[ad_1]
Liverpool left St. James’ Park frustrated but determined to bring the positives to their next game, according to Nathaniel Phillips.
The Premier League leaders were forced to draw for the second game in a row on Wednesday night, this time a goalless draw against Newcastle United in which the hosts’ goalkeeper Karl Darlow made numerous saves to keep at bay to the Reds.
Jürgen Klopp cited those wasted opportunities as the an element missing from your team’s reaction the other way around earlier at home to West Bromwich Albion, and Phillips immediately waited for the opportunity to fix that in Southampton on Monday.
“Really frustrating,” the center back, who started alongside Fabinho on defense, told Liverpoolfc.com. “We feel that we create enough [chances] in the game to take three points and get the victory.
“But, unfortunately, we just couldn’t convert our chances. Sometimes it can be like that in football and we have to get up and move on to the next game. “
He added: “We created much more [chances] tonight, which is positive, but we have to finish off our chances and hopefully we can do it in the next game.
Liverpool ends 2020 with a three-point lead at the top of the division as they aim to defend the Premier League trophy they lifted in July.
But Phillips underscored the need to rediscover the habit of winning over the line no matter how games play out or opponents prepare.
When asked if the test of taking down well-drilled defenses is not easy, he said: “It is not, but we have the quality to do it and we have proven it in the past.
“It can really be both ways because when teams put us aside, we dominate the game and gain momentum. Can sometimes work against teams [playing] against us, but in an ideal world we have to find a way to win the game and finish our chances. “
The 23-year-old made his first appearance since late November when he replaced Joel Matip, who is expected to be offside for three weeks due to adductor problem.
On a personal level, Phillips could be proud to have a clean first sheet in his third outing of the season in the Premier League.
“That’s what I want to do: go out on the field and play,” he said.
“It was a tough game for me, very physical, they didn’t make it easy for me up there. But there is a lot I can work on, I will look back at the game and see where I need to improve. But a clean sheet is not so bad.
“He has definitely challenged me [at this level]. I wouldn’t say that I’ve felt out of reach. The more games I have played, the more I get used to it, but each game offers a different challenge.
“With each game, I just have to try to collect experiences from them and work on the things that I need to improve on, learn from each game, and hopefully get the momentum.”
