STEVEN GERRARD admits Liverpool must learn to cope with the pressure of being top of the Premier League if they are to end their championship drought.

Rafael Benitez’s side moved clear at the summit with a goalless draw at home to West Ham United on Monday night.

But a second successive Anfield stalemate brought jeers from sections of the crowd frustrated at Liverpool’s indifferent recent form.

Since initially going top with victory at Chelsea in October, the Anfield outfit have won only three of their subsequent six Premier League games.

And Gerrard believes Liverpool need to come to terms with the unique demands of being front-runners as they aim for a first title since 1990.

“We’re up against some fantastic teams in Chelsea, Arsenal, United and Villa, and other teams are putting pressure on the top four,” he said.

“There’s so much pressure week-in, week-out to deliver results and we need to learn to handle that pressure, and we need to learn to deal with being at the top.

“There’s a different pressure being at the top to being second or third, and that’s where we need to learn to relax and keep doing the things we’ve done that got us to the top.”