Sterling proves worth to ease pressure on Rodgers

Bournemouth 1 Liverpool 3

Confronted by the testing challenge of overcoming Championship leaders Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals, the Liverpool manager was spared yet more scrutiny about his position thanks largely to the finishing of Raheem Sterling.

Sterling struck twice, ending a 21-game drought, either side of Lazar Markovic’s first goal for the club and while Liverpool’s defensive problems were exposed in the final 33 minutes after Dan Gosling got one back for the home side, this was precisely the commanding victory Rodgers needed to divert attention away from the difficulties that have haunted the manager this season.