Overlooked Simon Mignolet Moments Significant to Liverpool's Season

In the 44th minute of Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, Simon Mignolet saved Wayne Rooney’s goal-bound shot from the edge of the area and with it made a significant contribution to his team’s success.

It was a moment of the match that was glossed over in many of the match reports that followed the full-time whistle, with journalists focusing their analysis on Liverpool’s very comfortable performance and the gaping holes in David Moyes’ side.

But it was, nevertheless, a turning point in the match.

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The Belgian international saw Rooney’s swerving shot late due to Martin Skrtel blocking his vision—Mignolet getting a strong hand to push the ball away from its path to goal.

Skrtel then bravely threw his body in front of a rampant Rooney’s rebound.

With the score at 0-1, Mignolet’s save meant Liverpool went into the break with their lead intact. Two minutes after the players stepped back out for the second half, the visitors were two up thanks to Steven Gerrard’s second penalty of the day and it was game over.

Rooney commented after the match about the second goal being the killer blow to United’s chances of getting back into the game, as per Graeme Yorke of the Daily Mail:

"

At half-time we were 1-0 down to a penalty kick, I didn't think there was much in it. To give away one 20 seconds or so into the second half it made it a real upward climb for us after that. 

"

Based on United’s performance on Sunday, Rooney’s theory that his side still had a chance at half-time is quite flawed, but nonetheless the scoreline suggested it wasn’t as open a game as it had been. 

Would United have got something from the game had Mignolet not saved Rooney’s shot just before the break? Probably not, but it is heroics like that which make the difference between successful and unsuccessful sides.

It wasn’t the first time this season that Mignolet has played an important role in the narrative of Liverpool’s victories.

Clint Hughes/Associated Press

A more obvious occasion came on his debut on the opening day of the season when Mignolet turned Jon Walters’ late penalty away to keep Liverpool hanging on for victory against Stoke.

Had that penalty gone in, heads could well have slumped, as they did in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at West Brom on the previous season’s opening day.

Fine saves denying Christian Benteke in Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa, Nani in the Reds’ victory over Manchester United at Anfield and Jay Rodriguez in the recent 3-0 win at Southampton have all contributed to Liverpool picking up points. 

In his first season on Merseyside, Mignolet has taken the challenge of filling Pepe Reina’s gloves superbly against the disruption of an ever-changing defensive back four in front of him.

Though the focus of Liverpool’s success this season is on their exciting, attacking and controlling football, much credit must be given to Mignolet for those key moments that slip under the radar.