Sakho: How Rodgers can get a response

The French international suffered an injury during Liverpool's defeat at Chelsea in December and was forced to remain on the sidelines until being named among the substitutes at Old Trafford last month.

In the absence of vice-captain Daniel Agger at the weekend, the No.17 was thrust back into action as the Reds recorded a ninth consecutive Barclays Premier League victory and took top spot in the division.

Sakho's performance was commanding, dovetailing perfectly with Martin Skrtel to quell the threat of striker Andy Carroll. And he credits Rodgers as the inspiration behind a faultless display at Upton Park.

"Rodgers manages to get the maximum out of every player," said the 24-year-old. "It's hugely important and not every coach has that charisma.

"He must keep all the players interested and each time he calls up a player they respond with a performance - like I did at West Ham.

"It's been four months and I haven't played with injury. I had the chance to express myself, and I was there. I felt like a lion before the match. It had been four months and I was hungry to come back strongly."

Next on the agenda for Rodgers' outfit is the rather important matter of taking on Manchester City, who are chasing the Reds at the Premier League summit - four points behind with two games in hand. 

Sakho has complete confidence that the squad are prepared for the heavyweight challenge, highlighting not only the battle-readiness of the players but also the contribution of the supporters as key. 

He continued: "I hope we win. In any case, we are ready for combat. We play at home and have our fans behind us. We will give everything.

"We have the quality and we just have to believe it. As the season has progressed we have seen Liverpool grow in strength, playing such beautiful football.

"We've not stolen the position where we are today. We deserve to be where we are. Honestly, we will give everything until the last second of the last match."

Sunday's encounter will bring together the Premier League's two highest-scoring teams, with Liverpool currently leading their upcoming opponents, with 90 strikes to 84. 

"We are confident about facing their strikers," insisted Sakho. "City score a lot of goals but so do we. It will be two beautiful attacks against two strong defences.

"It's a top match pitting two top teams against each other, fighting for the title. I have not spoken a lot about matches before we play them. We will see who is better prepared to take the points."