Rodgers: Fast start can make it interesting

The Reds can be crowned Barclays Premier League champions if they defeat the Magpies, and City lose at home to West Ham United.

Rodgers wants his team to take the early initiative and set up an intriguing afternoon.

"We have to keep doing our job, which is get the win," said the boss. "It will be interesting if we make one of our quick starts and get up in the game.

"Then there'll be a point in the game when we're up and they're drawing.

"At Chelsea there was a game towards the end of the season - and it's not nice either - when you know that there's another team playing that can win, and that you have to not lose.

"It's uncomfortable. It was a nervy one and you could sense it, the crowd, the players.

"Even though it was deemed it was going to happen, there was nervousness there."

Rodgers is eager to stress the importance of his players giving their all in the final 90 minutes of 2013-14.

"It's not over by any stretch of the imagination, and West Ham are a really good defensive unit," he added. "They went to Tottenham and won 3-0.

"Andy Carroll can score goals, they've got other players who can score goals. But we can only do our job and keep the pressure on.

"One of the first things I said to the players when I came in here was from the first day of pre-season until the final whistle goes at the last game of the season you'll be intensely worked, and then you can go away and reflect when the season's over. I remind them of that all the time.

"This is why the training this week has been as intense as in pre-season. And why it will go right to the wire."

City's 4-0 win over Aston Villa in midweek saw them reach the 100-goal landmark in the Barclays Premier League, while Liverpool require just one more to reach a century.

"It shows you the league is at a really high level, full of some of the best players in the world," said Rodgers.

"When you look across the European leagues, it is the offensive and attacking teams that end up normally winning it.

"If you look back at where we were when I first came in, on 47 goals, then it is a huge achievement.

"We haven't had a huge change in players, we've changed the style. So it shows the confidence of the team.

"In Liverpool and the great history of the club, it was the 1800s when we last scored 100 goals or more and that is when there were more games.

"So really that magnifies the extent to which this group has developed this season.

"And it is not going to end there, it is only going to improve."