Rodgers on road to bigger rewards

Brendan Rodgers tells a story of how he realised he shared a birthday with Jose Mourinho when he ended up only being offered a piece of an enormous cake he believed was destined for him during his time at Chelsea.

It is the kind of anecdote Rodgers specialises in, excited and full of admiration for Mourinho and where the Northern Irishman has come from — but times have changed.

His attempts to play it down are about as convincing as the ‘three names in envelopes’ routine on the Liverpool documentary for which he was mercilessly mocked at the start of his reign.

But now the former youth coach must believe that he and his Liverpool team are in a straight fight with his old boss and Manchester City, and they belong there. It is much more than just a dream.

A title challenge has come as a shock even to them but that is no reason to ignore the wonderful opportunity they have presented themselves with.

Chelsea, still a point above, are charging, while Manchester City, three points behind the leaders with a game in hand on the Reds, are also hitting form.

But, although the win over Sunderland lacked the fluency of their performances of 2014, neither of them can claim to be playing better than Liverpool right now and both still have to travel to Anfield.

A look at Liverpool’s other remaining fixtures tells you how crucial those three hours of football may prove.

Tottenham come to Merseyside next, then Liverpool travel to West Ham, then they host City and head to Norwich, then they’ll entertain Chelsea before travelling to Crystal Palace before finishing the season with a home match against Newcastle.

It would be a shock if Spurs are not swept aside, while Norwich and Palace are desperate for points, but 15 points from a team that has dropped just four in 12 games since the turn of the year would not be that far off.

There will be occasions like last night, however, where they’ve to dig it out and that’s why their patience and mental strength against Gus Poyet’s side will give them confidence.

When it comes to those matches against City and Chelsea, there will be none of the reticence that Rodgers has shown in the media about Liverpool’s prospects of a first title since 1990, even though his side were beaten 2-1 by both teams back to back after they topped the table at Christmas.

They led in both games and Rodgers took heart from both performances, privately taking some cheer from Manuel Pellegrini changing City’s formation from 4-4-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

He will also believe he can find a way to combat Mourinho heading to Merseyside with a conservative mind-set.

Sunderland left-back Andrea Dossena’s presence on the field last night offered a reminder of a frustration that it is currently possible to gloss over at Anfield.

The last time the Reds challenged for the title, in 2009, it was despite neither Robbie Keane or Italian left-back Dossena, who were signed at a cost of €36m, contributing anything following their arrivals the previous summer.

If they end up falling short, there may be recriminations over why goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is the only man to feature on a regular basis even though €58 million was invested in the squad last summer.

That push for the title five years ago should show Rodgers why the time has to be now. Speaking before the game Jamie Carragher spoke of his belief that that challenge was just the start.

But Rafael Benitez’s side finished seventh the following season and have not been in the Champions League since.

That exile will surely come to an end now and, although it will be easier to bring in better quality, it will also stretch a squad that is not blessed with quality in numbers.

Will Luis Suarez stay forever now? Glen Johnson could be on his way and Gerrard will be a year older.

The primary target of finishing in the top four is well on the way to being achieved but there is also the chance to be remembered for a lot more.

More than the 2009 team that smashed everyone in the closing weeks and went close, or the Roy Evans side of 1996 that won friends with its swagger and finished fourth in a two-horse race.

Rodgers cannot be content with just a slice of what is on offer this time.