Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard feels he is getting back to his best

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres 460THE difference a few goals can make. Liverpool's trips home from Europe this season have been miserable affairs, but flight ZT1729 out of Bucharest in the early hours of yesterday morning was a stark contrast.Rather than sit in silence, stewing on the effects of a ruinous defeat, it was clear to see wherever you looked on the plane that easing past Unirea Urziceni to progress to the Europa League's last 16 had lifted the atmosphere.Rafa Benitez, for one, was particularly animated, spending a good deal of time talking tactics with Emiliano Insua; Ryan Babel, fresh from scoring his first goal since November 4, sported a huge smile, while Pepe Reina clearly had mischief in mind.Then there was Steven Gerrard.Content after adding another record to his ever expanding haul, he sat with his close friend and vice captain Jamie Carragher, discussing the events of a satisfying night's work.On touching down at John Lennon Airport, though, the skipper had left all thoughts of Bucharest and surpassing Alan Shearer as the all-time leading British scorer in Europe behind but that should come as no surprise.A season, after all, must still be salvaged and Gerrard is desperate for Liverpool to use their 3-1 triumph in the Steaua Stadium as the kick-start to begin turning the screw on the teams with whom they are jostling for fourth place.Liverpool have, undoubtedly, disappointed this year but - if the atmosphere on the plane that carried them home can be used as a gauge - there is reason for believing the remainder of the campaign can yet be profitable.Gerrard certainly sees things this way. Having admitted there have been occasions when confidence has been a commodity in short supply at Anfield in recent months, the quest now is to bring it back by building on their solid achievement in Romania.

Source: Liverpool_Echo