Liverpool “Deserved to Win” Battle Against Tough Opponent

After being consigned to a reserve role for much of the season, injuries have thrust veteran midfielder Lucas Leiva back into the spotlight in April, and the 30-year-old Brazilian has played a key role in the club taking 10 of 12 possible points so far in the penultimate month of the season.

On Sunday, he and his teammates recorded their first clean sheet in more than two months against an opponent that has given them difficulty in the past, and that had Lucas in an upbeat mood as he reflected on the game, the result, and looked ahead to what comes next for Liverpool.

"It's a massive result for us," he told the club's official website following the 1-0 victory. "We know how difficult it is to play West Bromwich Albion away from home and I thought we defended really well, we kept a clean sheet and we won the game. It's a good day.

"We controlled the game, we had a few chances at the end and we deserved to win it. Simon made a good save from one of their counter attacks but I thought we controlled the game very well, we were patient and I thought our defending from set-pieces was very good today."

Up next, Liverpool close out the month by hosting Crystal Palace, who will be unable to call on Mamadou Sakho against his parent club. Then it's Watford, Southampton, West Ham, and Middlesbrough. And if they keep winning, Liverpool know the top four will be theirs.

"The top four is possible and looks good at this moment, but we still have five games to go," he added. "These wins always give you a lot of confidence because we know how hard it is to play here and a lot of teams drop points. We just need to keep going and keep the same focus."