Origi Feels The Valentine Love

When Divock Origi came on for Daniel Sturridge in the 62nd minute with a 3-0 lead, the young striker was probably expected to help hold up play and see the game out. Thirty-seven seconds and two touches later Origi added a fourth, and soon thereafter a hefty beating became a bloodbath.

One of the big talking points of the match--certainly bigger than his goal--was the impromptu and perhaps unwanted make-out session with an excited Liverpool fan.

"Let's say he was emotional! I could feel the love, definitely," Origi said of his unexpected Valentine,"I turned and the first thing I saw was the fans. They were so happy and I wanted to celebrate with them. I think maybe on Valentine's Day they were a little bit more emotional so I had some kisses, but it was nice to see."

It's commendable that Origi was able to laugh off the moment, but I wouldn't expect him to get so close to fans with future celebrations. As for what the result means going forward?

"I think the score says it all. We had a good game, we enjoyed the game and you could see players in different positions scoring and that's always nice for the team and the confidence. We all had a good feeling. Even before [the game] I had an interview and I told them that I've seen positive things in this group and for the rest of the season also. I think this could be the start of something nice."

With Top 4 out of reach and no league games until March, "something nice" would include some silverware and advancing to the Round of 16 in Europa League on the immediate horizon. If key attacking players--Origi very much included--can stay healthy, Liverpool might yet be able put together an impressive second half of the season.