Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has admitted he used to imagine what it would feel like to score in front of the Kop - after watching Steven Gerrard score in front of the Anfield faithful when he was growing up.
The Englishman has scored ten goals in his 67 appearances for Liverpool to date, the highlight of which was a thunderous long-range drive against Genk in the Champions League this season.
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with a touch of pure class when Liverpool visited Genk! pic.twitter.com/1dDGmfLm4a
However, speaking to the club's official magazine, Oxlade-Chamberlain insisted that he prefers two other goals - a strike against Manchester City in the 2017/18 season and one against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup in October 2019.
“My second goal in Genk was different," he said. "
"The technique that I tried doesn’t come off all the time, but for me the goals I scored against Man City and Arsenal in front of the Kop are my favourites.
“The intensity of smashing one in, in front of the Kop, there’s no better feeling. The feeling I got instantly off the back of the Arsenal goal… for me, that’s what I live for.”
To explain why he rates those goals higher than the Genk strike, Oxlade-Chamberlain confessed that he has long dreamed about emulating Gerrard and celebrating with the Kop after scoring a goal.
“I used to watch Stevie Gerrard smash them in, in front of the Kop, and imagine the feeling that would give me. Goals like that give me a buzz like nothing else," he revealed.
“The Genk goal was a bit like, ‘Ooh, it’s gone in.’ It caught me a bit by surprise that I tried it and it actually went in!
“Afterwards I’ve probably appreciated it a lot more, but when I watch back the Man City goals and the Arsenal goal, I get goose bumps. They’re the ones I enjoy scoring more.”
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Source : 90min