Rodgers: Composure was key to progress

The Reds fell behind at Selhurst Park after 15 minutes of play on Saturday when Fraizer Campbell arrived in the penalty area to steer home the opening goal after Simon Mignolet saved from Dwight Gayle.

Rodgers' side went in search of an equaliser, but they found their path to goal blocked by a wall of blue and red shirts.

At the interval, the manager switched Mario Balotelli in for Lazar Markovic and within five minutes of the restart, the visitors were level.

Jordan Henderson lofted a precise pass between the Palace lines and there was Sturridge, poised inside the penalty area to strike first time and steer the ball through the legs of Julian Speroni.

Prior to the hour mark, the comeback was complete when Balotelli won a free-kick in a dangerous position, rifled the resulting shot low at the goalkeeper and Adam Lallana followed up to fire the winner.

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"I thought we were outstanding," Rodgers told reporters following the final whistle in the capital. "After that first goal that they scored, I thought the team was very good.

"It was certainly a different feeling to when we were here before. I think you saw the confidence in the team and the composure today.

"Alan [Pardew] has done a great job in a short period of time, making them really hard to beat and he has won games. So for us to get the victory like we did and the goals and create a lot of chances, it was very pleasing.

"Importantly, we defended well when we had to. There were a lot of long balls into the box from different angles, free-kicks, set-pieces and corners. I thought we dealt with them very well. Huge credit to the players. We've had a great week in terms of our results.

"The players turned it around. We just felt at half-time that we were creating enough chances. I felt we needed to be more aggressive. We started the game not as aggressively as we would have wanted.

"They have players who want to compete. We felt once we shortened the pitch in the second half, we moved the game higher up the field, kept the ball and it was only going to be a matter of time.

"I thought the players showed great composure and great character in that second half."

Sturridge's finish was instinctive and ruthless as he arrived to meet Henderson's pass and arrow the ball on the volley left-footed through the legs of the Palace goalkeeper.

It was the England international's second start since August 31 against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane - and Rodgers insisted the No.15 is settling back into a rhythm following his return from injury.

"He's just working his way back," said the Northern Irishman. "It's just about extending his game time. I've got to do that. You just risk re-injuring him and that's something that we can't afford.

"But you see his qualities, his speed, his touch and he doesn't need too many chances. He looked really bright. The team is really functioning at a high level at the moment. Daniel coming back gives us a great boost for this next part of the season."

Balotelli, whose goal against Spurs at Anfield on Tuesday was decisive in settling a frantic Barclays Premier League fixture, once again had a pivotal part to play at Selhurst Park.

He won and took the free-kick from which Lallana and Liverpool prospered - and the Italian acquitted himself well as he helped ensure the Reds reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

"He's training well," said Rodgers. "He's starting to really work and really focus on his job and the team.

"He got the winner against Tottenham and did very well. He did very well today. He had good strength and got good power on the free-kick, which forced the 'keeper to make the save and Adam gets the finish.

"Earlier in the season we played a diamond and those two [Sturridge and Balotelli] played together and did very well.

"We've shifted the system from the last time that we were here [at Selhurst Park]. When the two of them are up there, they are a threat. They are both talented players and they can function in whatever system."

Victory on the road against Palace banished memories of recent visits to Selhurst Park for Rodgers and his side, who relinquished a three-goal advantage in May 2014 and were beaten 3-1 in the capital in November last year.

"We were at a real low point at that time," reflected Rodgers on the most recent loss to the Eagles.

"Players were still trying to adapt to the pressures of playing for Liverpool and the expectancy of how the team had been developing for a couple of years.

"I needed to find a way to make it work. We had to arrest a negative momentum and then try to get the team back to playing with the intensity and the aggression that it had done for two years.

"After the game here at Palace, we had to have an intervention and we did that. Now the team has real confidence. It was ironic coming back here, getting the victory and putting in a really good performance in a difficult place."