ReactionHenderson on Villa response, Reds' battling qualities, Mane's header and more
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was pleased by the reaction shown from his teammates against Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
The Reds fell behind early on at Villa Park in just the third minute as the hosts scored from close range through Douglas Luiz.
Joel Matip, though, quickly responded in the sixth minute before Jürgen Klopp’s men battled to victory thanks to Sadio Mane’s clever second-half header.
Henderson spoke to Liverpoolfc.com post-match to reflect on a difficult encounter. Read on for the full interview…
On a tough contest against Villa…
It was intense. We knew it would be, [they’re] a good team with good players. The atmosphere… we knew it would be intense and it certainly was that, but I thought the lads dug in through the tough moments, played some good football, created some good chances and in the end [we] found a way to win, which is the most important thing.
On getting back on level terms quickly at Villa Park…
Yeah, it was important to get that goal, I think, because Villa looked lively, scored and [were] counter-attacking really well. So, it was [a] dangerous moment in the game for us but thankfully we replied straight away and I think that was a big moment within the game.
On Villa posing a similar threat on the break to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend…
A very good team, especially when they win the ball back. With Phil [Coutinho], Ingsy and Ollie Watkins up top, they are always going to be dangerous and always going to create some things. It’s just trying to limit that as much as possible, which I thought we did well. Yes, they created chances, but overall, I think we deserved to win the game.
On Mane’s winning header…
We won the ball back in the middle of the pitch, good pressing, then great play with Luis on the wing beating his man and getting his cross in. Then it was a fantastic finish from Sadio.
Extended highlights: Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool
On battling through difficult periods amid the hectic run of fixtures…
That’s football and there’s going to be ups and downs in a game. You’ve got to react in the right way. I felt as though we certainly did that tonight, and, to be honest, the boys have done that for a long period of time. It’s not easy to win games, especially in the Premier League, and I think the boys have been incredible over a long period of time, stayed together in important moments within the games, and you get your rewards in the end, which we did tonight.
On keeping up the pressure on Manchester City in the title race…
Yes, keep pushing, keep going and try to win as many games as possible. We’ve got to recover now as we’ve got another big game at the weekend against a very good side, so the games are coming thick and fast. The more it goes on, the more important they are and intense they are. We are using all the squad and I thought the boys that came in tonight were brilliant. Let’s prepare now for a big game on Saturday.