Jurgen Klopp praises "brilliant" Daniel Sturridge following EFL Cup double

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hailed the "brilliant" performance of Daniel Sturridge in this evening's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup.

The England international, often overlooked by the Reds boss this season, proved to be the difference in the all-Premier League affair at Anfield thanks to his brace.

Sturridge has started just four Premier League games for Liverpool in 2016-17, but he was given the nod against Spurs as Klopp made a clean sweep of changes to his side, with a goal in either half helping the Merseyside outfit into the quarter-finals.

"He did what he has to do. It was brilliant, he could have scored three or four," Klopp told Sky Sports News. "The youngsters were also really good. All of them.

"Trent Alexander-Arnold made a wonderful start in the game. They can play better but with the pressure and new circumstances it was really good. We had the bigger chances and we deserved to win. We created a wonderful atmosphere and nobody could leave early.

"The game was what I expected, in a positive way for us. Then, for part of it, we lost concentration and caused our problems by ourselves. Overall, the summary is very positive, a deserved win."

Liverpool are currently one point above Tottenham in the Premier League table and have now gone nine games without defeat against the Lilywhites in all competitions.