Liverpool defender Nat Phillips turned in another fine display against Burnley to help The Reds to a huge three points.
Jürgen Klopp’s men made it four wins on the bounce and now have Champions League qualification in their own hands heading into Sunday’s final game of the season against Crystal Palace.
Phillips was voted man of the match after his excellent performance. After a pretty nervy start, the centre-back really grew into the game, scoring a goal, clearing a Burnley effort off the line, and generally being a rock at the back in the second half.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the win, Phillips was asked how important he felt the victory was:
“Massive, like you say. Most importantly, [we’re] up into fourth – that was our goal coming here today. All the rest of it are just added bonuses. At this point in the season now, with what we’re trying to achieve, it doesn’t matter how we win games; as long as we get the three points, that’s all that matters.”
He was also questioned about the difficulty of getting a result at Turf Moor and whether he was more pleased with scoring his goal or clearing a Burnley effort off the line:
“Really hard. It was a really tough, physical game, one of the toughest I’ve had all season. So, credit to Burnley, they made it difficult for us. But it was nice to see that we managed to score three goals and take our chances, which is something that we have struggled to do throughout the season a bit.
“Clearance off the line – every time! It’s my job to stop the ball from going in the net, to stop goals. If I can get on the scoresheet, happy days, a bit of a bonus. But I’d much rather have a clean sheet.”
On the remaining match Liverpool have to play, at home to Crystal Palace this Sunday:
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be a good weekend. I’m excited. What we’ve got to do now is recover, rest up, prepare ourselves – one last push and hopefully finish in that Champions League spot.”
A win on Sunday against Roy Hodgson’s Eagles all but guarantees Liverpool a top-four finish and Champions League qualification. Just one more push, fellas…
For the most in-depth tactical and statistical analysis regarding Liverpool FC, sign up now! The original home of Pressing Stats, Anfield Index also brings you the latest views from club legends such as Jan Molby.
Hear from the UK’s top journalists, managers, professionals, sports scientists, physios, and sports psychologists as we bring you the ultimate LFC fan experience provided on approximately 30 podcasts every month for our AI:Pro listeners!!
Enjoy all this and more for just £4.99 per month at Anfield Index Pro!!
