Interview

Miedema: "The pressure is fully gone now"

Vivianne Miedema couldn't stop smiling after scoring her first goal since returning from injury on Sunday 

The WSL's all-time leading top scorer has looked stronger, fitter and sharper with every game and against Liverpool she was rewarded for her hard work, breaking the deadlock in style in the second half with a stunning strike from outside the box. 

"To be honest, I don't really think I celebrate goals but all the girls came up to me and they were taking the mick out of me because they were like 'You were actually celebrating'", said Miedema in her post-match interview. 

"It's been a long time coming. I've been feeling really good in training, I've been scoring a lot of goals, but to then do it here, obviously in the league again, it's a really nice feeling.

"A lot of the girls came to me straight after [scoring]. They all realised that I was not going to run back and it just makes it special and I think as much as obviously football's about winning, moments like these, we do need to celebrate and definitely enjoy."

Miedema officially made her return from injury back in December against Bristol City, but since the new year, she's grown in confidence and believes it's starting to show in her performances. 

"I wanted to use the winter break as a reset and then come back in and start being me again and that's exactly what I've done. I feel better. I'm less scared and I think in the last couple of games, you can see that I've started creating a lot of things for others. 

"Today, the girls told me to just go for it and shoot and sometimes I need to listen to others as well.

"It's just a bit of relief, to be honest. I'm known as being a goal scorer. I do play as a 10 right now, so it's a different position, but I think once that first one goes in and after speaking with Beth about it as well, that pressure is fully gone.

"You can just start enjoying being out there again, and you can just start enjoying playing. I'm just really, really happy that it went in today and we can just move on from that one."