Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has said that his side have improved in the last few weeks when defending a lead.

The Reds, who have often been criticised in the past for surrendering their advantage in games, have recently earned impressive clean sheets in wins over Southampton and Porto.

German stopper Karius has said that Liverpool have "stuck together" and defended their winning positions well in their recent victories.

"Of course clean sheets are the best thing you can get for defenders and goalkeepers so I think in the last few games even at times when we weren't attacking much and got a bit deep we stuck together and defended it well," the 24-year-old told Liverpool's official website.

"It wasn't bad before, it's just got better in the last few weeks. I just try to be there for the team when they need me, make some saves and keep the team in the game. Game time every week helps to find your rhythm and improve on things.

"Even when you're established maybe now as number one you always have to perform good and prove it week by week, so there's never really any laying back or anything. Communication-wise, if it's the build up from the back, if it's the decision making in general, there's always room for improvement, so we work on that every day on the training pitch to bring it down on the match day. Everyone is working well together as a group."

Liverpool host West Ham United at Anfield on Saturday, looking to consolidate their spot in the Premier League's top four.