Lazar beams hope to Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers predicted a late-season charge for the Reds in their bid for a top-four Premier League finish after Saturday's 1-0 win at Sunderland.

Lazar Markovic's first league goal on a bullet shot secured victory at the Stadium of Light to make it one defeat in 13 games for last season's runner-up, who cemented its hold on eighth place.

Rodgers has loftier ambitions for the rest of the campaign and after preseason upheaval, the Northern Irishman feels his raft of new players are finally coming to terms with the Premier League.