Rodgers: Why Steven is a peerless pro
Brendan Rodgers struggled for adjectives to sum up Steven Gerrard's latest meticulous display for Liverpool, but eventually opted for 'incredible' and 'peerless' to describe the No.8.
The 33-year-old captain was the metronome at the heart of the manager's team against Manchester United on Sunday, pushing his side forward with technical quality and sheer force of will.
He broke the deadlock on 34 minutes with a remarkably accurate penalty which sailed into the side-netting, then dispatched a low spot-kick whistling in the same direction less than 60 seconds after the restart.
Though a post denied the midfielder a hat-trick to remember at the home of the Red Devils, his all-round performance brought another sermon from Rodgers on the capabilities of Liverpool's skipper.
"It's just a continuation of adjectives for Steven," the Northern Irishman reflected to Liverpoolfc.com after the final whistle.
"He's a wonderful professional, peerless in many ways and an incredible captain for us. He's just so focused and so calm under pressure. He was incredible."
It was left to Luis Suarez to have the final say at Old Trafford, clocking up a 25th goal in the Barclays Premier League this season by capitalising on a Daniel Sturridge daisy-cutter to side-foot home.
Three more points restored the Reds' second-place position in the standings, four points behind current leaders Chelsea, and secured a first victory at the ground for Liverpool since 2009.
Rodgers continued: "It was a real team performance. The diamond in midfield worked tirelessly - Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen on the sides of the diamond blocking spaces, pressing and working, young Raheem [Sterling] playing at the top.
"The two guys up front speak for themselves, they're a real threat. Maybe if we had shown that final pass a bit more, we could have had more goals. But it was an outstanding team performance and a great result.
"It confirms that we're getting better and confirms that we can go to any arena. 2009 was the last time that Liverpool won here.
"I know that was a convincing performance that day, but this will be equally, if not more. The supporters really enjoyed that. It's a great result; we just need to stay calm, stay focused and get ready for next weekend."