'Simon's form is no surprise to me'
Simon Mignolet's impressive response to a challenging first half of the season is testament to the goalkeeper's qualities, according to Liverpool defender Kolo Toure.
The Belgian stopper endured a testing beginning to the campaign and was briefly taken out of the team by Brendan Rodgers during December.
But since resuming his position between the posts at Burnley on Boxing Day, Mignolet's form has returned - with 10 clean sheets racked up so far in 2015.
"I'm not surprised Simon is playing so well because I knew he was a great goalkeeper," Toure told the Liverpool Echo.
"Every player has tough times. It's about how you respond to that and his response has been fantastic. He has been working hard and doing the right things.
"He has proved he's the No.1 and he can be here at Liverpool for many years. Not only does he make big saves but he's also not scared of taking responsibility and coming to take the ball from crosses.
"It's amazing when you have a goalkeeper like that who commands his box. His form has been great and I'm really pleased for Simon. We need to help him by defending well in front of him."
An 11th shut-out of the year for Mignolet this evening against Blackburn Rovers would go a long way to helping the Reds achieve their FA Cup ambitions.
Following a goalless draw at Anfield last month, Rodgers' charges travel to Ewood Park for a replay of their quarter-final - with Aston Villa awaiting the winners in the last four at Wembley.
Toure said: "They are a tough team. It was a really challenging game at Anfield and physically they are really strong. Blackburn made it really difficult for us and we know it's going to be another big battle.
"Maybe with them playing at home they will need to attack more and we have quick players who can do well on the counter-attack. If we play with our quality and our belief then we can get through."