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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has hailed captain Jordan Henderson as Liverpool’s “big rock”.

Henderson impressed on his return to the side for Saturday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the Premier League at Anfield.

Dejan Lovren also shone after being handed a recall and Oxlade-Chamberlain believes genuine competition for places in all departments is helping to keep standards high.

“Since I have been here that is one thing I have noticed with this group of lads - everyone is hungry, everyone is 100% focused, everyone is very demanding,” he said.

“The manager and the coaches are demanding and it keeps everyone on their toes and ready.

(Image: (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images))

“Dejan was brilliant and you know what you are going to get from Hendo - he is so solid, a big rock for us. He helps control midfield and dictate the game both on and off the ball.

“Gini (Wijnaldum) wasn’t involved but he has been fantastic all year. There is big competition for places and that does help keep everyone sharp. It is also good to be able to rotate the squad so that when people come in you can trust each other.”

Since the shock defeat to Swansea in January, Jurgen Klopp’s side have taken 13 points out of a possible 15 to strengthen their grip on a top-four spot. They are seven points clear of fifth placed Chelsea.

If Manchester United fail to beat Crystal Palace tonight then Liverpool will be looking down on their rivals when they meet at Old Trafford this Saturday.

“You want to finish up as high as possible and it is in our own hands,” Oxlade-Chamberlain added.

“We have a big game against United coming up soon and that will be massive - one that may shape the way the table is going to look.

“But you can never take your foot off the gas and underestimate any opposition. We knew that Newcastle could spoil the party and make it really difficult for us.

(Image: (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))

“We have worked on a few different ways to break teams down and in the end we managed to find a way.”

Prior to Old Trafford, there’s the small matter of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Porto at Anfield.

Liverpool boast an emphatic 5-0 lead from the first leg but Klopp has indicated he will play a strong side and Oxlade-Chamberlain wants to help dish out more punishment to the Portuguese giants.

“You need to create your own momentum by being 100% at the races every game,” he said.

“The attitude has to be right and you have to earn the right to play and score goals. If we don’t put in a good performance against Porto and keep our momentum going that could maybe affect games after that.

“The 5-0 in Porto has set us up for a good second leg. We now have to see it out and get the job done. We need to keep it going.”