Thiago has revealed who he dedicated his first Liverpool goal to, while he and his team-mates turn their attention from Southampton to Thursday night’s trip to Man United.
The Reds sealed a 2-0 victory over Saints on Saturday, to make it six games unbeaten in the Premier League, four of which have been wins.
It looked to be playing out to a familiar tune after Sadio Mane‘s first-half header, with a slew of wasted chances seemingly opening the door for a late equaliser from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.
But up stepped Thiago, who curved his effort into the bottom corner in the 90th minute for his first goal for the club and a vital winner, handing Liverpool three more points in the top-four race.
Upon scoring, the Spaniard wheeled away pointing to the stands, with it unclear who he was gesturing towards in dedication.
In his interview with LFCTV, however, Thiago revealed that it was a tribute to “the guys there that didn’t play,” with his belief being that the Reds’ squad players are equally as important:
“I always have a special relationship with the guys there that didn’t play.
“And also when you are playing you always think about them, how they work, how they behave, even when they don’t play. So the goal was for them.”
Kostas Tsimikas, Neco Williams and Xherdan Shaqiri were among those on the bench at the time, while the likes of Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip obviously retain a strong bond despite their long-term injuries.
Thiago‘s goal was for them, but also to “bring a bit of calm to the game,” with the 30-year-old acknowledging the Reds’ recent struggles when a goal up:
“Especially here at Anfield, we had many situations where they scored the goal.
“Even when we dominated the game, they scored, then we broke down a bit.
“But now I think also with this result, with 1-0 we got a bit hectic, so fortunately we could score the second one to bring a bit of calm to the game.”
The No. 6 added that “our main goal must always be the next game,” amid questions of a top-four finish, and this was reflected by James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson on social media:
Important win and big performance from the boys at the back for the clean sheet. Now to prepare for Thursday ? #YNWA pic.twitter.com/CBg9xjlCEg
— James Milner (@JamesMilner) May 8, 2021
Good win and three very important points tonight. We’ll keep pushing to finish the season strong ? #LIVSOU pic.twitter.com/xEpD7WPPW8
— Gini Wijnaldum (@GWijnaldum) May 8, 2021
1 down 4 to go ?? pic.twitter.com/7hDCZBfYT4
— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) May 8, 2021
That’ll do! Now let’s get ready for Thursday! Congrats on your first goal @Thiago6 pic.twitter.com/CTkAkNL0wC
— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) May 8, 2021
Robertson was not the only player to single Thiago out for praise, with Adrian and goalkeeping coach John Achterberg also highlighting the midfielder’s winning contribution:
first in Red ? #YNWA pic.twitter.com/SBwbpRH8WV
— Thiago Alcantara (@Thiago6) May 8, 2021
ThiaGOAL!! Congrats amigo @Thiago6 !!! ??? https://t.co/EF3cimmI1h
— Adrián San Miguel (@AdriSanMiguel) May 8, 2021
Great win and goals off @Thiago6 and Sadio @LFC great win clean sheet #LIVSOU #PL #LFC #YNWA pic.twitter.com/gUHdBcjOH8
— John Achterberg (@1JohnAchterberg) May 8, 2021
It is unlikely to be a regular occurrence, but it was timely that a player other than Mane, Diogo Jota or Mohamed Salah was able to find the decisive goal.
With 12 more points to play for against Man United, West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace, Liverpool need an all-round effort to give them the best chance of finishing in the top four.
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