The magnitude of his 164th game as Liverpool manager did not show on Brendan Rodgers’ face when the final whistle sounded not on his reign but a precious victory over Aston Villa. A handshake for Tim Sherwood, a pat on the back for Gary McAllister and a thumbs-up to the directors’ box, and then he was gone.
Reprieved and relieved by the predatory instincts of Daniel Sturridge.


Rodgers has waited a damaging length of time for Sturridge to regain fitness and the clinical touch that his team have desperately lacked this year. He was rewarded when it mattered most, the England striker scoring twice after James Milner had given Liverpool an early lead to seal a first win in five league matches. Of course, that does not cover the extent of Rodgers’ travails. Rudy Gestede twice capitalised on more weak Liverpool defending to give Villa hope of an unlikely point but the home side, sharper than of late and showing the obvious benefits of possessing a fit and proven marksman, held firm.