Wednesday, 17th September, 2014
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has praised Javier Manquillo for making an impact in his side’s crucial 2-1 Champions League win over Ludogorets Razgrad last night.
After Dani Abalo cancelled out Mario Balotelli’s strike in injury-time, it seemed the contest at Anfield was heading for a draw.
But Manquillo, who joined the Reds from Atletico Madrid on a two-year loan deal in the summer, was then fouled by Ludogorets goalkeeper Milan Borjan in the box as the referee pointed to the spot.
Gerrard calmly slotted home the resultant penalty to mark Liverpool’s return to the contest after five years with a win.
And the ex-England international, who feels Manquillo has been a revelation since joining the Merseyside giants, hailed the Spaniard for chasing the lost ball which lead to the penalty in injury-time.
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"That's the type of defender he is; he's on the front foot, he's aggressive, he's very attacking and he got his reward tonight by being brave and ambitious", Gerrard explained to his club’s official site.
"Even just being down that end of the field – a lot of full-backs would have been staying back and trying to get a draw out of the game.
"But he chased down a lost ball and we got rewarded for it. I think he's done very well since he's come in – not just tonight."
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