Matthijs de Ligt says the Reds have “fire in the belly”
this term after fighting back to earn a point in our 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
We took a first-half lead in north London courtesy of a Bryan Mbeumo header, and looked comfortable for large stretches of the game until Mathys Tel and Richarlison netted a goal each in the last ten minutes.
The Reds weren’t defeated though, fighting until the very last minute and snatching a point back courtesy of a De Ligt header from a Fernandes corner
It had echoes of our draw with Nottingham Forest last week, with the same scoreline, a quickfire double from the opposition and a late equaliser, a factor the Dutchman believes shows the fighting spirit of the squad.
“I think it’s the same as last week,”
De Ligt told TNT Sports after the final whistle. “Last year, we lost against Forest, 1-0. Last season, we lost against Tottenham, 1-0.
“And today, and also last week, you see that we still have the fire in our belly to get a point, to get a goal.”
It wasn’t a vintage performance from either side, but the Reds would be justified in feeling good value for our lead until Spurs’ late flurry, and despite rescuing a point for his side, De Ligt shares that sentiment.
“Luckily, we got a point here,”
the defender said. “I think we deserve more.
“I mean, first goal [from Spurs], I think it’s a little bit lucky. I broke the ball; it goes in, it’s a difficult situation.
“I’m a little bit upset about that, but in the end, I’m really proud of the team.”
Not only did the Reds fight until the very end, we did so with a player disadvantage, as Benjamin Sesko had to leave the pitch through injury after Ruben Amorim had made all of his allotted substitutions.
“Even with 10 men, in that way, I’m really proud of the team,”
the 26-year-old said.
“The season is long, so in the end, if you don’t lose these kind of games, it’s always more important.
“We played a good game, and I think we could deserve a little more.”