Skrtel: Why I need to say thank-you
Martin Skrtel insists Liverpool's breath-taking 3-2 victory over Manchester City was fuelled by the fans in the stands - and the Slovakian admits he's eternally grateful for their unyielding support.
Skrtel is no stranger to walking out at Anfield when all four sides of the famous old stadium are rocking with sheer passion; however, he was bowled over as the decibel levels were ratcheted up once again on Sunday..
Following a poignant tribute to the 96 people who lost their lives at Hillsborough prior to kick-off, the crowd took over, spurring the players on to take an early lead through Raheem Sterling.
The Kop was rocking and the Reds were slowly turning the screw on Manuel Pellegrini's men. And so when Skrtel popped up with a seventh goal of the season, Liverpool were in dreamland.
However, despite the best efforts of Skrtel and co, City's quality eventually shone through, and in the space of five second-half minutes, David Silva and then a Glen Johnson own goal levelled proceedings.
Hope was not lost, though. Philippe Coutinho seized a gift from Vincent Kompany inside the area to wrap his boot around the ball and thrash low beyond Joe Hart to clinch the win.
"I think we showed character, spirit and desire to score the third goal and it was a great win," Skrtel told Liverpoolfc.com. "It was a great demonstration of our spirit.
"It wasn't easy for us because we conceded two goals in quick succession and from there, it's never easy to get back into the game.
"But the atmosphere was unbelievable - even on the street before the game when we were arriving at the stadium. The fans were singing and showing their support and that's always great for the players. I need to say thanks for that and we need to keep going."
Skrtel's seventh strike of the campaign was as emphatic as any of the preceding six - and perhaps the most crucial of the lot.
First Steven Gerrard powered a header at Hart from close range and watched as the City stopper palmed the ball to safety. Gerrard ran to take the corner and steered into the middle, where Skrtel was poised to apply the finish.
"I'm just happy to score and help the team get three points," he reflected. "I've scored seven this season and if I can score some more then that would be great, but the most important thing is that we're winning - it doesn't matter who is scoring the goals."