Spearing Delighted With Massive Win

Jay Spearing reflected on his first start for Liverpool at Anfield and insisted Roy Hodgson has given him great belief of more future involvement in the first XI.

The Wirral-born midfielder was one of the star performers during the 4-1 win over Steaua Bucharest and he got a great ovation from the Kop at the final whistle.
"That was a massive moment for me to start my first game for Liverpool at Anfield and I will take a lot from the game," Spearing told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"I got a lot of confidence when the manager told me I would be playing and I went out there and really enjoyed it.
"The manager has given me a lot of confidence and I know I have to keep working hard every time I get the chance in the first team.
"I thought overall we have to be pleased with the performance. We started very well and got the early goal that gave us a lot of confidence.
"In the second half we got at them, kept our shape and scored some good goals.
"I enjoyed playing alongside Raul Meireles. We spoke before the game about the need to keep our shape, keep it simple and keep passing the ball."
Spearing also had praise for two-goal David Ngog after the striker showed great responsibility to take a crucial penalty when the score was level at 1-1.
"David Ngog took his penalty well and we had the confidence in him that he would score," he added.
"He's a great lad, he works hard and it was nice for him to score two."

After the game Hodgson revealed that he will continue to use his squad for the Europa League and Spearing admits it's a great platform for the young players to show what they are all about.
"It's great news the manager has the faith in us and we have to work as hard as we can and it could also lead to us getting a chance in the Premier League," he added.
Spearing also played down a moment in the first half when he could be heard with the score at 1-1 shouting, 'Come on boys, let's lift it!' - something that prompted a great reaction from the crowd.
"It wasn't for any attention but it's just something I've always done in every game and in training sessions," he said.
"I just wanted to give the lads some encouragement. I thought at that point in the game we just needed to get the ball down and start playing again like we did at the start of it."