Jordan Henderson hailed the confidence in the Liverpool squad as the Reds moved up to second place in the Premier League table after yet another impressive victory.

The England midfielder played the full 90 minutes as a strike from Luis Suarez, one from substitute Raheem Sterling just seconds after coming on and a late Steven Gerrard penalty secured the victory — a seventh win in the last nine league matches.

“The win was really important with the international break coming up and we knew it was going to be a difficult game for us to try and stay up there within the top,” said Henderson.

“We’re over the moon with the three points and the performance.

“We’re very confident but we have to take each game at it comes. We’ve got quality players here who are working very well.”

Those players took the lead in the 16th minute as Suarez pounced on Jose Fonte’s inability to control a loose ball and guided a precise finish into the bottom corner.

Southampton’s English talents impressed many — including the watching Roy Hodgson — in the first half, and Adam Lallana saw his shot hit the base of a post before Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was required to make a fine save from Jay Rodriguez.

Brendan Rodgers had left Sterling on the bench for the first time in 16 league matches, but the winger made an instant impact when he turned home Suarez’s pass with his first touch of the game.

That goal ensured that Suarez now tops both the Premier League’s top goalscorers and top assist-makers list this season, with the Uruguayan winning the penalty from which captain Gerrard wrapped up the win in stoppage time.

With just 10 fixtures of the season remaining, Reds boss Rodgers would not be drawn on how many matches he wants his side to win, but again claimed that they are outsiders in the title race.

He said: “We just want to keep winning games. There are 10 games to go now and we’ll just see where it takes us.

“We only want to win the next game, that’s our next focus.

“Everyone speaks about Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, and rightly so.

“We’re only concentrating on ourselves. I take great pride in working with the players and great pride in watching them and how they’ve developed over the 18 months.

“Our style will always try to be the same, but it’s good to have that flexibility in the team.”

The Reds head to Manchester United for their next match on March 16.