Gerrard is back to his best, says Houllier

LIVERPOOL manager Gerard Houllier believes Steven Gerrard is back to his best — and he is confident the England midfielder can repeat his man-of-the-match show against Aston Villa on a regular basis.

Gerrard came in for criticism from Houllier two months ago as he suffered a dramatic slump in form which reached a low when he was substituted at half-time in the Champions League clash with Basle. But he has responded in a positive manner and on Wednesday night scored once and created two others in a dramatic 4-3 Worthington Cup quarter-final success at Villa Park. It was just the lift the Reds needed to take into the weekend derby with Everton after a run of six Premiership games without a win. Houllier said: "Steven Gerrard was fantastic throughout the game on Wednesday and he has come back to his best which is good for him and good for Liverpool.

"He is looking the player he can be but I would give him the same advice as when he was not doing well.