SG: I'll give this month all I've got
Steven Gerrard has pledged to leave nothing behind in his quest for success with Liverpool this season after the Reds recorded a crucial and dramatic 3-2 victory over Manchester City on Sunday.
Anfield witnessed a match of supreme standard and entertainment, with Brendan Rodgers' side and their visitors exchanging heavyweight blows throughout 90 minutes of phenomenal football.
The hosts raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of a composed Raheem Sterling finish and a Martin Skrtel header, only for David Silva to score himself and force an own goal within five second-half minutes.
But Philippe Coutinho pounced on a defensive error to slam an unstoppable effort beyond the reach of Joe Hart, thereby sealing a 10th consecutive victory for Rodgers' charges in the Barclays Premier League.
At the heart of everything was Gerrard, patrolling at the base of the midfield, stemming the tide of City attacks and unleashing Liverpool counters with constant energy and determination.
When the dust had finally settled on arguably the finest encounter of the campaign, the captain promised to submit everything he has to the cause in the remaining four fixtures of 2013-14.
"I think that's the best we've played all season," said the No.8. "For the first 30-35 minutes, I thought we blew the so-called best team in the league away. And it could have been three or four.
"I don't think 2-0 is ever enough against the top sides in this league. But it's all about getting the job done, no matter how you do it, and thankfully we got it done in the end.
"I'm enjoying it, it's great to play with so many top players. The journey I've had all the way through the years, there have been ups and downs. At the moment, I'm loving every minute of it.
"I feel 21 again, playing with all these top players. It's probably going to be the biggest month of my career coming up now. I'll give it everything I've got."
As they had previously done to Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, the relentless nature of Liverpool's pressing and precision caught City cold during the opening half-hour in L4.
The inherent quality of the opposition told following the half-time break, however, with Spanish playmaker Silva the focal point of a stirring comeback by Manuel Pellegrini's outfit.
Gerrard and his colleagues summoned the courage and fortitude to produce the decisive contribution, though, and the skipper highlighted the character within this Reds squad.
"You are obviously fearing the worst and it was a bad moment, but you need to keep going and keep trying," the 33-year-old said of City's equaliser.
"You always know with the character in this squad, that we're always going to fight until the end. We did and we got our noses in front.
"They are a top side, they have got world-class players; they have got £30-40million players coming off the bench to add to what they have already got.
"After the effort we put in in the first half, they were always going to have a spell when we tired a bit. Thankfully, we stayed in the game and the little magician has popped up and scored probably the biggest goal of his life - congratulations to him.
"It's probably the biggest statement we've made so far this season. But the message is to stay calm and keep going - there are still four cup finals left."
Supporters were gathering around the stadium as much as three hours before kick-off on Sunday, lining the pavements of Anfield Road to offer a raucous welcome to their arriving heroes.
That noise continued as fans drifted into the ground, took their seats and collectively fulfilled their role as the team's 12th man - an element of the victory which did not go unnoticed by Gerrard.
"It started before the game, coming up it took us an extra 10-15 minutes getting in," he said. "I'm lucky - I've experienced these scenes before, in 2005 and 2006.
"But some of the foreign lads were blown away by the support today. We want more of the same for the last couple of home games."