My best win ever: Brendan Rodgers hails his Reds heroes

ALL SMILES ... Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was delighted with his side

BRENDAN RODGERS hailed his best Liverpool win after Steven Gerrard’s late penalty kept their Euro hopes alive.

The highest-placed team the Reds had beaten before this game was Swansea.

But they put that right with a thrilling comeback to end Tottenham’s 12-game Premier League unbeaten record.

It puts the Kop ahead of neighbours Everton and within two points of fifth-placed Arsenal.

And the Reds boss believes it shows his team are heading in the right direction.

Luis Suarez and Stewart Downing also got on the scoresheet to make it four straight wins in all competitions for the first time of Rodgers’ reign.

The Ulsterman said: “It’s a big game you are playing against an opponent that has been challenging for the Champions League for the last three or four years.

“It’s a few years since Liverpool have beaten them. This is another marker in terms of our growth.

“People talked about how we haven’t beaten anyone in the top 10, then it was the top eight and then the top six and now it’s top four. The most important thing for me is the growth in the group.

“We’re on a great run and we knew this would be a severe test of our qualities and our character. Spurs are a team in great form and have been together for a few years.

“We’ve been comfortable in a lot of games and been able to control them.

“But against a top side we were able to come through. We had to make some changes and once we did that we were good value.

“It’s not important that we’re sixth. It’s just important that we continue to move — it was always going to be difficult early on.” Liverpool’s recent revival looked set to be halted as Jan Vertonghen struck twice either side of the break to cancel out Suarez’s opener.

But the Reds rallied to take the points and Rodgers aims to make Anfield a place where teams dread to come again.

Rodgers added: “The intention was to cultivate that. It was a place that was really difficult to come to for many years. That wasn’t going to happen automatically. But we’re scoring goals.

“The crowd sense it’s growing and it’s coming along well. And that’s what we want this place to be.

“It’s an iconic stadium of football history and we want to return it to that.

“You do that by winning games and we are at the moment.”

Suarez was again the star on the day when he again repeated he wants to stay at Anfield next season — even if the Reds do not qualify for Europe.

Rodgers said: “I’m not really worried about other clubs watching him. Football is a worldwide game so everyone has seen how good he is. But he’s happy and that’s most important.

“He’s happy among his mates, he’s happy with his football.

“It doesn’t matter where he plays — he was in that number 10 role and I made the change to get the midfielders on and he went up and he still created havoc.

“He’s a real pleasure to work with, an outstanding talent and he knows the trust I put in him.

“He has the platform to go and perform.”

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted his team had shot themselves in the foot.

Kyle Walker and Jermain Defoe were both guilty of suicidal back passes in the build-up to Liverpool’s last two goals and it cost the north London side dear.

AVB said: “It’s difficult for us to take as we did ever so well to get back into the game first half.

“We had control of the game.It’s more down to a couple of mistakes that we made than Liverpool’s merit, although they fought very hard.

“Hopefully this setback can serve as an example to move forward and move forward.”