Henderson hails Reds' second-half response
Jordan Henderson expressed his delight at how Liverpool transformed their approach at half-time against Swansea City in order to claim another crucial victory in the Barclays Premier League.
The Reds struggled at the Liberty Stadium throughout a frustrating first half on Monday night as Garry Monk's charges hounded the visitors at every given opportunity.
Swansea also surged forward at will, forcing Simon Mignolet into a handful of impressive saves which kept the scores level and allowed for a Liverpool reshuffle at the interval.
Brendan Rodgers tweaked his approach to match the Swans' diamond formation in the middle of the park and slowly the tide began to turn in the Reds' favour.
In the 68th minute, Henderson raced forward, Jordi Amat's attempted clearance struck the midfielder's boot and the ball looped up and over Lukasz Fabianksi and into the net for 1-0.
The goal was to prove decisive and earned the Reds another crucial three points, closing the gap between themselves and fourth-placed Manchester United to just two points.
"It's a great result," Henderson told Sky Sports following the final whistle at the Liberty Stadium. "First half, we were very disappointed. We came in at half-time and the gaffer had a few words to say.
"We knew second half that we needed to go out and put in a better performance. I felt as though we did that. We passed the ball a lot better and created a few chances as well.
"Also, we were solid at the back. Overall, we're delighted with the three points and we're going to look forward to Sunday [against United]."
Henderson's goal, fortuitous in its nature, prompted frantic celebrations in the away end at the Liberty Stadium and took the midfielder's career tally for the Reds to 18 strikes.
"I was deep at first, but then I think Daniel [Sturridge] came short and I saw the space in behind," reflected Henderson. "It was a great pass by Daniel. I got a little bit fortunate, but you've got to be in there and in the right positions to score.
"The main thing is taking the three points. Personally, I need to improve on my assists and goals this season and I feel as though I'm doing that. We have momentum and hopefully we can keep that going."
Up next for the Reds is a mouth-watering Anfield clash against United in an encounter which offers Rodgers' side the opportunity to move into the top four with a victory over their fierce rivals.
"We can't wait," said Henderson. "We're high on confidence. We've got great momentum going into the game. United played well [against Tottenham Hotspur], so it will be a tough one. But at Anfield, we'll go into the game really confident and hopefully get the result that we need.
"Both teams are in good form, so I'm sure it will be a big game. As a player, you want to play in big games and this certainly is one. So we're going to prepare well this week. Recover well after this game and then really look forward to the game Sunday and keep going."