Downing: Why we've hit goal trail

The Reds secured the services of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho in January - both of whom have settled seamlessly into Anfield life.

Indeed, so far in 2013 Brendan Rodgers' side have fired 29 goals in all competitions and Downing claims the arrival of more attacking players has helped Liverpool become much more potent in attack.

He told Liverpoolfc.com: "It's all came together. Even at the start of the season, we were creating a lot of chances but maybe didn't have that killer instinct.

"Now, every chance Suarez gets he seems to be finishing. Coutinho has come in and added a bit, as has the arrival of Daniel Sturridge.

"The competition for places also helps. It's healthy for the team and the club."

Liverpool have struck 12 goals in their last three matches and Downing feels their form since the turn of the year bodes well for the final 10 games of the campaign and beyond.

He continued: "At this club and with the traditions, we have to keep going. We have to challenge for trophies and finish as high as we can in the league.

"There has been some positive play over the course of this season and if we can kick on in these last 10 games that will take us into next season as well.

"A lot of teams fear playing us, especially at Anfield, so I'm looking forward to playing the last 10 games and kicking on into next season."

Watch the video here »

He added: "If we can keep the core of the squad together and the manager can add a few more, which is highly likely he will do, I think we've got a great chance next season.

"It was obviously going to take time [to adjust under Brendan Rodgers]. We're all enjoying playing in the way we do - the passing, moving and scoring goals - but I think we've also added steel to our team.

"We're hard to play against and not conceding that many goals, so I think the all-round picture at the moment is looking very good."

A top-four finish is not beyond the realms of possibility, particularly as Liverpool sit just 10 points off fourth-placed Chelsea.

Downing, therefore, knows picking up as many wins as possible in the final straight is of utmost importance to those hopes.

He said: "The target is to try and win as many games as possible - we have to. If we want to challenge for the top four, we have to win nearly every game.

"We're doing quite well at the moment and we've still got a chance. It's going to be difficult - but we still have a chance."

High-flying Tottenham Hotspur are next up for Liverpool.

The Barclays Premier League's third-place team travel to Anfield on Sunday boasting an unbeaten record in the division since December.

Spurs have already recorded a win over the Reds this season - a narrow 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane in November - though Downing feels the result wasn't a fair reflection of a contest Rodgers' men more than held their own in.

"When we played down there earlier in the season, we came away very, very disappointed," he said. "Not many teams will go to White Hart Lane and feel that, but how we lost that game I do not know.

"We missed numerous chances, but hopefully this time around with the killer instinct we've been showing in our game, we can put our chances away.

"If you ask any of the Tottenham players, they'll tell you we gave them a chasing. We passed it, moved it and created lots of chances.

"I think that performance probably summed up the first half of our season - playing really well but not finishing teams off.

"But in the second half of the season we've certainly done that - and hopefully we can do so again on Sunday.

"It would be a massive boost. They're in form and so are we, so it has the makings of a great game."

Stopping the in-form Gareth Bale could be key to Liverpool's hopes of three points on Sunday - though Downing has warned the Londoners have plenty of other players who can make the difference.

He explained: "There's not only Gareth Bale. He's getting highlighted because of the goals he's scoring, but there is also the likes of Defoe and Adebayor - they've got quality as well.

"We've just got to play our own game we don't just worry about one player. We've got players they'll have to worry about as well.

"The manager won't stress anything in particular for Bale - he'll just tell us to play our own game, like we did down there."

Liverpool are without a win over Spurs since January 2010 when Dirk Kuyt struck twice in a 2-0 success at Anfield.

However, Downing won't be paying any attention to statistics heading into Sunday's latest encounter.

"I tend not to look at past results - they were obviously with different teams with different players," he said.

"We go into the game with a lot of confidence, similar to them. Playing at Anfield lately, we've been very hard to play against.

"The tempo we play at is difficult for any team to play against and I'm confident we can get a good result."