'It was the best 20 minutes I've played'
Martin Skrtel will seek to emulate the 'best 20 minutes' of football he has ever been part of when Liverpool clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.
Eight days ago, the Reds turned in perhaps the most brilliant display in front of the Kop since Sir Tom Finney lauded their 5-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest as football's finest exhibition in 1988.
Without Skrtel's influence, who knows if such a sensational afternoon in L4 would have been possible - the Slovakian put Liverpool ahead and then doubled their advantage in the space of the first 10 minutes.
His teammates then added insult to injury, hunting Arsenal down and releasing Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling, who added a further three strikes between them to complete the 5-1 rout.
Skrtel has since been revelling in the joy such a momentous win brought to Reds fans, and he spoke of his pride ahead of a trip to the capital to face Arsene Wenger's side in the FA Cup fifth round.
"It has been enjoyable," he said. "People have stopped me just to thank me for such a great game.
"I still wonder if it actually happened because it was so incredible - especially the first 20 minutes. They were the best 20 minutes I've ever played, in any football."
If looping a sensational header into the Anfield Road net followed by a skid towards the Main Stand signifies one of the real high points for Skrtel, the lows are not all too distant a memory.
The Reds' No.37 found game time hard to come by throughout the back end of the 2012-13 campaign, and the towering centre-back began the current season watching from the sidelines.
Liverpool started strongly, winning both of their opening Barclays Premier League games, 1-0 against Stoke City and Aston Villa, without the help of Skrtel.
However, the man who arrived on Merseyside in January 2008 was not about to surrender his place without a fight - and after turning in a vintage display against Manchester United at Anfield, his presence in the side has been a near constant.
"I think I do have that fight as part of my personality. I think it made me stronger," reflected Skrtel.
"In the pre-season, I told myself: 'Come on, stay, just fight for your place and show you can play.' It was something I wanted to do, and was prepared to fight for, and now I'm in the team.
"I just try to work hard to show every single person I am capable of starting a game for Liverpool.
"I waited for a chance and the crucial game was against United. I got the shout and I knew it was a real big game for me. I knew I could show something in that game - I was man of the match and afterwards I kept my place."