Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers hails ‘outstanding’ Daniel Sturridge

Brendan Rodgers heaped praise on Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge after his game-changing impact in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.

The England international was introduced as a half-time substitute and came close to levelling with a long-range effort moments after the restart before finishing a slick move to restore parity in the 52nd minute.

With Chelsea heading towards three points after Eden Hazard’s spot-kick, the 23-year-old’s perfectly-weighted cross was headed past Petr Cech by Luis Suárez in the seventh minute of added time.

Sturridge has been used sparingly in recent weeks after initially scoring three goals following his £12m move from the Blues, and Rodgers hailed the youngster’s contribution to the draw.

“In the first half we were too slow,” Rodgers told Liverpool’s website.

“We played with three midfield players to control the game and we never had any real control – our passing was loose and sloppy.

“We had one or two moments where we showed intensity but I felt bringing Daniel on in the second half, playing with a narrow four in midfield and letting him move and work around Luis Suárez, would give us more of a threat.

“I thought Daniel was outstanding in the second half and as a team we were much more aggressive.”