Brendan Rodgers: Top-four finish the only goal for Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers has again played down talk of Liverpool winning the title this season after being named Premier League manager of the month for March.

The Northern Irishman, whose side are top of the table heading into Sunday’s clash with Manchester City at Anfield, guided the Reds to five wins out of five last month.

Our objective is still to make sure we qualify for the Champions League

Brendan Rodgers

But Rodgers insists that the Merseyside outfit must first secure qualification for next season’s Champions League before dreaming of a potential title triumph.

“For us at this point, our objective is still to make sure we qualify for the Champions League,” Rodgers told Sky Sports.

“That objective hasn’t changed and it’s not secured yet. As soon as we do that, then we’ll look to what the next goals are.

“But at this moment in time the concentration’s just on the performance and the next game.”

Rodgers, who wins the manager of the month award for the second time after having also scooped it in August, continued: “Our success is purely down to a team effort here, so we’ll receive it [the award] gratefully.

“We’ve been on a wonderful run as a team and over the course of March we had some outstanding results. We’re very honoured and humbled to receive it.

“Up until now we’ve performed really well. We’ve been working hard and our results have demonstrated the improvements that have taken place.

“We’ve got an exciting group of young players here who are improving all the time and the senior players have been outstanding.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and striker Luis Suarez have been jointly named player of the month after they combined for 10 goals in their side’s unbeaten run during March.