Lucas: He is Premier League's best player
Lucas Leiva watched from close quarters as Luis Suarez increased his Barclays Premier League tally with a brace on Saturday and afterwards insisted that the Uruguayan is the best player in the division.
The Reds' No.7 has been an attacking menace across the country during 2013-14 so far, registering statistics of 19 goals and five assists in just 12 appearances to date.
His talismanic performances have helped Brendan Rodgers' outfit currently claim top spot in the standings and, in his Brazilian teammate's opinion, there is no better individual in England.
Providing his view on the forward's contract renewal, Lucas told Liverpoolfc.com: "With what he is doing this season and what he has done for the past few seasons, he deserves that.
"We can see that he is really comfortable playing here, and his family. It's a positive message; the manager and owners have always said that they want to keep our best players.
"At the moment he is probably not just our best player, but the best player in the league. We are glad to have him here, hopefully he will maintain this form for a long time for the club."
Alongside Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson in the centre of midfield, Lucas created a platform for Suarez to find the target twice and set up Raheem Sterling for a tap-in against Cardiff City.
The 3-1 result sent Liverpool above Arsenal in the table and offered a further confidence boost before the Reds navigate a pair of 'crucial' encounters at Manchester City and Chelsea next week.
Lucas reflected: "Especially in the first half, we played really well and created a lot of chances. They started the game well; in the first 15-20 minutes they were really aggressive and tried to press us.
"But we had the patience to pass the ball and create chances. As soon as we scored the first one, the game opened a bit more and we had a chance to score a few more. That's good.
"It's disappointing to concede on a set-piece, but the three points were important. We are at the top of the league until Monday at least. We now go for the next two games - we know how crucial they are - with a lot of confidence, especially having won four games in a row.
"We know Anfield is always a good place to play, it's our home and we can see that the fans are really excited by what we are doing this season.
"But we still have a lot of work to do; we can't get carried away because it's a long season. If we keep the same mentality, playing as a team, I think we will have a good season, a positive one.
"We just go game by game. We know our main target is to play in the Champions League again. Every week we are improving and at the moment we are top of the table.
"There is still a lot of work to do but it's good to be there - it gives you a lot of confidence to keep going. Especially with two very important games for us, where we will be away from home against the top teams. It will be another good test for us on Boxing Day."