Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has refuted claims that the club are over-reliant on Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan striker has been in blistering form this season and has hit 19 goals for the Reds, but Rodgers was quick to point out the fact that his team were top of the Premier League while Suarez was suspended earlier in the campaign.

Rodgers told reporters: "When Luis was playing, it was a 'one-man team'. He came out and we still continued to get results; Daniel Sturridge came out and we continued to get results; Steven Gerrard came out and we continued to get results.

"Importantly, on top of that, we got performances. We work in a certain way that aligns everyone into that model so everyone knows when they come into the team they know their job and specifically what they're doing.

"We'll always be reliant on the team ethic. We've got more injuries but I see it as an opportunity for players that maybe haven't featured or played so much."

Rodgers's side host Hull City on New Year's Day.