Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has admitted that it took longer than expected for the team to turn their season around.

A poor start to the campaign saw the Reds slip to 10th in December, but they have taken 30 points from their 12 subsequent Premier League matches to move into contention for a Champions League spot.

Allen is confident that there is even more room for the team to improve.

"We always knew we'd turn it around but we wondered how long it was going to take. It did take longer than we expected, I think," he told Sky Sports News.

"We put expectation on ourselves because we think we're good enough to go on runs like this. With the players we've got, and the confidence we're playing with, I think it's a case of 'long may it continue'.

"People forget sometimes that we're a pretty young team and squad. The beauty of that is that we will get better. We've shown that as the season has gone on."

Liverpool travel to Allen's former club Swansea City this evening.