Brendan Rodgers heaved a sigh of relief after a Nuri Sahin double helped Liverpool to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over West Brom in the League Cup at the Hawthorns.
After going a goal down early in the third minute, Sahin struck twice -- the winner coming with under ten minutes left in the game -- to give Liverpool a morale boosting win after suffering heartbreak at the weekend against Manchester United.
"I think it was a symbolic night because it shows how fast we are moving as a group," Rodgers told reporters.
"How we have progressed from our first day of the season here, when we were a wee bit disjointed and players did perhaps not quite understand my methods and what I wanted.
"But the performance level has been high for a number of weeks. I think it's always exciting to see young players who have great technique. But what is important as well is that they understand how to fight. It was a wonderful performance against a good team.
"(West Brom manager) Steve (Clarke) has done a wonderful job here. He has made the team very hard to beat and obviously tonight he fielded an experienced team. For us to dominate the game like we did and to get the goals, and especially the second goal, it typified what we are all about.
"Overall the confidence on the ball and the ability to pass it and the courage to want it was very prominent with the players. It's really been the last three or four weeks when our tempo and rhythm and relentless possession has started to come through, so it was good to see and it was good to win."
Liverpool will now welcome Rodgers' former club Swansea City to Anfield in the next round, and the manager is looking forward to the tie. "Swansea is a wonderful club," he said. "I was in no rush to leave there. I was only going to leave there to go to another special club.
"It will be a great night. To play Swansea at Anfield in front of two wonderful sets of supporters will be a really good night.
"I said to the players afterwards, 'the Carling Cup is stored at Anfield and I don't want us to give it up too easily'. I want us to fight.
"You saw tonight that if the young players are fighting and the likes of Jamie Carragher, at 34 years of age, who was fantastic tonight, are performing then we can do well."
Rodgers was also impressed by Sahin's performance and believes the Real Madrid player will come into his own once he gets used to the pace of the game in the English Premier League. "He's still getting up to speed," Rodgers added. "It's been difficult for him because he was out for a long time and he's come here having missed a big part of pre-season. But he's getting better.
"He has great football arrogance -- he's terrific on the ball. You can see in his first goal that he has got great technique and he is not frightened to shoot. And for the second goal, he showed that he can arrive in the box and get a goal."
Rodgers gave teenager Jerome Sinclair - at 16 years and six days - a debut with ten minutes remaining; making him the youngest Liverpool debutante off all-time, and Rodgers had kind words for the talented youngster. "I gave him my congratulations," Rodgers revealed. "He got a nice round of applause afterwards in the changing room as well.
"It was nice that Jack Robinson was the previous (holder of the record) and he was playing tonight. But now Jerome's hard work begins. It's no good being the youngest player and then drifting out of it.
"But thankfully, he's a good kid. I've worked with him a number of times so far and he's really focused with good concentration. He wants to learn and once you have that hunger, you can take it a long way."
