Just moments after twice being thwarted at close range in the second half of Wednesday night’s Premier League clash, the No.32 met Andy Robertson’s corner from the left with a powerful nod beyond the goalkeeper.
Matip’s effort sealed a turnaround for the visitors, who trailed to a Lucas Paqueta drive and levelled courtesy of Cody Gakpo’s own finish from distance during the first half.
Post-match, Matip – who returned to the starting XI in place of the absent Ibrahima Konate – spoke to Liverpoolfc.com about how Jürgen Klopp’s men achieved the comeback, his header and the aim to keep chasing the teams above them.
Read a summary of the interview below…
On the key to Liverpool’s comeback…
To stay calm, even after they scored we stayed calm and tried to play our way. And then with a brilliant finish from Cody, it was great from Trent before, a nice ball in between. We kept on playing and in the end we had a few opportunities and the second one went in.
On the first chance he had to net before he did score…
I had two, to be honest: already the header and then the deflection. Normally it should be in but [I was] really lucky that I had a minute later another opportunity.
On the sweet connection he made with the header he scored…
For sure it was one of the hardest headers I did so far, but it doesn’t matter – as long as they go in I’m happy.
On whether the team has made a conscious effort to be more of a threat from set-pieces…
Of course, it also belongs to the game; you can score in the game but also from set-pieces and it’s an important part. You can always put pressure on [the opposition] from set-pieces. Hopefully we will continue.
On the added difficulty of staying calm under pressure at this stage of the season…
It’s always hard when you are 1-0 down but especially the midfield with Trent stayed so calm with the ball – it was really nice to watch how they play. [We] just kept on playing and that helped us through the 90 minutes.
On chasing the teams above them in the table…
This is the only thing we can do: put pressure on the opponents. For this we have to play the next game and get three points there.