Gerrard: That was a big win
Steven Gerrard described Liverpool's stunning 5-3 victory over Stoke City as a 'big result' in their quest to secure a top-four finish this season.
In a pulsating encounter at the Britannia Stadium, the visitors raced into a 2-0 lead through Ryan Shawcross's own-goal and a Luis Suarez effort; however, ex-Reds Peter Crouch and Charlie Adam evened matters before half-time.
Gerrard's penalty restored Liverpool's lead before Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to set up Suarez for his second.
Jonathan Walters' strike ensured a nervy finale with five minutes remaining, but Sturridge marked his comeback from injury with a neat finish soon after to secure the three points for the Reds, and move them up to fourth in the Barclays Premier League table.
Gerrard reflected: "It was big because our record against Stoke in the Premier League is poor away from home, so we wanted to put that right today.
"I thought we showed tremendous character. For the first 40 minutes we controlled the game, were very comfortable and were 2-0 up - and then we made a couple of mistakes. It became a real tough game from then on."
He added: "Today was all about the team performance and the three points, and it's results like these we need if we want to finish in the top four."
Gerrard punctuated his first league start since a hamstring injury by being deployed in a deeper midfield role alongside Lucas Leiva.
It's a position fans may see the skipper operating in more often, according to the man himself.
"We've been working on it during the week and the manager has told me that moving forward I'll play this role a lot more," he said.
"It's going to take a little bit of time to get used to, but I've played it many times for England and a few times for Liverpool in the early days, so I'll be comfortable in there once I get a few games in."
The victory at the Britannia Stadium came on Gerrard's 650th appearance for Liverpool - though the 33-year-old insists his focus is firmly on trying to ensure Brendan Rodgers' men achieve their goals rather than any personal milestones.
He said: "I was disappointed to get the hamstring injury, but it was great to be back with the lads and it's all about the top four now - not personal achievements, goals or appearances. We just wanted to get back in that top four.
"Results went against us yesterday and put even more pressure on us today to get a result, but the lads were fantastic."