'That goal showed what a big player Coutinho is'
Divock Origi has seen enough of Philippe Coutinho in training to know what his teammate is capable of – but was still left in awe of the Brazilian's game-changing goal at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
Liverpool’s No.10 opened his account against Manchester United right on the stroke of half-time to level the score on the evening and quash the momentum built by the home side in the Europa League second leg.
The Reds carried a two-goal advantage into the clash with their rivals, only for that lead to be halved when Anthony Martial won and converted a penalty with 32 minutes on the clock.
However, Coutinho restored his team’s commanding position when he darted into the penalty area from the left, drew David de Gea off his goalline and effortlessly lifted a stunning finish up, down and into the net.
Origi later told Liverpoolfc.com: “Of course, I see him a lot in training and he does this a lot, but to do it in this type of game is a mark of a big player. Philippe is one.
“It was wonderful to see and he helped the team a lot. I’m very happy for him. He has a lot of quality and he has a big influence. He is improving, he’s still young and I’m happy to have him in the team.”
Jürgen Klopp’s charges have responded brilliantly to the disappointment of losing the Capital One Cup final, winning back-to-back Barclays Premier League games before seeing off United in the last 16 of the Europa League.
The Reds will discover their next opponents, in the competition’s quarter-finals, on Friday afternoon – and Origi called for the players to maintain the ambitious approach that has brought rewards in recent weeks.
“It was our objective to go through and it’s a huge boost,” he said. “We showed a lot of passion and are glad to go through. We play for Liverpool and the level always has to be very high.
“We have to be ambitious in every game and we can beat every team in the Premier League. Of course, you have to be at 100 per cent and we showed big heart – that’s why we went through.”
The Belgium striker added: “We go into the game at Southampton [on Sunday] with confidence and we want the three points – that is very important.
“Afterwards is the international break, so we’ll do everything to get three points. Our objective is to win every game and we’ll do everything possible to do this.
“We have all the qualities, we just have to stay sharp mentally. We have great support. We just have to aim high and see what the end of the season brings.”