Mignolet claims gloves the key to run of Reds clean sheets

Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet may have been criticised for his performances between the sticks, but he ended the season with four consecutive clean sheets and puts it down, at least in some part, to not changing his gloves.

The Belgian keeper kept out Watford, Southampton, West Ham and Middlesbrough to ensure the Reds ended the season in fourth place and secured a play-off berth for next season’s Champions League.

But after three shut-outs in a row, Mignolet was close to switching his worn gloves for a new pair, however he stuck with the tried and tested mitts and it paid dividends as Liverpool said goodbye to the 2016/17 season with a comprehensive 3-0 beating of Boro.

“Before the game I was thinking of changing my gloves because they have run out a bit, but I said ‘no, I can’t do that’,” the 29-year-old revealed.

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“And luckily it paid off. Now we can celebrate finishing in the top four.

“I’m pleased with how I have performed individually and together with the team. Keeping those clean sheets was very important in the last few weeks, to give us that platform and basis to win games.

“We have learned a lot, especially because the clean sheets came against teams who we struggled against a bit at the beginning of the season. We learned how to deal with that.”