Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for his Liverpool side following the 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Anfield, with the high intensity of his players particularly pleasing.
City entered the game as favourites, with the Reds having had 48 hours less recovery time than the reigning Premier League champions after their European commitments in midweek.
Rodgers said; “It was a brilliant result and an equally brilliant performance I thought. We thoroughly deserved the victory.
“The players today were relentless in their work and their intensity and we had some great quality in our football. It was very, very pleasing.
“Anyone who came to Turkey with us feels what it was like first hand, not getting back til 4.30am, maybe not getting home til 6am.
“To then prepare yourself for a game against the Champions is no mean feat but to play like we did today with that intensity, that work, that quality, you have to take your hat off to them.
“How they performed was at a real, real top level and I’ve got nothing but admiration for them.
“Their focus was good in the game, they worked the system very well and as the game wore on we created more chances and we restricted Manchester City to one shot on target so to do that the whole team has to be working well.”
The result moved the Reds up to fifth in the Premier League table – just two points off fourth spot – and continued a run of eight wins and three draws in their last 11 matches.
