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Martin Skrtel believes Liverpool are ready to do battle with title rivals Manchester City after extending their stunning run with a hard-fought 2-1 win over West Ham.

The Reds returned to the Premier League summit courtesy of a ninth successive league victory at Upton Park.

Brendan Rodgers’ side stand two points clear of Chelsea with five matches remaining. Man City, who visit Anfield next Sunday, are two points further back with two games in hand.

Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by City on Boxing Day but the Slovakian centre-back is confident the Reds can exact revenge.

“Things are going well but there is still a long way to go,” Skrtel told the ECHO.

“We can’t look too far ahead. We need to keep going game to game and now our focus is on getting three points against Manchester City.

“We will look forward to that challenge. We know the atmosphere created by our fans will be amazing.

In pictures: Reds beat West Ham

“We played well at the Etihad earlier in the season and were very unlucky not to take something from that game.

“We are going into it in great form and we will be doing everything we can to keep this winning run going.

“It’s exciting. This is why you play football – for a season like this. You want to be up there challenging for titles.

“There are still five games to play and we all want to keep going in this way and extend this winning run. We just need to stay focused and keep working.”

Skrtel was one of Liverpool’s outstanding performers as they dug deep to keep their title dream alive in the capital.

The Reds were indebted to two penalties from Steven Gerrard either side of Guy Demel’s controversial equaliser.

Simon Mignolet was clearly fouled by former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll in the build-up but referee Anthony Taylor overruled his assistant and awarded the goal.

Rodgers’ men responded to that injustice with a much improved second-half display and got their reward when Taylor ruled that Hammers keeper Adrian had upended Jon Flanagan inside the box.

“It was a massive test of this team but we came through it,” Skrtel said.

Video: Liverpool fans celebrate in the away end at Upton Park

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“Just before half-time was a tough time to concede a goal. It’s never easy for your head when something like that happens.

“I think it was a clear foul on Simon.

“But once the referee had made his decision there was nothing we could do about it.

“We talked about staying calm and we played really well in the second half.

“We knew there were still 45 minutes to play and that if we kept playing chances would come.

“Thankfully, we got a second goal when Stevie stuck away the penalty and we deserved to get the three points.

“We got what we came here for and we’re all delighted.

“We showed a lot of character and you can see there is a great spirit in this team. Everything is working well.”

West Ham subjected the Reds to an aerial bombardment but Skrtel helped to repel their advances.

“We knew what to expect from West Ham,” he said.

“It’s always difficult to deal with it but we were ready for it before the game and everyone did their jobs well.”

More on LFC today:

Match report: West Ham 1 Liverpool 2

Live: Liverpool FC news and views 07/04/14

West Ham 1 Liverpool 2: what we learned from the vital win

Video: Jubilant Reds celebrate as title charge rolls on at West Ham