Allen: Liverpool looking to kick on after 'bittersweet' draw with Manchester City

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen admitted his side's 2-2 draw with Manchester City was a "bittersweet" result, but has backed the team to kick on with its season after notching its first point of the Premier League campaign.

The Reds twice held the lead against the champions through a header from Martin Skrtel and a stunning free kick by Luis Suarez, but costly errors from the latter and goalkeeper Pepe Reina gifted Roberto Mancini's men a point in a high-tempo contest at Anfield.

Allen admitted it was frustrating to let the lead slip twice in such fashion, but believes his side can take great confidence from their performance as they look to build momentum following last week's opening-day defeat to West Brom.

“It was pretty frantic at times," he told Sky Sports after the match. "For the neutral, I’m sure it was a great game; from our point of view, it was brilliant to have gone ahead twice but disappointing not go on to win the game. I think that [bitter-sweet] is the perfect way to sum it up.

“Of course, we knew we’d bounce back with a better performance and I think that was obvious from the start. We’ve put that game behind us and after today’s draw we’re looking to kick on.”

Roberto Mancini raised eyebrows by naming a 5-3-2 formation for the game, and Allen admitted it was a tactic they were forced to adapt to quickly.

“It’s something not many teams do," the 22-year-old continued. "We had to make a few changes to deal with that and for the first 15 we took a while to get to grips with it, but I thought we dealt with it quite well. From a personal point of view our system didn’t change much, although obviously our wingers had to put a shift in tracking theirs.”

The former Swansea man made his home debut for the Reds against City and put in a typically impressive passing display which boasted a 100 per cent completion rate at half-time.

Having completed his protracted move to Merseyside shortly before the start of the season, the Wales international revealed he was delighted to have made his Anfield bow.

"It was a fantastic occasion, it’s always special to get your home debut," he said. "Here at Anfield, the atmosphere was fantastic as I would have expected, and I’m looking forward to playing here for the rest of the season.”

The youngster was at the heart of Brendan Rodgers' impressive Swansea side last season, and has backed his boss to instil the same style of play in the Liverpool side as they look to break back into the Premier League top four.

“Speaking with the guys here, they were really looking forward to playing underneath him," he added. "Obviously the style of play is a big positive factor for everyone, and we’re confident that’s going to get us results throughout the season.”