Liverpool 5 Birmingham 0

A Maxi Rodriguez hat-trick and a goal each for Dirk Kuyt and Joe Cole condemned Birmingham to a hammering.

The Argentinian took only seven minutes to open the scoring at Anfield and completed the job for Liverpool 18 minutes from time, as the in-form hosts completely overwhelmed their relegation-threatened visitors.

The defeat was Blues' joint-heaviest of the season and heaps extra pressure on them ahead of next weekend's derby against Wolves.

Not for the first time this season, boss Alex McLeish's selection options had been limited by injury, with strikers Obafemi Martins and Nikola Zigic both sidelined with groin injuries.

But McLeish was boosted by the return of defender Martin Jiranek at left-back, after a three game absence with a toe injury.

Jiranek replaced Stuart Parnaby, while Lee Bowyer replaced Barry Ferguson in midfield in a side containing just two changes from Wednesday's 3-1 defeat to Chelsea.

Liverpool also had two notable absences, with Andy Carroll and Fabio Aurelio both failing to shake off knee and thigh injuries respectively, but Jamie Carragher overcame a concussion sustained against Arsenal last weekend.

But as they did against Chelsea, Blues fell behind with minutes of kick-off.

Rodriguez tapped home from close range after Ben Foster had spilled Jay Spearing's fierce shot, which had been straight at the goalkeeper.

Cameron Jerome, starting as effectively a lone striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation, almost responded immediately but could not get a telling touch on Stephen Carr's low right wing cross, under pressure from Carragher.

But Liverpool doubled their lead in the 24th minute, through Kuyt.

Luis Suarez drew a good save from Foster, after latching onto Raul Meireles' flick-on and Kurt buried the rebound at the second attempt, firing past Ridgewell on the line.

Meireles almost added a third after just 30 minutes, but miscued Rodriguez's cut back as Liverpool continued to overwhelm Blues' midfield and back line.

Sebastian Larsson wasted a decent chance at the other end, curling Carr's low cross straight at goalkeeper Pepe Reina from inside the box after another good right-wing run from the full-back.

But things went from bad to worse for Blues when Foster had to be replaced by Colin Doyle five minutes before half time - the goalkeeper failing to shake off a knock after colliding with Kuyt for Liverpool's second goal.

And Kuyt should have killed the game off two minutes before the break but nodded Meireles's curling free-kick inches wide of the far post.

Craig Gardner and Keith Fahey smashed a half-chance each well wide from outside the box in stoppage time, before Suarez fired straight at Doyle from a lightning-quick counter-attack.

Jack Robinson was booked less than three minutes after the restart after chopping down Jerome, but Rodriguez ended any hopes of a second-half fight back in the 66th minute by slotting home from Suarez's pin-point cross.

Blues' back line was caught too high up the field, with Carr playing Suarez onside and the striker picking out the unmarked Rodriguez in the box to seal an easy victory.

Alexander Hleb was replaced by David Bentley with 20 minutes left but Liverpool continued to dominate, with Rodriguez completing his hat-trick three minutes later.

Substitute Cole added a fifth with four minutes to go, when Doyle allowed his low shot to trickle in at the near post.

Again, Blues marking was woeful and they could have few complaints about the final score.