells in its history as it won back-to-back UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007.

Sevilla did not comment any further regarding Del Nido’s future, but Spanish media reported that he will not step down to concentrate on his legal battle.

Three Grand Prix races deleted from calendar

PARIS, (AFP) — Three Grands Prix have been removed from the provisional Formula One calendar for 2014 at the International Automobile Federation’s AGM on Wednesday.

Races in South Korea, Mexico and New Jersey had been included in a bloated 22-race programme for next season but the FIA has decided to keep the current programme of 19 races.

With a new fixture on the calendar in Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix next year, the Korean race at Yeongam has had to make way.

It also means no prospective new race in Mexico, nor a return to the calendar for New Jersey.

An original 22-race provisional calendar had been announced on September 30 but that has now been reduced.

The Indian Grand Prix has also had to make way for the Austrian race at the Red Bull Ring, although that had already been announced in September.

The only other change from the 2013 calendar sees the German GP move from the Nurburgring to Hockenheim.

2014 F1 calendar:

March 16: Australia (Melbourne)

March 30: Malaysia (Sepang)

April 6: Bahrain (Sakhir)

April 20: China (Shanghai)

May 11: Spain (Barc elona)

May 25: Monaco (Monte Carlo)

June 8: Canada (Montreal)

June 22: Austria (Red Bull Ring)

July 6: Great Britain (Silverstone)

July 20: Germany (Hockenheim)

July 27: Hungary (Budapest)

August 24: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)

September 7: Italy (Monza)

September 21: Singapore (Marina Bay)

October 5: Japan (Suzuka)

October 12: Russia (Sochi)

November 2: United States (Austin)

November 9: Brazil (Interlagos, Sao Paulo)

November 23: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)