Aspas discusses the greatest corner in football history

Matt Stead

Iago Aspas has discussed Celta Vigo’s Europa League semi-final with Manchester United, as well as *that* corner.

Aspas and Celta face the difficult task of securing a result at Old Trafford on Thursday, having lost the first leg of their semi-final 1-0.

The striker, who has scored 24 goals this season, hopes to sink United not only for Celta, but for former club Liverpool, where he played in the 2013/14 campaign.

“Scoring the winning goal there would be a dream come true and I know Liverpool fans want us to win,” he told The Guardian.

“We owe the fans. We didn’t repay all that support. As soon as the first game ended, you could see everyone thinking it’s over. We know it’s hard, who we’re playing, what the situation is, but…”

The 29-year-old then discussed his ill-fated year at Liverpool, where he failed to score a single Premier League goal and left after one season.

“I’d get up, go training, eat, have a siesta and when you wake up it’s night,” he said. “I did try but we almost always spoke Spanish. There were seven or eight of them that spoke Spanish and so it was inevitable.

“It was their best year for 10, 15 years, they were close to winning the league. [Daniel] Sturridge scored 21, Luis [Suárez] 31, so it’s normal that I didn’t get many chances. It didn’t annoy me; I understood that I couldn’t play with them at that level.

“It’s hard, of course: I’d played every game at Celta. But there are times you can’t play and when they win, you know that. You have to take your frustration out on the training ground and the sessions were really good, at least.”

The lasting memory of Aspas’ short spell at Anfield came in his final game. With Liverpool leading the Premier League table and needing a result against Chelsea to strengthen their grip on a potential first top-flight title since 1990, the Reds were losing 1-0 but won a corner in the second half.

Aspas would take the corner short, playing it straight to Willian, and Chelsea would score a second soon after. Aspas was sold that summer.

Asked why he is remembered on these shores for that particular moment, he replied: “I suppose it’s because it was my last game and we lost.

“It was a great season for Liverpool – one of their best – although I would have liked to have played a bigger part and that corner is the final memory, so it’s their lasting image of me.

“But in football you can’t forever live in the past. Things keep moving, every day gives you another chance. Hopefully, for the sake of Celta and because of the happiness it would bring Liverpool fans, we can knock out United and they can have a new image to replace it.”