Jordan: Forward trio making their mark
Jordan Henderson is backing Liverpool's recently established attacking triumvirate of Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling to continue wreaking havoc upon opposition defences.
The trio were 'outstanding' according to the vice-captain as the Reds secured a winning end to their calendar year by putting four past Swansea City at Anfield in the Barclays Premier League on Monday night.
Coutinho prowled the pitch with trademark menace, sliding the ball into feet and carving out complex passes with extreme ease, as well as harrying the opposition into relinquishing possession.
Sterling was his tireless self; running the flanks, running through the ranks, running Swansea ragged, while Lallana showed first persistence then poise to plunder two precious goals in the game.
It was the fifth consecutive match in which Brendan Rodgers had named the three as the spearhead of his side and the trio delivered the requisite pressure, pace and ingenuity to secure all three points.
"Lallana and Coutinho are playing in a more advanced position behind Raheem and I think they've been outstanding," Henderson told Liverpoolfc.com following the 4-1 win over Swansea.
"Those three have caused teams real problems. Again tonight they were outstanding. They were a real threat going forward, but they also did the dirty work as well in defending, so that was very pleasing for us.
"I thought from start to finish we were very good, the intensity was good. We created a lot of chances and we defended well too. So it was very pleasing. It was a good performance and a good three points as well.
"I think the team is gelling really well at the minute. We're playing some great football and we're dominating games. So hopefully we can just keep working hard on the training field and put in performances like that."
Henderson led Liverpool out proudly sporting the captain's armband for the fourth time on Monday night and the midfielder turned in a display worthy of the mantle.
While the team's attacking talents dazzled, the No.14's industry was just as vital as he hunted the ball back from Swansea - and the 24-year-old also played a vital role in the first and last goals.
His pass allowed Alberto Moreno to hammer home the opening goal of the game, while later on in the second half, his corner at the Kop end was turned into the back of the visitors' net by former Red Jonjo Shelvey.
"It's always nice to have an impact on the game, whether you're scoring or creating assists," reflected Henderson. "So it was nice from that point of view. But I thought it was important for the whole team to play well and work as a team and I thought that we did that tonight.
"We have a couple of wins now and hopefully we can carry that on into the New Year. We have a tough game on Thursday, where we'll hopefully put in another good performance and get a good result and start to climb the table and keep going from there. Hopefully during the second half of the season we can be much better."