Matip: Chelsea victory is a good feeling
Joel Matip couldn’t hide his delight after Liverpool produced a brilliant display to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Friday night.
Dejan Lovren fired a sweet volley for the opener and Jordan Henderson then netted a goal of the season contender with a sublime effort into the top corner of the net as the Reds raced into a 2-0 lead before half-time.
Diego Costa pulled a goal back but Matip and co were solid at the back as Chelsea’s forwards were kept at bay.
Reflecting on the victory and Liverpool’s start to the season, Matip admits the opening 45 minutes was a benchmark for the style of football Jürgen Klopp wants his team to play.
“To win at Stamford Bridge is always nice and very good, it’s a good feeling,” the centre-back told Liverpoolfc.com.
“We want to play like we played in the first half. We want to keep the ball, we want to play and let them run and it worked very good from the beginning. It was a nice game for us.
“When it went to 2-1 we had to fight for the victory, but we took the fight and we won.”
The Cameroon international gave another composed and classy display at centre-half alongside Lovren.
But in playing down his contribution, Matip instead preferred to concentrate on the overall team performance.
He added: “We have made a good start as a team and everybody helps each other so it’s good to play alongside my teammates."
On captain Henderson’s wonder-strike, Matip said it was an effort of the highest quality.
“It’s a long time ago since I have seen a goal like this but [it was] a perfect goal and you can’t do that better," he continued.
Reflecting on the overall mood in the dressing room Matip insists it was one of joy, but he refused to get carried away by the positive start to the season.
He added: “Everybody is happy after the win at Chelsea, but we will go back and concentrate on the next game.”