ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Jordan Henderson (68′) Swansea City 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers hinted he has his sights set on a top-two finish in the Premier League after his side secured their sixth successive clean sheet away from home in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Swnasea.
Jordan Henderson’s fortunate 68th-minute goal won it for Liverpool, as the stand-in captain deflected Jordi Amat’s clearance in the back of the net, inspiring Reds boss Rodgers to insist his side are now aiming for more than just a top-four finish.
Liverpool’s game against fourth-placed Manchester United — who are now just two points ahead of their great rivals — at Anfield on Sunday appears to carry huge significance in the race for the top four and the Champions League berth that goes with it, but Rodgers is setting his ambition bar high in the final weeks of the season.
“Our aim is to finish as high as we can, not just to finish fourth,” Rodgers told Sky Sports. “We go three points behind Arsenal and with Manchester City losing at the weekend, it gives at opportunity to push on.
“For us, it was important to get a victory in this game and we know that we can win at Anfield in a fantastic game that we can all look forward to at the weekend. We will be pushing hard in that game as well.
“The players deserve monumental praise. We haven’t done anything yet, but from where we were at the start of the season, the intent that they have shown and the work they have had to put in to claw that back and to give ourselves a fighting chance is great.”
Rodgers suggested his players were not at their best in the first half against Swansea, as he claimed a tactical change made at half-time altered the balance of the game and led to an improved showing after the break.
“I thought second half we were outstanding,” he added. “First half we were no where near the level that we would expect.
Liverpool moved within two points of Manchester United ahead of their game on Sunday.
“It is a complex system we are playing the 3-4-3 and in the first half it didn’t work for us. Give credit to Swansea because they played well, but we were just not pressing them high enough and when we had the ball, we gave it away too cheaply.
“We changed the structure of the midfield for the second half. We became a diamond and pushed the two sides further up so we had a 3-4-3 in a different format and I thought we dominated the second half. We had much better possession and looked like we could score more goals.
“It doesn’t matter what system you play, the attitude and energy in the game is important for how we work. We were not on it in the first half for whatever reason, but we worked better without the ball in the second half and started to cause them problems.
“We know that we can go away from home and win because of the character and resilience of the team and the quality as well. This win showed us the strides this team are making.”
Henderson also set his sights on Manchester United after Liverpool remained unbeaten in 13 league games
“We can’t wait,” he said of the United matchip. “We’re high on confidence, we’ve got great momentum. United played well the other day and it will be a tough one but at Anfield we’ll go into the game full of confidence and will hopefully get the result we need.”
Liverpool were second best in the first half, with Joe Allen admitting they were ‘lucky’ to reach half-time still level, but changed their shape after the break to take control.
“On the run we’ve been on our performances have been good for 90 minutes so it was a bit of a shock to the system,” Allen said of the opening 45 minutes. “Thankfully we got in level, maybe it was a bit lucky, but we came back out with a better attitude and worked even harder.”