Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool's "perfect reaction" after putting Sunday's League Cup final heartache behind them to beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Premier League.
Liverpool succumbed to a shoot-out loss against City at Wembley, but completely outplayed them at Anfield on Wednesday, underlining their dominance with goals from Adam Lallana, James Milner and Roberto Firmino.
Klopp felt his side passed a test of character and the result moved them to within six points of fourth-placed City, whose title hopes now look forlorn.
"That's a perfect reaction of course and that's what I said [was needed] after the game [at Wembley]," he said.
"We are not long enough together – we hadn't played a final together, it was our first one – that I can say 'okay we will react like this or like this', but that's what you have to learn.
"If you play professional sports then you know if you want to be successful you have to be in finals and if you're in finals you can lose them.
"You have to take the experience and try to make it better next time.
"So we couldn't win the final, but we could show that we are more greedy for the three points."
The victory was Liverpool's first top-flight home win in 2016 and their next visitors are fierce rivals Manchester United in the Europa League.
‘I don’t think Liverpool would look at Ollie Watkins, a striker isn’t a pressing issue for them – it’s Arsenal who need one’ Former Reds star explains why his old club don’t need an out-and-out forward this summer
‘He’ll still be playing at 40 at a good level because he’s in such good shape and looks after himself so well. He does everything to be a top professional’: Ex-Liverpool coach insists Mohamed Salah has plenty more miles in the tank
