Joel Matip on brilliant header, West Ham comeback and chasing
Joel Matip was delighted to be third time lucky with the emphatic header that secured a 2-1 win for Liverpool at West Ham United.
Just moments after twice being thwarted at close range in the second half of Wednesday night’s Premier League clash, the No.32 met Andy Robertson’s corner from the left with a powerful nod beyond the goalkeeper.
Matip’s effort sealed a turnaround for the visitors, who trailed to a Lucas Paqueta drive and levelled courtesy of Cody Gakpo’s own finish from distance during the first half.
Post-match, Matip – who returned to the starting XI in place of the absent Ibrahima Konate – spoke to Liverpoolfc.com about how Jürgen Klopp’s men achieved the comeback, his header and the aim to keep chasing the teams above them.
Read a summary of the interview below…
On the key to Liverpool’s comeback…
To stay calm, even after they scored we stayed calm and tried to play our way. And then with a brilliant finish from Cody, it was great from Trent before, a nice ball in between. We kept on playing and in the end we had a few opportunities and the second one went in.
On the first chance he had to net before he did score…
I had two, to be honest: already the header and then the deflection. Normally it should be in but [I was] really lucky that I had a minute later another opportunity.
On the sweet connection he made with the header he scored…
For sure it was one of the hardest headers I did so far, but it doesn’t matter – as long as they go in I’m happy.
On whether the team has made a conscious effort to be more of a threat from set-pieces…
Of course, it also belongs to the game; you can score in the game but also from set-pieces and it’s an important part. You can always put pressure on [the opposition] from set-pieces. Hopefully we will continue.
On the added difficulty of staying calm under pressure at this stage of the season…
It’s always hard when you are 1-0 down but especially the midfield with Trent stayed so calm with the ball – it was really nice to watch how they play. [We] just kept on playing and that helped us through the 90 minutes.
On chasing the teams above them in the table…
This is the only thing we can do: put pressure on the opponents. For this we have to play the next game and get three points there.