• Liverpool 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

Getting the win was all that mattered - Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says winning was all that mattered as his side sealed a 2-1 victory against West Bromwich Albion at Anfield.

Rodgers and his captain Steven Gerrard were outspoken in their criticism of the performance in the 1-0 Champions League defeat against Basel on Tuesday, but the response that was needed came on Saturday with a welcome three points against the Baggies.

A second-half Jordan Henderson goal was enough to give Liverpool the win against opponents who had been awarded a penalty despite Dejan Lovren's challenge on Saido Berahino having taken place outside the box.

"We needed to find a way to win today against a side that has been really high in confidence of late, so it was an excellent result for us on the back of a really disappointing European result," Rodgers told Sky Sports.

"We are disappointed with the penalty because the challenge on it was clearly outside the box, but the boys showed their character and resilience to keep going and find the winner.

"This was an outstanding win for us and we go into the international break hoping that we will have a full squad to pick from after that."

Rodgers reserved praise for goalscorers Adam Lallana and Henderson, who turned in impressive performances for a Liverpool side that started without the dropped Mario Balotelli.

"Lallana has settled in very quickly," Rodgers added. "He was brought here because of the intensity in his game and he also has wonderful footballing ability. He works really hard and you can see today that he has a wonderful touch and feel for the ball.

"His goal was a great strike and a wonderful finish. He is a wonderful young man, he wants to learn and he wants to improve. He is getting better every time he steps onto the field.

"As for Jordan Henderson, he put a lot of running in during the European game in the week and he did the same today. It was a wonderful finish for his goal."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd