'I thought I would score... but then I wasn't sure!'
Though he wasn't initially sure whether the goal was definitely his, Nathaniel Clyne was delighted to be Liverpool's match-winner against Bournemouth on Wednesday night.
The full-back’s 17th-minute strike at Anfield was enough for the Reds to register a first victory under Jürgen Klopp and book a place in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals.
Clyne found himself in the right place at the right time as Joao Carlos Teixeira’s ambitious backheel finish was cleared off the goalline and into his path with the net unguarded.
The England international seized upon the opportunity to open the scoring and the effort was ultimately the difference in the battle for a spot among the last eight.
“It felt good,” he told Liverpoolfc.com after the final whistle had confirmed progress to a clash with former club Southampton in the next round.
“I wasn’t too sure whether it was Joao’s goal, whether the ball crossed the line, or my goal. But I was happy to score and that it was given to me.
“I told everyone that I was going to score, but that was more cutting in on my right foot and shooting. I scored with my left foot this time so I’m happy.
“I thought we performed well. We changed the side around and the players that came in did well. They fitted into the system well and we competed well.
“We got the victory we deserved and probably could have got more goals.
“Every competition we’re in we’re going to look to do the best we can. We’re through to the next round and a step closer to making the final and trying to win a cup.”
Klopp blended youth and experience for the fourth round contest, with Connor Randall notably handed his senior debut in defence.
His preference for the right hand side meant a switch to the left for Clyne – a task welcomed by the No.2, who was equally pleased to record a clean sheet.
He said: “The young lad was making his debut and he prefers to play right-back. I can do a job at left-back, I have played there before, I’m experienced there, so it was all good.
“You can see how tight we are at the back in our defensive positioning. Everyone knows their jobs, there’s a lot of hard work on the training ground.
“We’re doing well and hopefully we can keep more clean sheets and get more victories.”