Joe Allen acknowledged that Liverpool's 4-3 win over Swansea City was by no means their most ruthless display of the season so far - but insisted Sunday's victory was another vital three points at Anfield.

After watching the three teams above them win on Saturday, the onus was on the Reds to keep within touching distance of the Barclays Premier League pace-setters.

A whirlwind, topsy-turvy game swung one way and then the other before Jordan Henderson's sheer persistence guaranteed a win for the home side.

In the hours that followed, Tottenham Hotspur slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Norwich City at Carrow Road, meaning Brendan Rodgers' side now have a six-point cushion in fourth place.

"It was an extremely tough game, but we got the job done," Allen told Liverpoolfc.com. "We got the three points and so I'm very happy with that.

"Swansea pushed us all the way to the final whistle and we had to be very resilient. We had to make sure that we gave everything in order to get the three points.

"When you play a day later than your rivals, you sometimes feel the pressure of that situation, but we were as confident as ever that we could get the result and bridge the gap."

He added: "The manager congratulated us because three points is three points. At this stage of the season, it's vitally important, especially with the results over the weekend.

"People talk about not playing your best but taking the three points. We certainly did that today."

The Wales international was on the field for just 32 minutes against his former club, and yet Allen made his presence felt after being introduced with the scores tied at 3-3.

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He executed five successful tackles against the Swans, which was more challenges than any other Liverpool midfielder managed throughout the entire 90 minutes.

The 23-year-old broke up the play, harried the opposition and surged forward with the ball at his feet in an attempt to ease the burden on his side.

"The manager just told me to go out there and play my game, in order to help the team push to get the winner," he reflected. "Thankfully it came and it was a great feeling to be part of a winning performance.

"We were expecting a really tough game, especially under Garry Monk's leadership. I know Swansea very well - there are still a lot of players there who I played for years with.

"I know the quality they have, but so do the players here [at Liverpool]. Swansea look like they are revitalised. It was tough work getting the job done, but we scored four more goals and it was another win here at Anfield."

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The game saw Daniel Sturridge take his goalscoring tally for the season to 21 with a calm finish after three minutes of play, followed up by a towering header just prior to the interval at the Anfield Road end.

The man who supplied Sturridge's second, Luis Suarez, grabbed his ninth Premier League assist of the season in the process, moving him to joint top in the standings, alongside Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.

Suarez, of course, remains the league's leading scorer with 23 strikes.

"It's so important to have that threat [of Sturridge and Suarez]," said Allen. "They've been instrumental for us this season.

"Every team that comes here knows they have got a massive task on their hands to try and keep those two quiet. It brings great confidence to us to know that we have players who are a massive threat in every game."