Brendan Rodgers hails Philippe Coutinho as one of the best in the league

Brendan Rodgers has heaped praise on Philippe Coutinho following his brilliant form over the past few months and insists that he is among the world's best at creating goals.

The midfielder played an important part in their 2-0 win over Newcastle United. Raheem Sterling and Joe Allen found the net to take the Reds only four points clear of Manchester City, who have seen a massive fall in form and may drop out of the race if they do not buckle up.

Coutinho also scored the winner last mid-week against Blackburn in the FA Cup replay at Anfield which saw Rodgers' men progress into the semi-finals where they will face a rejuvenated Aston Villa at Wembley. This is a must win game for the Reds, who need to show some sort of progress this season and a Cup win would go a long way in ascertaining that.

Rodgers talked about Coutinho's new role behind the striker which is currently being held by Sterling. The Brazilian's performance has not gone unnoticed with his national side either, with the former Inter Milan man making his first appearance for Brazil in a friendly against Chile in the international break last month.

"I thought he was incredible. I thought he showed that he's really up there with the very, very best in the most competitive league in the world, which is the Barclays Premier League," Rodgers said.

"I played him in that role just in front of the center halves, thinking that we could exploit the space in between their midfield and the center halves and create space for players to make runs in behind. I thought he was sensational.

"He was a kid that always had the ability, but he's become stronger, become more tactically aware and I think you see him now really orchestrating the game for us. It was an outstanding performance, he looked very fit and strong, and he's had a wonderful season," he concluded.