Jurgen Klopp hailed Saturday's 4-1 Premier League victory over Manchester City as a "big step" for Liverpool as they begin to settle into life under the German.
The hosts set out to deny City any time and space at the Etihad Stadium and it worked perfectly, while at the other end Liverpool were clinical in front of goal.
An Eliaquim Mangala own goal set Klopp's side on their way, with Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Martin Skrtel sealing the comprehensive win.
Victory moves Liverpool to within a point of the top five, but more important to Klopp is the growing belief within his squad that they can compete with the top teams in the division.
"The passion we played with [was the most important thing]," he told Sky Sports. "You cannot win against a team like Manchester City without this.
"We tried to close the spaces, we pressed high and the crowd became nervous, that was the first step.
"It was far from perfect but was very good, we took our chances and made our goals. We could have had one or two more but everything is okay."
He added: "It is a big step, it was very important, a big day for us. With results like this the boys start to believe in themselves and that's very important."
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