Hodgson: Liverpool are back

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is sure that his club are slowly returning back to form after a disappointing first half to the season which sees them some way off the pace at the top of the Premiership.

Hodgson said: "It's going to be close for a long time to come, but as far as I'm concerned the important thing is that when the league turns around, when we're just about to approach our 20th game, we have at least repaired the damage which our bad start to the season did for us.

"If we can do that, I am fairly confident with the work we're doing and the way the players are embracing it, I think we will have a better second half of the season.

"I am hoping we'll have a platform to work from, which didn't look as if we were going to after seven games when we were propping up the league."