Daniel Agger was visibly lost for words when asked to summarise the support Liverpool's players received from the fans during their return to Anfield on Wednesday night, which culminated in a 2-1 win over Sunderland.

For the Dane, the moving show of support which awaited the team bus on Anfield Road and the subsequent atmosphere generated inside the stadium brought back memories of famous European nights in L4.

Supporters lined the pavements, waving flags and banners, echoing the display of solidarity demonstrated in January 2010, prior to the game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Back then, it was a gesture tinged with defiance in the face of crisis, but on Wednesday it was all about appreciation for a season which has so far exceeded all expectations.

"It reminded me a bit of the Champions League days," Agger told Liverpoolfc.com from the Anfield tunnel. "It was amazing.

"It just shows how good a support we have and we have to give everything to try and win these games, because when you get support like that...it's difficult to describe."

The reception for the returning Reds, who last played at Anfield on February 23, continued inside the stadium as the players were cheered throughout their warm-up and a rousing rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone echoed around the ground.

Steven Gerrard responded on the pitch with a sensational free-kick and Daniel Sturridge settled the nerves with a curling effort, but a tense battle lay ahead when Ki Sung-Yeung pulled one back for the Black Cats.

Liverpool held out to win 2-1 and edge back into second spot in the Barclays Premier League table - a point behind Chelsea, having played the same amount of games as the Londoners.

"At the end of the day it was three points and that was exactly what we came for," said Agger. "We wanted to close the game earlier - it was unnecessary to let them into the game. But sometimes it's like that and you have to defend and we did that.

"We didn't keep the ball that well compared to the first half. I think we had them under control in the first half, and we should have continued like that. But that's football.

"Every game we go into, we believe we can win. But we don't look further ahead - we look to the next game and try to go out and win that. It's actually quite simple - don't look ahead. Look at what's in front of you.

"There's a lot of good players - not only the 11 starters, there's quality in the whole squad and I think in the past we've missed that. Everybody coming into the game can change the game and that's important."