Kuyt confident despite Liverpool goal drought

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt remains philosophical about his own barren spell as goals remain hard to come by for the rest of the team.

The Reds have scored just 18 times in 15 Premier League matches with leading scorer Luis Suarez ending more than two months without a league goal with the winner against QPR at the weekend.

Kuyt, who was Liverpool's top scorer last season with 15, has one Carling Cup goal to his name this campaign but has not found the net in the league since May. He insists the lack of goals for him and the rest of the team is not a worry as generally their overall form has been good, which is reflected in statistics which show they have hit the post or crossbar 14 times this season.

"I haven't scored for a while but we all feel like we are close to it and we have the confidence to keep going and soon we will score more of our chances," said the Netherlands international. "The last six months of last season we were all scoring goals.

"Sometimes in football it is like this, you have to keep working hard and it will come. Last season I was scoring five or six games in a row and everything I touched was going in. Now sometimes you are a little bit unlucky to be just in the wrong position or you just miss a chance – that is football.

"I will work hard and wait until the time comes. I am sure with the way this team plays everyone up front will score loads of goals. Every player in the squad has shown they can score goals – Stewart Downing, Craig Bellamy, Andy Carroll, Luis, myself and Maxi Rodriguez."

Kuyt said the confidence within the squad was reflected by their reaction to the 1-0 at home to QPR, which ended a run of four successive home draws.

"It was not a relief, just disappointment that we only scored once because we created enough chance in the first 30 minutes to be two or three up," he added. "If you win a game and can be disappointed you didn't score enough goals that is the spirit you need.

"Sometimes a bit of luck is what you need. We are top of the table when it comes to hitting the post and crossbar.

"But to win games that is not enough and we are just trying to change that because we believe in ourselves."

Manager Kenny Dalglish is also focusing on performances rather than the cold, hard statistics of goals scored. His side have the joint best defensive record in the league and he remains confident the team are continuing to move in the right direction.

"We always want to improve on the goals scored," he said. "Eventually we are going to get the goals our play deserves."

Kuyt also praised the "great professionalism" of Suarez after the Uruguay international put personal controversies behind him to be Liverpool's match-winner again. The 24-year-old scored his first Premier League goal since October against QPR to end that run of draws.

During that period Suarez has racked up two Football Association misconduct charges, one for making alleged racist remarks to Manchester United defender Patrice Evra with the other coming this week after he apparently made an offensive gesture to the crowd after last week's defeat at Fulham.

Liverpool were also charged following the Fulham game with failing to control their players after Jay Spearing was sent off. Both the club and Suarez have been given an extension to yesterday's 4pm deadline to respond to the charges relating to the game. Suarez has been fully supported by Dalglish, who believes his player has earned an unwarranted reputation for going down too easily which has resulted in opponents unfairly targeting him.

However, Suarez put all that behind him to put in another impressive all-round performance which was capped by his 47th-minute close-range header against QPR.

"For all of us it is important to score a goal but especially for Luis, who played really well. It was good to see him scoring again," said Kuyt.