James Milner did a lot of carrying on Saturday.
After helping lift Liverpool to a welcome 3-2 victory over Aston Villa, he cradled his 13-month old daughter in his arms as he left Anfield.
She was wearing a Liverpool shirt, an indicator of how seriously Milner takes his job as acting captain.
And in another sign of his new responsibility, he stopped to defend the team and under-fire boss Brendan Rodgers, joking he couldn’t stand for long because “she’s heavy!”
The England midfielder called for perspective, pointing out his previous club have lost more matches and the Reds are just five points off top spot.
In pictures - Liverpool 3-2 Aston Villa
“There are people giving us criticism from outside the club, but I think Manchester City have lost more games than us this season,” he said.
“When things are going well, it gets blown out of context and the same when it’s bad. Someone has told us that we are five points off the top.
“I’ve been really impressed with the manager. Preparation is second to none. We go into every game with a game plan. Training is very good and any problems as a player you can see on the pitch, he has seen them as well.
“A lot of things that have been said are disappointing and frustrating really because you saw how close they went to winning the league a couple of years ago and then with the players that have left the club, it’s going to take time to get back to that point.
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“With patience he has shown he’s a top-class manager and with the players we have, we can get to where we want to be.”
Daniel Sturridge’s clinical finishes for his first goals since March have restored Liverpool’s cutting edge and Milner says their diverse striking options are a big positive.
“Him and Danny Ings make great runs,” he said. “We have some great options. Christian Benteke is injured unfortunately, but I think the mix of strikers we’ve got is very good.”
However, putting the glass half-empty argument, it was another patchy display and Liverpool almost snatched a draw from the jaws of victory.
Yes, Milner scored and produced his best performance in a red shirt, while Sturridge is back and Lucas was dominant, but there are still areas of concern.
Liverpool remain suspect in defence, particularly under aerial balls, despite Rodgers switching to three at the back.
Still, Rodgers felt sufficiently emboldened to take a swipe at his critics among Liverpool’s former players, accusing them of trying to get him the sack.
“There has been a frenzy to get me out of here,” he said. “There’s no question about that.”
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