Brendan Rodgers: 'Simon Mignolet has already saved us four points'

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has claimed that Simon Mignolet's heroics in goal have already saved the club four points this season.

The Reds followed up last week's 1-0 over Stoke City with victory away to Aston Villa by the same scoreline on Saturday.

Daniel Sturridge claimed the winner in both games, but Rodgers feels that Mignolet's performances in goal have been instrumental in helping the Reds to back-to-back wins this season.

"You always say that a good goalkeeper saves you 10 points a season," Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.

"Last weekend he saved us two with the penalty [he saved in the 88th minute] so there's his first two. Against Villa he's made a terrific save at the end (against Christian Benteke) which may have gone in so if you want to count that as another two then he's up to four in the first two games. That's nothing against his teammates.

"I think it is important you've got a top keeper and we've got one at 25 now who's really hungry and wants to really play and improve. The best teams have the top goalkeepers."

Mignolet became the Reds' most expensive keeper of all time when he signed from Sunderland for around £9m earlier this summer.