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Elliot: 'We Stepped Up'
Written by Newcastle Utd
Rob Elliot felt that Newcastle showed their fans what the team is capable of against Liverpool on Sunday
By Dominic Scurr
Rob Elliot kept his third clean sheet in five Barclays Premier League games in Newcastle United's 2-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday.
It was a surprisingly quiet afternoon for the United stopper as he was rarely tested by Jürgen Klopp's side, who went into the game with an unbeaten away record under their new manager.
But that run came to an end as Georginio Wijnaldum's shot deflected off Martin Å krtel to open the scoring for the Magpies with 21 minutes to play, before the Dutch midfielder capped things off with a well-taken effort in stoppage time.
"It's a really important result for us," Elliot told nufc.co.uk.
"It was vital that we got back to where we were before the Leicester game and show ourselves, as well as the fans, who we are and what we're capable of.
"Our previous two performances didn't reflect that because we struggled to work as a unit, but it's great to see that we can work together so effectively and against such quality opposition."
Elliot had just one straightforward save to make against a Reds side who had scored ten goals in their previous two away outings.
"If you had told me I would have so little to do against Liverpool, I wouldn't have believed you," added the Magpies' keeper.
"It's a testament to just how good all of the lads were in front of me. I can't really pick anyone out, they were all magnificent and stuck to our game plan.
"We stepped up, defended as a unit and pressed when we needed to. It wasn't the prettiest game but I think that suited us down to the ground and our pace on the counter proved to be the difference in the end.
"It was a game I think we knew we could get something from. We've had a lot of meetings and discussions between players which is a good thing because we have to take responsibility for ourselves, which I think we did today."
Next up for Newcastle is an away trip to Tottenham Hotspur in six days' time (4pm kick-off).
"Going to White Hart Lane, you know it's always going to be difficult, especially with the form they're in," Elliot admitted.
"Again we're underdogs but we have an okay record against the big teams, Tottenham especially, and we need to believe in ourselves again and try to replicate the level of effort and performance that we showed today."