Liverpool star Raheem Sterling has admitted that he needed to do a bit of research on who Ricky Villa and Ricky Gervais were after manager Brendan Rodgers used them in a joke.

The Northern Irishman referred to the former Tottenham Hotspur player and the British comic actor when describing Sterling's missed goal opportunity in Sunday's 3-0 victory over Spurs at White Hart Lane.

After the game while speaking to reporters, Rodgers joked: "He dribbled through the Spurs defence like Ricky Villa, but his finish was more like Ricky Gervais!"

When asked about the joke by reporters this week, 19-year-old Sterling said: "I didn't understand what the gaffer said when I was first told about it, but then I typed both names into Google, so now I know.

"The boss joked about my effort and said it was like a baby's shot. He's given me a bit of stick for it but my finishing is something I'm working on."

Sterling scored the opening goal for the Reds, while Steven Gerrard and Alberto Moreno also got on the scoresheet.