Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has claimed that his side's 2-1 win over Stoke City in April could prove to be the turning point in his career at the club.
Mignolet was dropped in favour of Loris Karius in September but returned to the side in December after a string of mistakes from last summer's signing handed the Belgian a second chance as number one.
Mignolet kept that role for the remainder of the campaign but it was not until April's 2-1 win at the bet365 Stadium, in which the 29-year-old helped Liverpool to a three crucial points with saves to deny Charlie Adam and Saido Berahino, that he believes he showed what he can really do.
"There was a reason why Stoke was so important to me. As a goalkeeper, you don't stand out much. It's not the same as being a striker when you can score a goal and everyone notices what you have done. I had that moment in the first game of my Liverpool career when I made the penalty save against Stoke. But there is another thing about saving a penalty and that is people will always say 'oh, he's guessed the right way'," he told the club's official website.
"As a goalkeeper at Liverpool, you don't get worked that much. So I needed a game to come along again and show what I could do. Everything about that came at such a great time. We were losing 1-0, the spirit wasn't the best because everyone was thinking 'here we go again' and people would have thought it was a sign we were going to miss out on the Champions League. So this was such a changing moment, for me and for the club. I had a chance to show what I could be for this team. It's changed my career a bit.
"There always seemed to be something happening around, a rumour here, someone saying something about me there. It all adds up and it never allowed me to have the basis to act like Liverpool's number one. But those things aren't happening now. I'm much more settled now. Before the season there were things that I knew I needed to change: I wanted to be more consistent and make myself more important for the club. If I look back now, I can sit here and say with belief that I have been more consistent.
"I know there were mistakes, like against Stoke [at home] and the Chelsea goal [vs. David Luiz] but I have made important saves throughout the season against Stoke, Watford, West Brom, Chelsea. I can even think of ones against Leicester, Arsenal and Tottenham. I'm happy with what I did and this year I know I can go away on holiday happy. I have been important."
Liverpool ended the campaign with four consecutive clean sheets to help them clinch a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Barney Corkhill
