Premier League: We’re loving life at the top, says Rodgers
LIVERPOOL 2 SUNDERLAND 1
LIVERPOOL boss Brendan Rodgers admitted last night his title-chasing team are enjoying proving their doubters wrong after they moved to within a point of the Premier League summit.
Goals from captain Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge earned the Reds their seventh straight league victory, despite Sunderland substitute Ki Sung-Yueng heading in late on, moving Rodgers’ team above Manchester City into second place.
Though few placed them among the title favourites at the beginning of the campaign, Liverpool are inching ever closer to a first league crown in 24 years. And Rodgers revealed everyone at Anfield is taking great pleasure from their current form.
“People looked at us and thought we would tail off. For us, there is not the expectancy, certainly this year,” he said.
“We keep looking in front. That has been the mantra for us. The message to fans is ‘stay calm’.
“The perception at the moment is we’re going to score four, five or six goals in every game, but it’s always difficult, we found it hard to penetrate. We had to be patient and hope our quality came through and we scored two excellent goals.”
Roared on by a buoyant home crowd, Liverpool struggled to test Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone in the first 30 minutes, as Sturridge, Joe Allen and Glen Johnson all fired off-target.
But the breakthrough was made six minutes before half-time when Gerrard placed a free-kick beyond Mannone from 25 yards.
Three minutes after the restart Sturridge scored his 20th Premier League goal of the season, side-stepping former Liverpool defender Andrea Dossena, before curling past Mannone.
Lee Cattermole rattled the crossbar with a first time effort in reply, while Sturridge did the same 60 seconds later.
Sunderland set up a nervous finish when Ki found space at a corner to head in Adam Johnson’s cross from close range, but the Reds resisted late pressure.