Courtois: "These games are decided on fine margins, which is exactly what happened"

Thibaut Courtois put on a remarkable display at Anfield. Our goalkeeper's saves will be remembered for years to come, and he analysed the game as follows: “It's a shame, I tried to keep the team in it. I think we made too many fouls near the area in the second half, they're good from set-pieces and that's how their goal came about. We defended pretty well. With the ball, we lacked a little bit of spark in the final third. It wasn't easy to get into good positions, but when we did, we lost the ball too lightly. We have to improve on that. But at the end of the day, it's a really difficult ground to come to, one of the toughest places to play in the Champions League. Sometimes you lose, though of course we don't like it. Now we have two more games up until Christmas: Olympiakos away, which is tough, and then Manchester City at home. We have to keep going."
“Some fouls are unnecessary and others, you just have to pull the handbrake on what could be a dangerous attack. The one that led to the goal was a bit unnecessary. I don't think it was even a foul, I think he goes down when he sees Bellingham's foot. But it was a great ball in and a good goal. We didn't pass the ball cleanly and we struggled to maintain possession in opposition terriroty. I think that's somewhere we need to improve against the top sides, especially away from home. We're really strong at home, but on the road there's room for improvement against tough teams."

Difficulties at Anfield
“It's a really tough place to come, you can always lose here. You have to stand up strong, perhaps you have to play better, but in the end, these games are decided on fine margins, which is exactly what happened. I think we have to keep calm. We're in good shape. After our LaLiga games, we'll have to beat Olympiakos in the Champions League. It's another difficult away trip and if we win, we'll still be in a good position to finish in the top eight."
Save with his outstretched leg
“You have to cover the space, and I saw it was a two-on-one and Szoboszlai was away. If I'd have stayed on my line, it would have been like a penalty, almost impossible to stop it. I wanted to go down the middle, but I didn't want to risk him taking the shot on. So as soon as I saw the pass, I went out to charge it down. I'm two metres tall, I've got long arms and legs, so it's just a case of throwing myself around. It wasn't exactly a textbook save, but it still worked."