Brendan Rodgers warned Liverpool's title rivals that his team is back in the groove after it marked Mario Balotelli's debut with a scintillating 3-0 win at Tottenham.

Balotelli was supposed to steal the spotlight on his return to the Premier League but the flamboyant Italy striker had to play second fiddle to new teammates Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson on Sunday.

Sterling scored Liverpool's opening goal early in the first half and delivered a sparkling display at the top of the midfield diamond formation Rodgers employed to overwhelm Tottenham's fragile defense.

Balotelli's strike partner, Sturridge, was a constant menace, while Henderson covered almost every blade of grass in midfield in a typically energetic showing.

Second-half goals from Steven Gerrard and Alberto Moreno sealed the rout, capping the kind of vibrant performance that became Liverpool's hallmark as it went within touching distance of winning the Premier League last season before Gerrard's crucial slip against Chelsea gifted the title to Manchester City.

Now, despite the departure of star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona, Rodgers' team looks to have got over last season's title race meltdown and the Reds boss believes it will be among the main contenders to win the English crown again.

"I thought we were excellent. It was an outstanding performance," Rodgers said.

"We have risen to every challenge since I've been here. It was the same last year when people wondered if we could keep it up. The beauty of this group is they are very humble.

"We clicked back to where we were last season. That was good to see, I think people will enjoy watching us this season."

Balotelli offered glimpses of his vast talent with some neat combinations with Sterling and Sturridge during his 61-minute debut but Rodgers knows the former AC Milan forward has much more to offer once he gets comfortable at Anfield.

But the temperamental Balotelli's current place in the Liverpool hierarchy was underlined when the Reds were awarded a second-half penalty.

Balotelli might have hoped to be given the chance to score his first goal but captain Gerrard is Rodgers' preferred penalty taker and he swept his shot past Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

(China Daily 09/02/2014 page23)