Alonso on the reds psychological boost

“It’s been difficult against them in the league in every match since I’ve been here and Rafa’s been at the club. We knew we had lost all the Premiership games, and that’s why it meant so much to win the game and prove ourselves against a top side.

“We know they had some problems, but they had a lot of great players and we did a good job.

“It’s dangerous when people start talking about the title, because we must be realistic. The position we are in now shows we are improving, and I would prefer to think about that rather than other things.

“We are in a good situation now, but we have to concentrate on keeping going and not think about the gap that’s still there. You can see we’re progressing and improving with every game.”

“All the games become important, but once you’ve proven you can beat the top sides, you have to carry on in the same way and not believe you’ve already achieved your target.”