Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has claimed that his fear of the sack was the motivation behind a reverse in fortunes for the Merseyside club.

The Reds were 11th in the Premier League in mid-December, but are now unbeaten in 11 league games and pushing for Champions League qualification.

"It wasn't working. We had a huge challenge, probably the biggest I have had as a coach or manager," he told the press.

"I knew I had to do something radical because I had seen enough of the players to know we were not going to be able to shape up and play as we had done for the previous couple of years with what we had got."

Liverpool face Burnley tomorrow evening at Anfield as they bid to win their fourth consecutive league game.