BR: Others must support Stevie
Steven Gerrard must not shoulder the responsibility of supporting Luis Suarez by himself according to Brendan Rodgers, who has called on his players to join the duo on the goal trail.
The Liverpool captain has found the net three times in 2012-13 so far and while the manager is delighted with the midfielder's overall performance, he has challenged his teammates to step up and help spread the task of finding the back of the net throughout the side.
Rodgers told reporters: "Steven was outstanding last night [against Tottenham]. He's carried this club for nearly 13 years and it's about time that there was more than Steven picking up the baton of responsibility.
"He's been brilliant since I arrived here. His inspiration and leadership within the team has been phenomenal.
"He might not have got the goals that he wanted this season, but you saw him last night - his range of passing, commitment and drive into the box was superb.
"He has been judged on his goals because he's been a goalscoring midfielder over the years, but he's still offering this group so much on and off the field.
"There are others that we want to step up to the plate and get the goals. Across the board we want to improve and find the solutions."
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Gerrard was denied what appeared to be a strong penalty claim during the Reds' 2-1 defeat by Tottenham on Wednesday, but the boss refused to criticise the referee and pledged that results will change.
"The referees are doing an honest job. They turn up for every game and make an honest assessment," continued the 39-year-old.
"Hopefully we can get one or two bits of luck in the second half of the season and benefit from that. I respect that they come in and do a good job - it just seems that this season quite a lot has gone against us.
"You need a wee bit of luck along the way. We went to Tottenham and dominated the game, but we didn't get the result and that's what's important.
"Over the next month or so we've got to turn these performances into wins. We had a run of eight games where we were unbeaten, looked solid and the quality of our game was good.
"Now we must go on a run of wins, and that's something we are capable of. If we do that, we can get higher up the table - where I think we should be.
"Apart from the opening 15 minutes, the quality of our game last night was at least deserving of a point.
"I'm not overly concerned, but we're in the business of results. We want to get as many points as we possibly can.
"The mood in the team is very good and the group is very unified. The quality of our games this season has been very good.
"We're creating chances - it's just about becoming a bit more clinical. If we can do that, we're strong enough in all areas to go on a good run."
Looking ahead to the weekend encounter against the Saints, Rodgers praised the newly-promoted side and their manager, Nigel Adkins, but stressed that Liverpool are thinking of nothing other than three points.
He added: "It will be a tough game. Nigel has done a terrific job - he's like a lot of British managers who have had to earn the right to come into the Barclays Premier League through a promotion.
"In the last few games, they have had good results. They are a team that like to play and pass and they'll come with freedom. But like the Wigan game, our expectancy and objective is to win the game.
"As a football club there's no big hooray at getting into the top half. This is a club that needs to be near the top of the league. Every step with a win is a positive step. The quicker we climb places with three points, that's our objective."