Coutinho: Why Lucas' return is no surprise
Philippe Coutinho expressed his delight at watching Lucas Leiva turn in another solid display as Liverpool ended a run of five games without a win by beating Stoke City 1-0 at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
Lucas was handed a second successive start for the Reds on the day Glen Johnson's late header clinched the club's first triumph since a similarly frenzied finale in front of the Kop against Swansea City on October 28.
Having featured for the entire game against Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League on Wednesday, the holding midfielder retained his place in the side to notch a ninth appearance of the campaign so far.
His defensive grit was necessary in a typically robust clash with Mark Hughes' charges - and while Liverpool pressed Stoke back for large portions of the game, the Potters posed a constant threat on the counter-attack, particularly through the lively Bojan.
Lucas played his part in keeping the scores level before making way for Steven Gerrard with 15 minutes remaining and the Brazilian watched from the sidelines as Liverpool went on to clinch victory through a brave, stooping header from Johnson.
"I'm not surprised that Lucas had a good game," Coutinho told Liverpoolfc.com after the final whistle. "He has been training well and he's a hard-working guy. I'm very happy for him for his appearances and for the whole team having won the three points today.
"The mood is good in the dressing room, but the players are already thinking about the next game. We want to try and take the positives from this game and try to take advantage of that and win the next match."
Coutinho featured for 88 minutes as the Reds recorded their first Barclays Premier League victory since the No.10 made a crucial contribution against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on October 19.
He had Anfield on its feet moments before the interval with the scores locked at 0-0 when he embarked on a mazy run through the heart of the opposition defence, pursued eagerly by four blue shirts, who eventually got the better of the playmaker.
Coutinho forged more openings in the second half, delicately playing in Raheem Sterling at the Kop end; however, as the corner of Asmir Begovic's net beckoned, the Liverpool winger dragged his shot wide and Anfield held its breath.
The supporters were contemplating a share of the points when Rickie Lambert propelled a header onto the crossbar - but within seconds they were celebrating a winner as Johnson followed up to nod beyond Begovic and clinch a crucial victory.
"The win means a lot," said Coutinho. "It was a very important game and a very important three points for Liverpool. The team has had a tough time lately, but we have been focused on improving and today we played well.
"The team was trying very hard, especially in the second half. We had a lot of good chances to score. We're happy that, right at the end of the game, we could score the goal and get the win."