Brendan Rodgers spied evidence that Liverpool are returning to the form which propelled them into last season’s title race after his team produced an “outstanding” performance to prevail at Bournemouth and secure a Capital One Cup semi-final against Chelsea in the new year.
Two goals from a resurgent Raheem Sterling, his first since September, helped deflate the Championship leaders, with Liverpool now aiming to maintain the momentum in Sunday’s Premier League collision with Arsenal. Rodgers claimed the first-half performance represented the high point of his team’s form this season, with the opening goal stemming from 51 passes and a little under two and a half minutes of blanket possession.
“That first half was as good as I’ve seen this season,” said Rodgers. “Slowly, we’re getting there. Players are adapting. I’m always looking to find ways to be more creative, because we’ve not been that this season, but tonight it was more like we produced last season. It was an outstanding performance. I was hopeful after [the 3-0 loss at] Old Trafford, even though the result wasn’t ideal. I’d seen moments in our game which were good, creating a lot of chances. We know we still have a long way to go, but the signs are there.
“This was a tough game against a team who are top of the league, so for us to dominate as we did was very pleasing. It’s taken a long time for us to find rhythm this season but the work rate has never stopped. It takes character and quality to get through at places like this, but that first goal was a wonderful example of patience, movement and creativity. We showed outstanding quality on the ball, we waited for the moment and then we seized the chance.”
Sterling got his first headed goal for the club, to suggest he is not being distracted by contract negotiations or, indeed, the fatigue that had nullified his impact in the autumn.
“He’s a kid that, for some reason, seems to have been getting a lot of stick this season,” said Rodgers. “His contract situation is nothing to do with him. His representatives are the ones working with the club. You can see he’s happy and enjoying his football.
“He was unfortunate not to score at Old Trafford but was a real threat there. He plays in that role Alexis Sánchez enjoys for Arsenal, not as an out-and-out striker but where his speed and movement causes problems: his ability to turn and drop in, his threat on the counterattack. He’s been the real catalyst for us this season. ”
Sterling’s goals were a welcome relief for Rodgers on the day it was revealed that his fellow forward, Daniel Sturridge, is to spend Christmas working with the medical staff of the Boston Red Sox baseball team in an attempt to resolve his longstanding injury problems.
The Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe, was left to rue a slack opening period, which was capped when a home supporter appeared to blow a whistle in the buildup to Liverpool’s second goal, prompting the home captain, Tommy Elphick, to pause in the belief an offside had been given.
“Tommy stopped because he thought the referee had blown,” said Howe, who had watched as Lazar Markovic converted in the confusion. “But we have to use this defeat as a positive. We showed we can create chances against a very good team. But Liverpool’s first half performance was very high technically. You could see their players were world class.”
Chelsea, Liverpool’s nemesis last season with that critical win at Anfield in April, await in the last four next month in a repeat of the 2005 League Cup final, which yielded José Mourinho’s first trophy in English football. “We’ll look forward to it,” said Rodgers. “It’ll be a fantastic tie. The most important thing was getting through the game tonight. It’s going to be a very difficult game for us [against Chelsea] but it didn’t matter who we got. We needed to get there. But now it’s over two legs and we’ll relish that opportunity.”
