'He has shout for Young Player prize'

The England international took his tally to 10 goals for the season with a double during the 3-2 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road on Sunday, firing from long range on four minutes before adding an individual second after the break.

Brendan Rodgers was subsequently effusive in his praise of the 19-year-old and now Achterberg has joined the chorus of applause for the player who has achieved remarkable strides in 2013-14.

"He has been unbelievable the whole season, to be honest - any position the boss has played him in, he has done really well," the Dutchman told Liverpoolfc.com.

"He is definitely in with a shout for the PFA Young Player of the Year because of what he has shown. He has been a big influence in the team and helping us get a good result every week.

"He has been very consistent this season and has not had a bad game. He has always been on his game, very focused and the boss has spoken a lot to him about what he wants from him and what to do to get the best out of him.

"He's unbelievable, whether it be running forward or backwards. He can put players aside with his physical strength and for a small guy he is playing like a man, if you like, for someone so young."

The result in East Anglia last weekend racked up an 11th consecutive victory for Rodgers' team in the Barclays Premier League and opened up a five-point advantage over second-place Chelsea.

Before, during and after every fixture, the Reds' supporters have provided trademark backing, and Achterberg is confident that the fans can continue to play a part in the final three matches.

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"They have been amazing, home and away, before the game," he said. "It's unreal, really, the atmosphere they bring to the team and they give the team a huge boost.

"Hopefully they can keep doing this until the end of the season because it's amazing for the players as it gives them a real boost."

Liverpool are now preparing for another major test at the top of the Premier League, with Jose Mourinho's Chelsea journeying to L4 for a crucial encounter this Sunday.

The manager's ethos throughout his side's surge to the summit has been to focus on one tie at a time, and Achterberg echoed the sentiment, insisting that the Reds' approach will not change.

He added: "We know Chelsea will be tough on Sunday. They have a lot of quality players; they might have an injury problem but that doesn't mean anything because they have 22 international players who can give anyone a game.

"We know we'll have to be on it from the first minute and be focused and switched on and treat every game as the same.

"We know Chelsea have a lot of speed in the team and are very organised, so we have to find a way to get past them and we have to start with the same intensity, work hard and work hard as a team and be together and fight for the result we want.

"We just need to be focused and be organised when the attack breaks down, but our focus is an attacking one, which sometimes gives us one or two problems at the back, but we have dealt quite well with it and hopefully in the next three games we can get some clean sheets, which will help the cause."