Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp hailed his manne after they snapped their three-game losing run with a 2-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg win over RB Leipzig.
Tuesday night’s victory came courtesy of second-half strikes from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
The Reds have been their own worst enemies recently, with defensive mistakes costing them.
But this time they forced the errors from Leipzig, who gifted Salah and Sane one-on-one efforts to capitalise.
And boss Klopp says: “It was the game we wanted, the game we needed.
“Leipzig can be a real monster, they overrun teams, they are really physical and tonight we controlled them in an exceptional way.
“We forced them to make mistakes. I am happy with the performance.
“We played a really good game and we got the result we deserved.
“We defended really well and had good recovery. It was a tough game with only two days since the last one.
“It’s only the first leg, we know that but a lot of people were waiting for us to slip again. For two years we were really good and this year we have problems, that’s fine.
“A lot of people expected us to slip again but the boys didn’t.”
Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann warned that he hasn’t given up on the tie, despite having to go to Anfield on March 10 and turn the contest on its head.
The German coach says: “It will not be easy but I think we earned respect.
“We have to be confident for the second game. We have to win.”