It was hard not to 'go mad' after scoring against Arsenal- Oxlade Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain admitted he struggled to keep his emotions in check after scoring against former side Arsenal in Liverpool's incredible EFL Cup victory.
The 26-year-old fired a dipping long-range strike past Emiliano Martinez in Wednesday's 5-5 draw, which Liverpool went on to win on penalties to reach the quarter-finals.
It was Oxlade-Chamberlain's sixth start of the season and his first goal against the club he represented for six years before leaving in 2017, but one he felt unable to celebrate.
"It was a pretty good goal, so it was really hard to keep the celebrations in but that is always something that I knew I would do against my former club," he said.
"I always want to show a lot of respect for Arsenal and what they did for me and the times I had there. I didn't want to celebrate but it was a tough one to hold in. I wanted to take my shirt off and go mad!"
October 31, 2019
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored three goals in quick succession following his Champions League brace against Genk eight days ago.
Despite hitting form in front of goal, however, the England international has acknowledged he was far from his best against Arsenal.
"I have just tried to run a bit more and get in behind and tried to get my legs going a bit more," he said. Quality-wise, I am not too happy with my performance to be honest. I wasn't great on the ball and not near my own personal level of where I want to be.
"I need to keep pushing myself and maybe I will get a chance. It is nice to get a goal as well which has ultimately helped us in the game."
October 31, 2019
Liverpool will face Aston Villa in the last eight of the EFL Cup and are top of the Premier League after 10 matches, six points better off than Manchester City.
The Reds have lost one of their 16 matches in all competitions this term, and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has called on his team-mates to maintain their consistency.
"Relentlessness is probably the main word in and around the camp at the minute," he told Sky Sports News.
"We want to keep winning games, gathering as many points as possible and winning more trophies. You can't do that without being consistent in tournaments and over the league campaign - and that's what we want to be, consistent. We saw last season that getting a big haul of points wasn't enough so we still need to pick up as many points as possible."