Dirk Kuyt says he was impressed with the way David N’gog and Ryan Babel formed a new strike partnership on Monday night, both scoring in a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at Anfield.
With Fernando Torres missing game following the imminent birth of his second child, Hodgson called upon the young strikers to lead the ammunition up front.
N’gog scored Liverpool’s opener with a bullet header after 14 minutes, before Babel doubled Liverpool’s lead with a well taken goal just two minutes later.
After the game, Kuyt said, “David and Ryan really stepped up for us,” said Kuyt. “It’s not easy to replace someone like Fernando but I thought David and Ryan did really well for us.
“They both scored a goal but it wasn’t just that. They also worked really hard for the team and kept the ball well for us. It was a great performance from both of them.”
The victory lifts Liverpool up to 8th in the Premier League table, ten points off top spot, but three points closer to the top than this stage of last season.
Kuyt added, “I thought it was a great team performance and everyone contributed to us getting the three points.
“We played really well from the beginning of the game and got the goals we wanted.
“To score three and keep a clean sheet made it a great night for us. Now we need to build on this.”
