Liverpool midfielder James Milner has suggested that his side deserved their victory over Aston Villa this afternoon.

The Reds edged a five-goal thriller 3-2, thanks to an early Milner strike and two second-half goals from Daniel Sturridge, but a Rudy Gestede double gave the visitors hope.

The win sees Liverpool move up to seventh place in the Premier League table, and Milner believes that his team showed great character to secure the three points.

"It says a lot about the team that we kept going and got the win. We needed that and hopefully we can kick on from here," Milner is quoted by the Daily Star as saying.

"We wanted to start with a good tempo and we did that. I think we had the better of the game - in terms of chances, possession and territory but the big man they had up front was dangerous.

"They got two goals and that's something for us to work on. It was about the three points today."

Liverpool's win will relieve some of the pressure on manager Brendan Rodgers, after speculation over his future mounted in recent days.