Fans vote Coutinho Player of the Month
Philippe Coutinho has collected the Standard Chartered Player of the Month award for October after Liverpool supporters selected the Brazilian playmaker as their star performer during the period.
The Reds contested six matches in three different competitions across a month of mixed results, with the No.10 involved in each and every one, including four starts for Brendan Rodgers' side.
A frustrating Champions League defeat at FC Basel was far more pleasingly followed up by successive Barclays Premier League victories against West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers.
Coutinho rose from the bench three-quarters of the way through the latter encounter and was a pivotal figure in ensuring that his team ultimately took three points from a hectic conclusion, notably driving home Liverpool's second goal in a 3-2 win at Loftus Road.
Three consecutive Anfield ties rounded off October and, after the disappointment of a loss at home to Real Madrid and a goalless stalemate with Hull City, the 22-year-old thrived in aiding a late Capital One Cup triumph over Swansea City.
His displays clearly caught the eye of Kopites throughout the month, with the attacker an outright nomination ahead of teammates Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson from the thousands of votes cast.
Upon a special presentation of the accolade at Melwood, Coutinho commented: "First of all, thank you. I'm really glad that I was voted for this by the fans - it means a lot to me.
"I constantly receive positive messages from the fans and that makes me happy. It's very nice and an extra motivation for me to keep improving and bring them joy on the pitch."
Having suffered a narrow reversal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, the next obstacle for the Reds is a Premier League encounter with current pace-setters Chelsea.
"Our focus is on improving in the competition to achieve our goals," added the attacker. "It's a massive game and we're ready to face it and hopefully win three points, which would be very important for us.
"We've been improving over the last few games but we're conscious we must do more. We expect to be fighting for a top-four spot. Liverpool is a great club and must always be challenging for the top positions."