Raheem Sterling has explained why a quip by Brendan Rodgers had him scouring Google on Sunday night.

Earlier that afternoon, the winger produced a blistering display to help Liverpool comprehensively dispatch Tottenham Hotspur 3-0.

Sterling set the Reds on their way by opening the scoring after just eight minutes and could have netted a goal-of-the-season contender in the second half when he danced beyond the entire Spurs defence inside a crowded box, but was unable to produce the finish the move deserved.

Afterwards, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, Rodgers joked: "He dribbled through the Spurs defence like Ricky Villa, but his finish was more like Ricky Gervais!"

However, at the age of just 19, Sterling admits he needed to do a bit of research to understand the pun, given he was just six when Gervais shot to prominence with hit sitcom 'The Office' and wasn't even born when Villa dazzled to help Spurs win the FA Cup in 1981.

"I didn't understand what the gaffer said when I was first told about it," the winger revealed. "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. Hopefully, next time, I'll score two.

"We have professional respect and he's a good man-manager who has helped me a lot on and off the training field. I really look up to him and I'm glad he's my manager."

Sterling was speaking shortly after joining up with the England squad ahead of a friendly with Norway on Wednesday and a Euro 2016 qualifier in Switzerland.

Liverpool's No.31 feels the Three Lions are ready to put their World Cup disappointments behind them and look forward to what has the potential to be an exciting future.

"It was a disappointing time," Sterling reflected on the World Cup. "This is the first time we've met up and we're looking forward to the exciting times ahead with the talent we have got in the squad.

"We were working hard in training today, the lads that have been recovering as well, so we've all been working hard to make sure there are exciting times ahead.

"Obviously today is the first day we've been together so it has been really good to know some of the new lads. It is a new chapter."

Though the England camp are very much looking forward, there has been a period of reflection this week on their performances in Brazil.

"The manager sat us down briefly [on Sunday] and tried to go through what he thought we did well, what we could have done better, tried to analyse where we can go from here," Sterling explained.

"I think that is the best thing to do, really, to try and make sure we don't repeat that disappointment at our next major tournament.

"He has definitely started [analysing it] already and it is a good thing everyone gets it clear what we could have done better and what we did well, which was playing some good football at times."