'That celebration was longest sprint of my Reds career!'
Simon Mignolet cut a lonely figure at Anfield the moment Dejan Lovren's dramatic winner hit the back of the net against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night - but not for long.
The Belgian was the only man in the Reds' half of the pitch when his defensive colleague headed home powerfully to spark wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands.
Given the distance he had to cover, Mignolet was unsurprisingly a late addition to the incredible scenes in front of the Kop end, though he was no less enthusiastic in relishing the goal.
When asked by Liverpoolfc.com to describe his reaction, the goalkeeper said: "I made the longest sprint so far in my career at Anfield! It was a great moment and I'm very pleased to be part of it.
"You try to help out as much as you can, [but] obviously it's difficult to score as a 'keeper!
"[But] you see it happen as well. When you see that last cross going in and you see Dejan at the far post, you know it can happen.
"I managed to get there [in the corner with his teammates]! It's the first time I've done it but it was the moment to do it.
"Mama [Sakho] at that point was even taking a selfie - some phone out of the crowd had dropped there! It's great to be a part of that.
"It's a rollercoaster really. We always seem to do it the hard way!"
Watch Mignolet discuss the incredible Anfield scenes on LFCTV GO
Liverpool twice found themselves in a situation where they needed to score three to progress, after Dortmund grabbed a two-goal lead nine minutes in and then went 3-1 ahead midway through the second half.
But after Divock Origi's strike was added to by goals from Philippe Coutinho and Sakho, the stage was set for Lovren to complete a dramatic comeback on a famous European night at Anfield.
Along with the character displayed, Mignolet believes the team were given a huge helping hand from their ever-reliable 12th man.
He continued: "It was a great night and I think Anfield is one those places where these things can happen.
"The fans were behind us from the first minute of the game, even before when we drove into Anfield. They wanted it really bad and they pushed us on.
"At half-time it was very difficult, we thought the game was over - it could have been even worse than 2-0. But we kept on going and we never gave up."
With Villarreal awaiting in the final four, Mignolet hopes the Reds' momentum can now carry them through to the tournament's conclusion in Basel.
The 28-year-old added: "When you start a competition, everybody has the same and equal chance to win it. We've made the next step.
"We've done really well so far in this competition. We just have to take the next step in going to the final."