'I'm sorry, but so much was at stake'
Mike Marsh struggled to contain his delight after watching Liverpool demolish Everton in Tuesday's Merseyside derby - and he was in no mood to play down the significance of beating the Blues.
Marsh knows that every attention must now shift to Sunday's trip to West Bromwich Albion, and that lingering on the stunning 4-0 win for too long could be detrimental.
But the 44-year-old was keen to stress the importance of taking points from the Reds' rivals on a night which was billed as crucial to both teams' seasons.
"I was delighted," Marsh told Liverpoolfc.com. "But I'd like to apologise to some of the Everton staff if I did upset them by the way I celebrated!
"It wasn't pre-meditated and you just get carried away with the moment. There's a lot at stake in these games, so to come out of it with a win and by that margin was a fantastic effort.
"I've got be honest; any derby win is an absolute bonus. A win is great as you don't want to get beat. If we come out as victors in any game against Everton, then it means all the same to me."
Anfield was in dreamland after 36 minutes of play in the game, with Liverpool three goals to the good against an Everton side who are widely considered serious top-four contenders.
Steven Gerrard's header had Anfield rocking, Daniel Sturridge's sublime brace had heads shaking in disbelief and when Luis Suarez rolled the fourth, fans knew they were witnessing an historic rout.
But Marsh was quick to point out that while Rodgers' side were firing on all cylinders at one end, they were equally impressive at the other, clinching a fourth clean sheet in six matches in the process.
"We worked really hard leading up to the game and we scored four goals," he said. "We could have had more, but we kept a clean sheet and there were lots of plusses for us.
"We knew it would be a tough game and I didn't think we would win by the margin we did, but we were very pleased to do so. I think a lot of the boys were relying on adrenaline to get through the game, because they had a tough match at Bournemouth, with the travel included.
"But it was a Merseyside derby and we put everything into it. Everyone put 100 per cent in and we got the reward."
The rout moved Liverpool four points clear of their neighbours in the Barclays Premier League table - and, after Manchester City's 5-1 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday night, the Reds now have a three-point cushion in fourth.
"I think the points are more important than the psychological advantage and you never win anything through psychological advantages," said Marsh.
"It's only points that tally up at the end of the day. We've got a four-point margin on them now which will help us get a little bit further ahead of them towards the end of the season."