Liverpool edged out Aston Villa 3-2 after a goal frenzy at Anfield in their English Premier League clash on Saturday.
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The under-pressure Liverpool manager recorded a first win in seven games as Aston Villa were defeated 3-2 on Saturday, and is confident he has his players’ backing.
Sturridge grabbed a second in the 67th minute, with Villa’s Rudy Gestede scoring two of his own either side of that to make Rodgers sweat over the points.
It was open, very open with Liverpool aiming to increase their advantage and Villa sensing there were opportunities for them to exploit.
James Milner: Scored inside the first two minutes and covered all areas of the pitch to ensure that Liverpool stayed on time. His finishes were brilliant.
Or so they thought.
It was just the English striker’s second start since April, with the 26-year-old still working on building up his fitness after going under the knife on a troubling hip injury four months ago.
Sturridge missed two chances to complete his hat-trick but his performance suggested his fortunes and those of his manager may be entwined.
Daniel Sturridge was on target twice along with James Milner as Liverpool beat Aston Villa the hard way at Anfield. It was only a matter of time.
Villa manager Tim Sherwood at least had the consolation of seeing Gestede score twice, taking his league tally to three goals since joining from Blackburn Rovers, but Villa’s lowly league position is of clear concern.
Milner’s goal, on 1min 6secs, was the earliest PL goal this season. However, he is believed to be aggrieved with the number of former Liverpool players turned media pundits who have criticised his team’s poor form and results in recent weeks.
Nonetheless the win was all important for Rodgers and Liverpool and that is what they got in the end. There was a couple of moments when he’d be away at his best but wasn’t today. His tactics suited his team selection, although they were undermined by some indifferent defending.
Rodgers’ comments suggest he is unhappy with his treatment in the media.
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And the 28-year-old, who came close to a late summer move to Turkish outfit Besiktas, hailed the significance of the win – which ended a run of six games without success. A constant commanding presence for Liverpool this afternoon. Their system showed signs of promise in terms of attack but the back line still looks vulnerable and Rodgers’ continued faith in Simon Mignolet is surprising.
