Liverpool striving for perfection, says Allen

Joe Allen has called on Liverpool to reproduce the kind of form that saw them hammer Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield in February.

Liverpool were in irresistible form in the opening 20 minutes of that match, scoring four goals as Brendan Rodgers’ men sent a clear signal of their title-winning intent.

Allen hailed the brilliance of that spell and urged his side to strive for that level of performance in every match.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a better performance in 20 minutes of football from the first whistle,” the midfielder told Liverpool’s official magazine. “Our target now is to make sure we do that in every game.

“Obviously it’s difficult to play to that level all the time, but that’s our dream and what we’re aiming to do. How clinical we were with the ball and how many chances we created was one thing.

“But with Arsenal being such a great footballing team as well, the way we stopped them playing and won the ball back and pressed them hard was equally as pleasing.

“That’s probably the best way to approach any match – to have an aggressive stance from start to finish.”

Liverpool are second in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Chelsea but with a game in hand on Jose Mourinho’s charges.