Gerrard: the best ever Red?

LIVERPOOL manager Roy Hodgson has told his squad they cannot keep relying on the brilliance of captain Steven Gerrard to get them out of trouble, and must start proving their worth to the club.

The England midfielder has been one of the better players this season, even though he has not reached his usual high standards, but against Napoli on Thursday night he produced a 45-minute masterclass which underlined his undeniable quality.

Hodgson admitted the 30-year-old made it look easy in coming off the bench to dominate the second half with a performance capped by a hat-trick in the final 15 minutes.