Fernando Torres scored three times and his replacement Ryan Babel twice as Liverpool beat Hull City 6–1 at Anfield on 26 September 2009. Steven Gerrard supplied the other goal in a victory that extended Liverpool’s winning run to six matches in all competitions.
Hull did briefly draw level, Geovanni answering Torres’ opener in the first quarter of an hour. Liverpool led only 2–1 at half-time, but four unanswered goals after the interval turned the match into a much heavier defeat for Phil Brown’s side.
Torres opened the scoring from Albert Riera’s delivery from the left. He shifted the ball away from Ibrahima Sonko and finished past Boaz Myhill. Hull responded when Martin Škrtel’s attempted headed clearance dropped to Geovanni, who volleyed the equaliser.
Yossi Benayoun supplied the pass for Torres to restore Liverpool’s lead in the 28th minute. The striker worked his way past the goalkeeper and defenders before finishing from close range. It was the second of three goals in which his control inside the penalty area gave Hull no effective answer.
The hat-trick was complete two minutes into the second half. Benayoun again found Torres, this time in the right-hand channel. Torres turned inside Sonko and struck through Paul McShane’s legs into the far corner, putting Liverpool 3–1 ahead.
Gerrard made it four around the hour mark. His curling delivery from wide on the left travelled beyond Myhill into the far corner. Liverpool now had a three-goal advantage, and Rafael Benítez subsequently withdrew both Torres and Gerrard.
Babel, who had come on for Torres, added two more near the end. His first came from Dirk Kuyt’s low ball across from the right. The sixth was less deliberate: Riera’s shot struck Babel and looped past Myhill in added time. Both goals were credited to the substitute.
Liverpool finished the day third in the Premier League with 15 points from seven matches. This was their fourth successive league victory, following wins over Bolton Wanderers, Burnley and West Ham United. Champions League and League Cup wins over Debrecen and Leeds United completed the six-match sequence. Against Hull, three different scorers shared the six goals, with Torres and Babel accounting for five between them.