Brendan Rodgers enjoyed a rampant victory over his former side as Liverpool cruised past Swansea City in Sunday’s only Premier League match.

The Reds ended their five game winless run in emphatic fashion as a dominant performance moved them up to seventh in the table and also marked their first victory of the season against top-half opposition.

Skipper Steven Gerrard converted a first-half spot kick before second-half goals from Phillipe Coutinho, Jose Enrique, Luis Suarez and a Daniel Sturridge penalty rewarded the hosts for a commanding display.

Liverpool headed into proceedings making three changes from their 2-0 Europa League defeat to Zenit on Thursday. Daniel Agger replaced Martin Skrtel in defence, while Sturridge returned from injury and Coutinho was handed his full debut.

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup, meanwhile, clearly had one eye on next week’s Capital One Cup final as he made seven changes, resting the likes of Michu and Ashley s and handing starting berths to Itay Shechter and Kyle Bartley.

The Reds oozed confidence from the off and it was Sturridge who came closest to breaking the deadlock early on as he fired a header inches over the bar before the former Chelsea man latched on to a great long ball in the Swansea area and was brought down after some twists and turns.

Referee Howard Webb waved away any penalty appeals, however, while Coutinho fired the follow-up shot just wide from close range.

But Liverpool’s superiority soon paved a breakthrough as Gerrard whipped a corner in on 34 minutes and Suarez received the ball in the area only to be brought down by Kemy Agustien. Webb took a long look at his linesman, but this time showed no hesitation in pointing straight to the spot.

And it was the captain who stepped up, picking the opposite corner to the one he chose when missing last week against West Brom. Vorm went the right way, but the England midfielder dispatched his spot kick with aplomb and Liverpool had their first ever Premier League goal against Swansea.

Sturridge then threatened once more but was unable to add to the home side’s tally as a half of sheer Liverpool dominance came to its conclusion.

But it took the Reds just 16 seconds after the restart before they had their second. The visitors lost possession in the middle of the park and Suarez played a superb through ball to Coutinho, who embarked upon a fantastic run and beat Vorm from inside the area with palpable ease.

The Reds weren’t done there as Sturridge and Enrique then combined to perfection, advancing into the box with a series of one-two passes before the Spaniard thumped his finish into the roof of the net.

Suarez compounded the away side’s misery on 56 minutes with a fine turn and run before placing the ball in the bottom left corner.

And the rout was completed a quarter of an hour later as the hosts were awarded their second penalty of the game and Sturridge duly tucked it away for his fourth goal in five league games after Gerrard had unselfishly handed him the ball.

The 19-year-old Spaniard revealed the French legend was his favourite player until he played with the Anfield captain, whose desire to improve himself has been inspirational

Liverpool starlet Suso has revealed that Steven Gerrard has displaced Zinedine Zidane as his footballing idol, with the Anfield captain’s work ethic being an inspiration to the youngster.

The 19-year-old joined the Premier League club in 2010 from Cadiz, and the promising midfielder has since made 18 appearances for the Reds.

And while France legend Zidane will always have a place in his heart, the Spaniard says it is 32-year-old England captain’s dedication to personal improvement which sets him apart from the rest of the footballing world.

“When I was young I’d always say Zidane but since I’ve been here I would say Stevie [Gerrard],” Suso told Liverpool’s official website when asked who his footballing idol was.

“Every time I see him it’s like he’s from another world. He works hard every day and he always wants to improve even though he has won almost everything.

“At 32, he still wants to keep getting better. That shows me how much I have to learn.”

Despite Liverpool struggling in ninth place in the Premier League table, Gerrard has been in resurgent form of late – although his penalty miss with the score still 0-0 against West Brom on Monday proved costly as the Baggies went on to win 2-0.

The Reds have a chance to make amends with a tricky home game against Swansea on Sunday afternoon, where they can rise to seventh place if they overcome Michael Laudrup’s Capital One Cup finalists.

The 40-year-old Anfield boss has endured a difficult opening season in charge, but despite being 12 points off of a Champions League qualifying place, he says there is still hope

Brendan Rodgers still believes Liverpool can gain a top four finish in the Premier League and earn Champions League qualification in order to retain the club’s star players such as Luis Suarez.

The Reds are struggling in ninth place after being beaten 2-0 at home by West Brom on Monday, and with 36 points from 26 games they are well short of Tottenham, who have 48 points with the same number of matches played.

But in an attempt to inspire confidence in his side, the Anfield boss insists he will continue fighting to get the club back into Europe’s premier club competition until it is a mathematical impossibility.

“For me, I will always say that something is possible if it’s mathematically possible,” he told reporters. “Say, for example, we won 10 of our last 12 games then that would take us close to fourth place. While there’s a chance I have to retain my optimism.

“So while we haven’t given up, we also know it is going to be very difficult. I don’t want to be hung out to dry as a fool.

“You can live without water for so many days, but you can’t live a second without hope. If you never have hope and want to achieve something, then you’ve got no chance. While we can mathematically do it, I retain that optimism.”

Rodgers believes that being optimistic despite the pressures of trying to meet the high expectations of Liverpool fans will in turn help the players to overcome their doubts, and thus improve performances on the pitch.

“The reality is, it’s still there because the points mean it is still achievable,” he continued. “I have got to where I am in life because I am optimistic. For me, the glass is always half-full.

“I have tried to promote that way [of thinking] to the players because if you don’t think you can do it, you’ll never do it. It is as simple as that.”

However, the Northern Irishman also admits the prospect of another season without Champions League football may lead to the club losing some of their more established names, adding: “I am a realist.”

Liverpool take on Swansea at Anfield on Sunday; a win for Rodgers’ side would take them above Michael Laudrup’s Swans into seventh, but a defeat or a draw would all but end any realistic hopes of a push for fourth.