After the Reds overcame West Ham at Anfield on Saturday, the manager is cautious not to look beyond their difficult next fixtures but is pleased with his side’s progress

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has praised his side more making difficult games look easy after they beat West Ham to move second in the Premier League.

The Reds emerged 4-1 victors from the Hammers’ visit in a game that included three own goals, edging ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.

Their good early-season form has got fans hoping for a first return to the Champions League since 2009 but Rodgers prefers to focus on the short term.

“We’ll just keep going and take each game one at a time,” he told reporters. “We’ve got difficult games ahead but it was always going to be difficult from the first game.

“We’ll just go to the next challenge. These were games that were tough for us last year. You give the respect to the players because they are actually making them look a lot more straightforward.

“[Saturday] was a good day for us – the other results were good and that’s when you need to exploit it and we certainly did that.

“I’d give the supporters credit as well because they play a huge part in our drive and relentless desire to get goals and their encouragement was great for us.”