Gerrard - We must handle pressure

Gerrard: Title belief

I think as captain it's important to dampen down expectations - there's no point getting carried away in December, there's still an awful long way to go.

Steven Gerrard.
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Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool need to learn to cope with the pressure of being at the top of the Premier League table.

The Reds displaced Chelsea at the summit on Monday after a 0-0 home draw with West Ham United, although the Anfield faithful booed their team off at full-time.

After failing to win the title since 1990, many are predicting this season to be Liverpool's best opportunity to end that trophy drought.

And Reds captain Gerrard feels that the players must maintain the level of form which has put the team in such a strong position after 15 games.

"We're up against some fantastic teams in Chelsea, Arsenal, United and Villa, and other teams are putting pressure on the top four," Gerrard told Sky Sports News.

"There's so much pressure week in, week out to deliver results and we need to learn to handle that pressure, and we need to learn to deal with being at the top.

"There's a different pressure being at the top to being second or third, and that's where we need to learn to relax and keep doing the things we've done that got us to the top."

Long way to go

Following the stalemate with the Hammers, midfield dynamo Gerrard is hoping for a positive response from Liverpool against Blackburn this weekend.

He added: "I think as captain it's important to dampen down expectations - there's no point getting carried away in December, there's still an awful long way to go.

"But there's a belief in the dressing room that we can be contenders and we can be in the title race. It's easy for me to say that, we've got to go and prove that with performances.

"If you look at last night's performance the critics will be out ready to criticise, so we need to go to Blackburn on Saturday, get three points and get those people with us again."

Gerrard also feels that beating their closest rivals in the title race will not be the decisive factor in Liverpool's prospects of finishing top of the pile.

"I don't agree with that at all," he continued. "I think it's important that you do take points off the other top sides, but I think the games against the teams below you and down at the foot of the table are just as important.

"You get three points for a win at the end of the day, so to beat someone in the bottom three is just as important as beating someone in the top three.

"It's important that we don't slip up against teams we should be beating."