The England international is flourishing at Liverpool and insists he was never given the opportunity to shine at Stamford Bridge

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has accused Chelsea of never giving him a chance to demonstrate the form that has seen him top the Premier League scoring charts this season.

The 24-year-old netted just 13 times in 63 games during a frustrating three-and-a-half year spell at Stamford Bridge but has notched 18 goals in 23 appearances since joining the Reds in January.

The former Manchester City youngster insists his prolific return is merely a result of being played in his favoured position up front, having spent much of his time in London out on the wing.

“When I went to Bolton [on loan], I was able to show what I can do because I was playing as a centre-forward,” he told talkSPORT.

“At Chelsea, I never got the chance to do that, and I’ve got that opportunity here [at Liverpool]. I’m just playing the position that I enjoy playing in.

“My faith in God, my self-belief and the hard work I put in on the training field; they’ve all helped me become the player I am now.

“But I’d say the biggest difference is I’m back to my natural thoughts and I’ve got no clouded vision when I’m on the field. That’s probably the main thing that has changed.”

The England international was also keen to give manager Brendan Rodgers credit for helping him to rediscover his goalscoring touch since his £12 million move to Anfield.

When whether Rodgers was an important factor in his decision to join Liverpool, Sturridge replied: “It was, yeah, because I knew about him from when I was at Chelsea.

“The players who were there spoke highly of him. He had tried to get me on loan when he was at Swansea, so I knew he rated me. He knows how I work.

“He knows what I need. I needed to be believed in, to play as a centre-forward at a club. I didn’t get that at Chelsea, and Brendan gave me the opportunity to do that here.

“We work well together, and it’s great to be part of his philosophy. He gets the most out of his players, and makes us want to win for him. He’s just very good at man-management as well as the tactics and team stuff.”