Steven Gerrard insists his Aston Villa team should relish the challenge of taking on 'the 'best team in the world' Liverpool on Tuesday night.
Villa play host to the Premier League title challengers who sit three points behind leaders Manchester City and are still in the running for a historic quadruple.
Gerrard's team are up to 11th in the table after winning their previous two games, the last of which was a 3-1 victory at Burnley on Saturday, and the former Liverpool captain says his team should have no fears about taking on the Merseysiders.
“Liverpool are a world-class team. Arguably, the best team in the world right now. We’re well aware of the challenge,” said Gerrard.
“I’ve spoken many times about how I respect the coach and the coaching staff there. You either fear that or you put your shoulders back and try to take it on and find situations where you can have your moments in the game.
“Every team on the planet, historically or now, there’s always areas or situations that happen in a game where you can hurt them.
“We’re well aware of the size of the challenge, but it’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it. Big games of football are what it’s all about.
“I know where the team is at and I know that we’re capable of winning football matches. I know we’re capable of going on runs to recover situations – we did it when we initially came in.
“We didn’t get too carried away when we were winning games on the spin, and at the same time, when you go on a tough run and suffer a few bumps it’s important to stick together and have belief in your players.
Liverpool 1 Tottenham 1: player ratings
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LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian had very little to do. His defenders left him exposed for Tottenham’s goal. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5. The 23-year-old had plenty of possession in dangerous areas but his crossing was too often overhit. He had switched flanks before the Spurs goal and might have got closer to Kane in the build up. PA -
Ibrahima Konate - 6. The Frenchman did well in the air and kept things straightforward on the ground. He was pulled out of position by Kane for the goal. EPA -
Virgil van Dijk - 6. The Dutchman should have followed Kane deeper while the ball was in the air before Tottenham’s goal. He hit the top of the bar with a header from a corner. Getty -
Andrew Robertson - 5. The Scot was in the right back position when Spurs scored and tracked and lost Son. His crossing was ineffective and Tsimikas replaced him in the 64th minute. AP -
Fabinho - 6. The Brazilian was in charge in midfield in the first half but was less effective when Tottenham bypassed him after the break. Withdrawn for Keita with 12 minutes to go. AP -
Thiago Alcantara - 6. The 31-year-old did enough of his trademark stylish passing to catch the eye but rarely looked like unlocking the defence. The killer ball did not happen. AFP -
Jordan Henderson - 6. The captain pressed hard and made himself available for the ball but contributed little going forward. He made way for Jota after 55 minutes. Reuters -
Sadio Mane - 6. The Senegalese chased down ballcarriers and led the press but found it hard to open up the defence. Reuters -
Mohamed Salah - 6. The Egyptian had a frustrating night as Spurs doubled up on him. Davies got in the way of his best effort on goal. EPA -
Luis Diaz - 7. The Colombian was his side’s best attacker. He worried Lloris with a first-half shot and scored the equaliser with a deflected effort. AFP -
SUBS: Kostas Tsimikas (Robertson 64') - 5. His distribution and crossing were disappointing. Reuters -
Diogo Jota (Henderson 65') - 4. The Portuguese never really got going and hardly threatened. Getty -
Naby Keita (Fabinho 78') - 5. The Guinean was unable to change the course of the game. AP -
TOTTENHAM PLAYER RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 7. The Frenchman made two good saves in the first half but had less work than he might have expected. He could do nothing about Liverpool’s deflected goal. AFP -
Cristian Romero - 7. The Argentine was impressive in the air. His blocks and tackles killed off plenty of danger in an aggressive display. AP -
Eric Dier - 8. The 28-year-old gave a commanding performance at the centre of the defence. He led the way in keeping the opposition at bay. EPA -
Ben Davies - 8. The Welshman’s flying interception of Salah’s shot was the highlight of a fine effort. He put his body on the line to protect the goal. Getty -
Emerson Royal - 7. The Brazilian had his hands full against Diaz but held his own. He started the move that led to Tottenham’s goal. EPA -
Rodrigo Bentancur - 6. The Uruguayan was outmatched in the first half but was better after the break. He was unfortunate to deflect Diaz’s shot into the net. AP -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7. The Dane hit the post before half time but should have done better with a free header in the box in the second period, when he tried to pick out Kane rather than going for goal. AP -
Ryan Sessegnon - 7. The 21-year-old had a difficult start but got better. He found space in the Liverpool area and picked out Son for the opening goal. Sanchez replaced him with 12 minutes to go. AFP -
Dejan Kulusevski - 6. The Swede looked to break quickly and showed some nice touches but needed more end product. He faded and made way for Winks with five minutes left. Getty -
Harry Kane - 7. The 28-year-old dragged the defence all over the place in the lead up to his side’s goal. He was not at his goalscoring best but he played an important role for his side. PA -
Son Heung-min - 7. The South Korean was a constant worry for Liverpool with his movement. He was unmarked when he scored. Bergwijn came on for him in stoppage time. AFP -
SUBS: Davinson Sanchez (Sessegnon 78') - N/A. The Colombian helped secure the point for Tottenham. Reuters -
Harry Winks (Kulusevski 85') - 6. The 26-year-old provided a cross for Hojbjerg that should have led to a goal. PA -
Steven Bergwijn (Son 90'+1) - N/A. The Dutchman worked hard during his limited moments on the pitch. AP
“It was tough – no one wants to lose four matches, but I had confidence that with the fixtures we had coming up we could put it right and recover our situation.
“My job is to win games for Aston Villa, that will always be the case when I’m representing the club. I want to win, fiercely, and that is no different tomorrow.”
As for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, he is adamant that his team can still triumph in the title battle, despite City opening a gap at the top and boosting their goal difference following a 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle United on Sunday, that came 24 hours after Liverpool could only manage a draw with Spurs.
“Until it's not reachable any more, why should we stop believing? That's what we do,” said Klopp at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“It is clear that it is not over, whatever happened, because we both have three games to play. And my concern is actually: how can we win our games?
“In an ideal world you win all the games and you are always in a great mood. A lot of times we have to respond on setbacks and that's what we have to do.”
