'I'll keep repaying the manager's faith'
Jon Flanagan thanked Brendan Rodgers for showing belief in him after capping a first start for Liverpool in more than a month with a fearless performance against Everton.
For a second Merseyside derby running, the young Scouser exuded both raw dedication to the cause and a calculated defensive temperament as the Reds ran out 4-0 winners.
The 21-year-old struck the perfect balance between aggression and composure in a fixture that can so often unhinge even the most level-headed of individuals.
Flanagan knew, for instance, when to commit to a thunderous challenge on Leighton Baines near the Centenary Stand, to the delight of the crowd, and when to stand up to the tricky Steven Pienaar and shepherd his man out to the touchline.
He read the game astutely, stepped in with conviction and the Academy graduate refused to shirk a single tackle throughout the 73 minutes he was on the field.
Afterwards, he reflected with a mixture of pride and perspective on another impressive derby display.
"It's great for me as a local lad," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "These are the games that you want to win. To come out 4-0 winners was just brilliant for all the lads.
"It's great for me that the manager believes in me and he's thrown me in for these big games. It's great that he's shown his faith in me and hopefully I can keep going.
"My objective is to take each game as it comes. I was back in the side against Everton and it was just great to be back playing again. We'll go again against West Brom on Sunday. We just need to keep going and hopefully I'll keep playing.
"I think we made a statement tonight. We showed what we can do and we showed that we're not going to lie down easily. We want this fourth spot and we hopefully want to try and achieve that."
Steven Gerrard broke the deadlock in emphatic fashion before showing just what it means to score against the Blues with a spine-tingling outpouring of emotion at the Anfield Road end.
Daniel Sturridge was in complete control when he dinked over Tim Howard after intricate play from Philippe Coutinho for Liverpool's second before lofting over the 'keeper to a grab a third moments later.
Luis Suarez sped more than 50 yards en route to netting his 23rd goal of the current campaign - and when Raheem Sterling was floored by Howard, Sturridge was unfortunate to fire the resulting penalty into the Kop.
"We were great on the night," continued Flanagan. "I thought our pace in behind was phenomenal. Sturridge, Suarez and Sterling were all on fire and it was just a great night for us.
"Suarez and Sturridge are the best strike partnership in England at the minute. You know you're always going to get goals with them, so you just have to keep it tight at the back and let them do their work when they get up there.
"From the win against Bournemouth, we just focused on preparing right for today's game and we wanted the three points. The gaffer just told us to do our best, get out there and show them what we were capable of. Thankfully we've got the three points."