'We’re through, so we’re delighted'
TranscriptHear from the manager after the Reds’ extra-time win in the FA Cup quarter-final…
I suppose extra time wasn't in the plan, but the fact is we're there and that's the most important thing isn't it? "Exactly, that's all that matters in the cup, that you are through. You come through it with no injuries, you come through it with minutes on the board for players. Some of them you can see that they need to play to get their match fitness and we're through so we're delighted with that." I suppose it's understandable, because you've given some players an opportunity, that the rhythm wasn't quite there to start with, because they hadn't really played for a while? "I don't want to use that as an excuse, but of course we're dominating, they're defending, they're making it difficult for us and it is not easy to break teams down, well organised teams with a bank of four and five and even the striker dropped in there so they were really well organised and made it difficult for us, but we're through. We scored two nice goals." Yeah, Odion's finish, not easy that. I suppose you appreciated that? "He's got one eye on the ball and probably one eye on is the keeper coming to smash him and is the defender coming to smash him, so well done. He played a part in the second goal as well which is great reactions by Harry. You can expect him maybe being in there heading it, but that's a proper poacher's goal." Extra time you really went for it. I thought you were coming on, everybody was on, every conceivable striker was on. "I would have scored earlier! You've got to go for it. Of course when they've got 10 men it's going to be difficult for them, so we looked at it as you've got 30 minutes to just break them down. Don't make it easy for them, but just keep moving the ball, make those runs and hopefully we'll get the chance and we did." When Krul made the save from Harry, were you thinking it could be one of those days? "It could be one of them. He had a good save from Bruno's shot as well and he's a good goalkeeper, but finally we got it and we're through." A captain's goal in the end then. He'll be leading us out hopefully at Wembley? "Very happy. Of course, as you say, we're at Wembley, one step away from the final, so we're going to give it a proper go." Finally, a nice short trip in three days time for Brighton. You keep winning. "Yeah, as long as you keep winning you look forward to the next one, so I think today everyone knows we can play better, but we're through and everyone will be going back home smiling."