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LIVERPOOL FC’S season is still alive and kicking. Just about.

On a day when defeat – or even a draw – would have all but killed Brendan Rodgers’ maiden campaign in charge at Anfield, in a competitive sense at least, his side found their backbone.

Vintage this was not. Liverpool were far from brilliant for large spells.

They were still terrorised by the brutish Christian Benteke, who looks a certainty to move on to bigger and better things this summer, and they still afforded Villa far more openings than Rodgers would have liked.

Yet the Reds boss can be more than pleased with his side’s response to Benteke’s first-half strike. A stirring 15-minute spell after half time, and a pretty composed final half hour, was enough to swing the game their way, and keep alive their slim hopes of securing European football next season. It also hammered another nail into Aston Villa’s Premier League coffin.

They remain in the bottom three, with Villa Park’s frustration palpable at the whistle. Paul Lambert faces a mammoth task to keep them afloat.

Rodgers’ task, meanwhile, is simple, if sizeable. He must keep his side winning, whilst hoping those above them stutter. It is not unrealistic to suggest Liverpool may need seven wins from their final seven games if they are to have any chance of a top-five finish.

At least they showed signs of improvement here. Having surrendered meekly at Southampton a fortnight ago, this was a stronger Liverpool.

Rodgers had restructured the core of his side, bringing in Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher and Lucas Leiva. But while those three provided solidity and experience, it was the performance of another player returning to the side which caught the eye most.

Jordan Henderson may have wondered what he’d done to offend his manager in recent weeks. From playing the best, most purposeful football of his Anfield career throughout the winter months, the England Under-21 skipper has found himself marginalised of late.

Not here. Here, he was centre stage. His goal, clipped smartly past Brad Guzan early in the second half, provided the stamp of authority, but his general performance was one of quality, confidence and maturity. It showed why a growing number of supporters now view the 22-year-old’s presence in this Liverpool team as a necessity.

Pressing relentlessly, even when his side were not, Henderson ensured Villa’s rhythm was never constant. He harried, he probed, he bit. And when in possession, he was safe, sensible and accurate.

For all Rodgers’ attempts to add attacking depth to his squad in recent months, the feeling remains that it is his midfield which will make or break them.

At Southampton, it broke them. With Joe Allen patently unfit, Liverpool were left wide open, unable to win the ball back from a good footballing outfit, and unable to keep it when they had it themselves. Hindsight is an exact science, of course, but Rodgers’ omission of Henderson on the South coast was an error.

He wasn’t about to repeat it here. Here, Henderson played alongside Gerrard and Lucas, with Daniel Sturridge sacrificed from the frontline. It paid off. Liverpool were more compact, had better shape and were better with and without the ball. Their creative edge was not dimmed by Sturridge’s absence.

This is a tougher Henderson, a much improved footballer. Gone is the callow youth who tiptoed through the bulk of his debut campaign on Merseyside. Now, there is a more muscular presence, a louder voice, a surer touch. Having deferred to Gerrard, Luis Suarez and co in his early days, Henderson now feels he belongs alongside them. With good reason, too.

He was confident enough to (correctly) berate Suarez for failing to release the ball midway through the second half, and composed enough to retain the ball as Villa desperately sought a way back into the game late on.

That they failed to find one reflects well on Liverpool’s resilience. They were caused plenty of problems by the sheer brute force of Christian Benteke, who had terrorised them at Anfield back in December, but this was a Liverpool far removed from the side that had surrendered so meekly at Southampton. Gerrard, who converted the decisive penalty on the hour mark, was back to his very best, whilst Suarez caused no end of problems for Ron Vlaar and Nathan Baker, who eventually lost his composure with a frustrated lunge in the penalty area.

There remains an inconsistency running through Liverpool’s veins, of course. It is still hard to know which version of Rodgers’ Reds will show up on any given day, especially away from home.

But in Henderson, they have one more player they can rely on. Don’t expect to see the Wearsider twiddling his thumbs much between now and the end of the season. Liverpool need him.