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Somewhat lost in Liverpool's return to the win column at the Stadium of Light was news that midfielder Jordan Henderson, once seemingly far from Brendan Rodgers plans and on the way out, had played his 100th game for the club.
"I didn’t even know it was my 100th until one of the lads said before the game," said Henderson of the Liverpool milestone that snuck up on him on Sunday afternoon against Sunderland. "It’s good [to reach it] and hopefully I can get a lot more."
"I think I’ve improved quite a lot, under Kenny at first, and now Brendan has brought my game on again. Hopefully I can keep doing that, keep learning every day, and keep getting better."
There's little doubt that, on current form, Henderson is part of the club's best eleven, and his growing confidence across multiple positions has only added to his importance. It may not be a given whether he'll start at attacking midfield or right back, but it's become increasingly clear that he will start.
"Everybody was delighted with the result," he added, insisting the win was more important than a personal mark he hadn't been aware of the day before. "We played well at times and kept the ball a little bit better in the second half, especially towards the end.
"The most important thing was the three points; we’ve done that and we’re very happy. We’ve been looking to try to play well for the full 90 minutes and not just the first 65, which we have been doing. I felt we kept going today and deserved the goal at the end."