Mignolet: Defensive focus was crucial
It was a moment that could prove pivotal come the conclusion of Liverpool's FA Cup dream this season, and Simon Mignolet admits he was pleased to have done his bit in ensuring the Reds weren't on the receiving end of an upset against Blackburn Rovers.
Brendan Rodgers' side controlled possession for much of an ultimately frustrating and goalless 90 minutes on Sunday, with their Championship opponents providing stubborn resistance at Anfield.
However, Rovers did create one of the best opportunities of the afternoon when Alex Baptiste met a Craig Conway corner with a thumping Kop end header shortly after the restart.
The effort appeared to be goalbound until Mignolet stuck out a strong left hand to turn it over the crossbar and keep parity intact.
Afterwards, the Belgian custodian stressed the importance of remaining fully focused defensively on an afternoon in which Liverpool could not conjure up the attacking impetus that has been so prevalent in recent weeks.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: "I think we were the better side, but didn't create enough chances to score the goals.
"If you can't win it, you have to make sure you don't lose it, so we're still in the hat and that's the main thing. We'll try to go to Blackburn and get the victory there to go through to the semi-finals.
"They had a threat at set-pieces. They've got a couple of big players and you always have to be on your toes. I am happy I was able to help the team at that moment [with the save] and for the rest of the game we didn't give much away as we were very organised.
"We've been dealing with set-pieces very well in the last few weeks and we have to keep doing that. You know against a team like Blackburn there are always going to be one or two instances within the game where we have to be on our toes.
"Luckily we kept a clean sheet and we're still in the draw. Now we have to go to Blackburn and hopefully get the result we want there."
The clean sheet earned against Blackburn was Liverpool's fourth in their last six games.
Mignolet's upturn in form since returning to the team at Burnley on Boxing Day has been a factor in the Reds' defensive resurgence - and the goalkeeper is eager to see such stubbornness continue until the end of the campaign.
"I am pleased with how things are going, both individually and with the team," he said.
"As I've always said, I don't want to look back. I just want to look forward and make sure we keep doing the things we're doing and keep improving. That's all we can do - work hard and I'll keep my head down in training.
"It's always difficult, especially when you play at home - teams like Blackburn will come here, sit back and try to create something on the counter-attack. You always have to stay focused throughout the game, make sure you don't give anything away and that's what we're doing well at the moment.
"We don't give many opportunities to the opponents, we keep things tight at the back and there is good organisation going on. We have to keep it going until the end of the season."
After a hectic fixture schedule that's largely consisted of three games a week since the beginning of the season, Liverpool will have a rare opportunity to rest and recuperate this week - they're not back in action until one week today at Swansea City.
"We've had a load of games and we have a few days' rest now before the next game," said Mignolet. "We'll recover well because there are still a lot of things to play for and a lot of games to be played this season. We'll be ready for the next game."