• Premier League

Rodgers: We're starting to see the Liverpool of old

Brendan Rodgers felt he saw the return of the Liverpool of old as they scored four goals in a game for the first time in nine months.

Liverpool beat Rodgers' former club Swansea 4-1 at Anfield to prompt him to suggest they are starting to rediscover the fluency and the potency they demonstrated last season, when they scored 101 league goals en route to finishing second.

A goal from Alberto Moreno, two from Adam Lallana, and an own goal from former Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey saw Liverpool ease to three points, but Rodgers thought the key was his switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation, which he unveiled in the 3-0 defeat at Manchester United, and which features winger Raheem Sterling as the sole striker.

Adam Lallana doubled his tally to four goals since joining Liverpool from Southampton for £25 million © PA Photos

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"In the last two or three weeks the performance level has been much more what we were over the course of the last 18 months," he said after the game.

"There has been a lot of work, a lot of hours going in to find a tactical idea to get back to that. Obviously it wasn't traditional because we are having to play a young winger as a striker but the shape of the team causes other teams problems.

"If you look at how we played against Manchester United we were very unfortunate and we conceded poor goals, but the creativity started that day. We looked at a shape and system that could get us back to how we played last year. We didn't quite get that result but I saw enough.

"We moved on to Bournemouth and played really, really well [in a 3-1 win]. Against Arsenal [in a 2-2 draw] we deserved more again the performance was better. We had to show a different side against Burnley. Burnley's result yesterday showed what a great result we had at Turf Moor [winning 1-0].

"Tonight we came out and had the intensity and the work rate and get a reward. Our creativity was very much there but with a solid base behind it and that is key for us."

Lallana took his tally to four goals in just 12 league starts for Liverpool, charging down an attempted clearance by goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski for a freak first before adding an assured second.

And Rodgers hailed his biggest summer signing, who cost £25 million from Southampton.

"We ask the players to go and press and he got his reward" he said. "It might only happen a couple of times in your career that you get goals like that. He blocked that line which forced the keeper to kick it and gets that wee bit of luck.

"I am very pleased with Adam. He is a wonderfully gifted player."

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