Rafa relieved

Last updated : 02 February 2008 By Adam Bryant
"I want to say thank you our supporters," said the Liverpool boss. "We needed them, they were behind the team. It was really important for us.

"Today we knew it could be a tough game and we knew we needed to keep going. We also knew our supporters were waiting so we started the second half well and they were behind us, so it was a massive difference.

"The first half they had more energy so they were also working really hard. They had a few chances and were defending well, so in the second half as soon as we scored the first goal the game was open and it was easier to find the spaces.

"When you have low confidence it is important to win, and if you score three goals and keep a clean sheet - Reina has a record at the club - there are a lot of positive things today."