Benteke: I was there to take advantage of good luck
Being in the right place allowed Christian Benteke to take full advantage of some good fortune and secure a 1-0 win for Liverpool over Sunderland on Wednesday night, according to the man himself.
For the second match in succession the Belgium international made the pivotal contribution for the Reds, who moved up to seventh in the Barclays Premier League by claiming three points at the Stadium of Light.
There was a slice of luck involved, as Nathaniel Clyne’s knock forward in the fledgling moments of the second half found its way to Benteke in the Black Cats' box via a flick from Adam Lallana.
The No.9 took the chance clinically, sweeping a finish into the bottom corner, and was pleased to have helped the team follow up the Boxing Day victory against Leicester City with another success.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: “It was very important for us to win and that’s what we did. There were some good and bad things but at the end we won, so we can be happy.
“To be fair, I had some luck. But as a striker you have to be there sometimes and I finished it. I can be happy with the goal, but more important was the three points.
“I try to improve and help my teammates. At the moment we are in good shape and hopefully we can keep it up.”
The win in the north east ensured plenty of reasons for positivity as Jürgen Klopp’s side enter the second half of an unpredictable Premier League campaign for all involved.
A trip to West Ham United is next up on Saturday – a tight turnaround amid a busy fixture schedule that shows little sign of relenting throughout January.
Benteke added: “It was important to come here and win. Now we have another tough game against West Ham on Saturday. We have to have a good recovery to go again.
“Everyone can see this year it’s very tough and very strong. But we have a good squad and we have some other players coming back to hopefully help us to go forward.”