Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has talked up the importance of his side's 5-3 win over Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium this afternoon.

Gerrard was among the scorers as Liverpool moved back into the top four with the victory, converting a penalty to join Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge on the scoresheet for the Reds.

It was Liverpool's first league win at Stoke for more than 29 years, and Gerrard believes that such triumphs will be vital if they are to finish the season in a Champions League place.

"It's big. Our record against Stoke in the league is poor away from home and we wanted to put that right today. I thought we showed tremendous character," Gerrard told Sky Sports News.

"It's results like this we need if we want to finish in the top four. The first 40 minutes we controlled the game. It was very comfortable then we went a bit soft, made a couple of mistakes, and it became a real tough game from then on."

Gerrard racked up his 650th appearance for Liverpool in the match.