Skrtel: It was painful!
Martin Skrtel received plaudits for soldiering on after having his head stapled against Bournemouth, but the Liverpool hardman has admitted how painful the procedure was.
The Slovakian endured a clash of heads with Andrew Surman during the 2-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory last weekend, and was rushed to the side of the pitch to receive treatment.
Social media was awash with Reds fans celebrating the centre-back's strength as he gritted his teeth and braved the staple gun so he could speedily return to action.
But Skrtel has revealed it wasn't as harmless as it looked.
"Well, it was painful to be honest! I didn't expect it to be so painful," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"When it actually happened, I said to the doctor, 'Is this going to be painful?' And he said I was going to be alright... but he was lying - it was painful!
"But that kind of thing happens in football and you have to deal with it."
Supporters also ran a poll on Twitter, with the outcome suggesting that Skrtel should continue wearing the protective band, issued due to the incident, for the rest of the season.
The 29-year-old sported the headgear during the 4-0 demolition of Everton in the Merseyside derby, but expects to only use it for one more encounter.
"It looks like I will keep it on for the next game against West Brom because I still have stitches in my head, so it will act like some kind of protection, but I definitely won't be wearing it for a long period," he said.
Skrtel was celebrator-in-chief during the compelling triumph at Anfield on Tuesday, and expressed his belief that the scenes illustrated just how much the display meant to the players.
"I think it showed everything. The team spirit at the moment is great and everyone is enjoying their football," he commented.
"Obviously when you get a win like we did in the derby, it's something special and so the celebrations are going to be special as well. And you could see they were."
Most enjoyable for Skrtel from the emphatic win, though, was the fact that Liverpool shut Everton out.
"It was perfect because we haven't had many clean sheets this season, and now we have kept two [in a row], so it was good for the back four and the 'keeper," he explained.
"I'm pleased for everyone, because we try to keep as many clean sheets as we can. It's not easy, but if you can keep one in a derby it's always nice."
Skrtel has been a dependable and reliable fixture in the Reds' defence this season, as injuries have robbed the club of consistency across the back.
"It's not easy to change the partnerships in the back four all the time, but that's the situation," he said.
"We've had a few knocks and injuries, and I've played alongside [Daniel] Agger, [Mamadou] Sakho or Kolo [Toure]. I just try to do my best and it does not matter who is next to me.
"I am just happy I am in the team, and will try to stay there for as long as I can."
Another moment of distinct pleasure for home fans during the derby was when Skrtel paced forward alongside Raheem Sterling in the 54th minute; the winger won a penalty, with the defender the closest teammate in support.
Is bombing forward something we should expect a lot more of from the Slovakia skipper?
He responded: "Not really. The first thing for defenders is to defend and try to protect the goal, but if you have a chance to go forward then obviously you will go.
"It doesn't happen very often for me! It happened twice recently, so I tried to get forward and help the team. Unfortunately I couldn't score or have a shot, but as I said, the most important thing for me is defending.
"I shouted at him to pass me the ball so I could try to score! I think Raheem did well, he tried to beat the 'keeper and won a penalty. It was just unfortunate we couldn't score from the penalty, but we scored four goals and it was the perfect win. That was the important thing on the night."