Divock Origi has set his sights on “finishing in style” after his late winner at Newcastle ensured Liverpool’s title challenge goes to the final day.
The Reds appeared to be fizzling out after Salomon Rondon’s strike put the scores at 2-2 at St James’ Park, when a head injury for Mohamed Salah forced the No. 11 off.
Origi took his place as Jurgen Klopp‘s side desperately sought a third goal for the three points, and he did just that with an 83rd-minute header from Xherdan Shaqiri‘s free-kick.
Having already fired Liverpool to a vital victory in the Merseyside derby in December, this was another crucial moment from Origi, and speaking to Sky Sports after the game the Belgian reflected on his intervention.
“Today was a big fight. It wasn’t easy, but in the end we showed our fighting spirit and got the three points,” he said.
“I just try to do whatever I can and I’m happy for the team. It’s very important for us.
“We work so hard and we know it’s an important part of the season.
“And obviously [I did it] for Mo. We knew we wanted to fight for the three points.
“It’s a lot of emotion, but we have to control it. It’s a special season and we want to finish in style.
“Let’s see how the remaining games go and hopefully it comes our way.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who set up Liverpool’s first two goals on the night, joined Origi on media duties after the game, and he echoed the striker’s sentiments.
“Obviously it was tough for us. They did really well to get back twice in the game,” the right-back said.
“[It was] always going to be a tough place to come, but we wanted to make a statement and show we have the mentality to bounce back.
“The lads showed their spirit once again, we’ve shown it throughout the whole season, many times we’ve been down and out and we’ve got back.
“Divock’s come on and put them away for us.”
The No. 66 could have been sent off in the first half after handling the ball on the line in the buildup to Christian Atsu’s goal, but escaped a red card as referee Andre Marriner allowed play to go on.
“It was one of those where the ball’s come at me quick and it’s been instinctive,” Alexander-Arnold argued.
“It hit my arm, it stayed out to the side-ish. If you look back to their second goal you’ll see a foul on me on the halfway line!”
And he responded admirably when asked whether his pair of assists was the highlight of his night, and turned his attention to Tuesday night’s Champions League decider against Barcelona at Anfield.
“I’m obviously most pleased about the three points. If you come off with 2-2 and you’ve got two assists it means nothing,” he said.
“It’s about the win, especially so late in the season.
“It was important to put the pressure back on City and hopefully Leicester will do something for us Monday night.
“Obviously we’ve just got to focus on Barca again. We’ve got a massive uphill climb, we’ve shown spirit again today to score three goals.
“We’ve got a fast turnaround, we’ve got to recovery as quickly as possible and go again.
“Hopefully someone will be able to get a result against City and snatch us the title.”
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