Mamadou: It feels good to be back again
Whilst Steven Gerrard received the headlines last Sunday following his match-winning brace against West Ham United, the returning Mamadou Sakho rightly earned his share of the plaudits for a solid defensive performance.
The Frenchman returned to the starting line-up for the first time since December 29 and alongside Martin Skrtel expertly snuffed out the aerial threat of former Reds striker Andy Carroll.
Brendan Rodgers paid tribute to Sakho's performance on a day when the centre-back was calm and composed in possession too, registering a staggering pass completion rate of 95.8 per cent.
However, Sakho himself insists he's just happy to get a full 90 minutes under his belt and to subsequently be back in line for first-team selection between now and the end of the season.
"I was very happy at West Ham as I'd worked very hard to get back to full fitness. So that's been achieved now," Sakho told Liverpoolfc.com.
"I was simply just making myself available for the team, because the most important thing here is the group, so you need to be ready to give your absolute best when you are called upon.
"It's normal when you are a competitor like me - you always want to be involved and be out there on the pitch trying to help your team out. But [the matches I missed] were games which Liverpool came through extremely well, which was great, and I'm even happier when we win and grab all three points."
Sakho also took time out to praise the Liverpool medical staff for their work towards his rehabilitation as the towering defender battled to overcome a hamstring problem sustained at Stamford Bridge in the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
"The medical staff have done a great job, working closely with Clairefontaine for a period of two to three weeks, because I needed to go back home to France so I could be close to my family during my time out through injury," said the 24-year-old.
"They worked together really closely, and then I came back to complete my rehab here and everything went very well. As it goes, I'd like to thank everyone who was involved in trying to get me back on my feet as quickly as possible."
The Reds defender also praised Rodgers' man-management during his time out of the side and how the Northern Irishman, generally, manages to keep all members of the squad involved throughout.
"It's a very important part of his work as there are some players who play less frequently than others and he manages to keep everyone feeling part of things and involved," explained Sakho.
"And by that I mean the entire squad, and so that's why when a player comes in to replace someone, he always stands up, because everyone of us is involved in achieving our common goal, an aim that we all share together."