Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers eyes top-four finish next season

Brendan Rodgers believes Liverpool can challenge for a top-four finish next season after an impressive 3-1 victory at Fulham.

Reds striker Daniel Sturridge scored a stunning hat-trick in response to Dimitar Berbatov’s opener at Craven Cottage.

It means Liverpool have now won four of their last six away games in the Premier League, cementing a seventh-place finish for the Reds.

The Merseyside outfit are 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with their four-year wait to qualify for the Champions League set to continue.

But Rodgers, 40, is confident his side can launch a top-four assault next season with the Reds boss hoping to strengthen during the summer transfer window.

“I think we can have an exciting season next year,” he said.

“We can build towards that but we need more depth, we need some more [players] in the summer.

“If we can do that we will be looking to make a real sustainable challenge next year for the top four.”

Rodgers also praised Liverpool youngster Andre Wisdom who impressed on his return to the starting line-up, creating Sturridge’s first goal.

“It was nothing to do with performance. We wanted to win the game. I had seen what I needed to see out of the system,” he added.

“Andre is only a young kid and he has done great this year. He turned 20 recently and today was another day of experience for him.

“It was nothing to do with Andre’s performance – we just reverted back to what we have been working on a lot this year and it worked very well for us in the second half.”