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Sadio Mane says the support he’s received from Liverpool fans has helped him get over his Africa Cup of Nations heartbreak.

The Reds winger was back to his brilliant best as his quickfire double secured a precious 2-0 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.

Mane was afforded a thunderous ovation when he was substituted late on and now he’s determined to kick on and fire Liverpool into the Champions League.

That glorious high last Saturday came a fortnight after the crushing low of missing the decisive spot-kick in Senegal’s quarter-final exit at the hands of Cameroon.

Mane returned to Merseyside crestfallen but his spirits were soon lifted by the reception he received.

“I want to thank all the supporters for what they have done for me,” he told the ECHO.

“I was very happy to hear that when I came off against Tottenham. Having that support means so much. It has really lifted me since I came back.

“They give the team so much. I know that sometimes it hasn’t been easy for them but they are always behind us and always pushing us. We try to give our best for them.”

Even when I am not here my heart is in Liverpool

Liverpool won just one of the seven matches Mane missed during his international commitments in Gabon.

In that period Jurgen Klopp’s men were dumped out of both domestic cups and were cut adrift in the Premier League title.

The 24-year-old admits it wasn’t easy watching the Reds struggle from afar.

“It was difficult because the results were not so good,” he said.

“When we weren’t playing or training, I was watching the Liverpool matches and wishing the best for my team-mates.

“Even when I am not here, my heart is always in Liverpool.

“Now we have bounced back and we have to keep it like this.”

Mane made his eagerly-awaited comeback for the Reds with a late cameo in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea - just 24 hours after flying back from Africa.

Klopp gave him the option of sitting out the visit of the leaders after a gruelling trip but he was adamant he wanted to be involved.

“When I was with my national team, I did my very best for my country,” Mane said.

“I gave them everything I had until we were out of the tournament.

“When I came back I spoke with Klopp. I told him I wanted to get straight back playing for my team. I told him I was ready.”

Back in the starting line up a few days later, Mane couldn’t inspire Liverpool as they slumped to a demoralising defeat at Hull City.

But the benefits of some rest and a week’s preparation time at Melwood were clear as he ran riot against Spurs.

The £30million signing from Southampton took his tally for the season to 11 Premier League goals with two clinical finishes and only the heroics of Hugo Lloris denied him greater reward.

“I was so happy to score two important goals for the team,” he said.

“We deserved that win. We played great football from the beginning to the end.

“I feel like I’m back now. I’m a professional footballer. I don’t ever look for excuses like I am tired or something.

“I was okay to play against Chelsea and Hull. I discussed it with the coach and I was happy to be out on the pitch. But I felt much better against Tottenham.

“Now I want to perform at that level and do my best for the rest of the season.”

With second to sixth place separated by just four points, the race for the Champions League spots is hotting up.

Mane won’t make any bold predictions but the flying winger believes Liverpool’s slump is now firmly behind them.

“It’s too early to speak about what’s going to happen but the confidence is back in this team now,” Mane added.

“We have to take it game by game and try to win every game between now and the end of the season. We have time to rest and time to train so we need to use that.

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“We have a team with great qualities. We can’t change what’s happened but the motivation is there to keep improving and get whatever we can from the rest of the season.

“Difficult moments happen in a season. We had three or four difficult weeks but we are out of that now. We had to produce a reaction and we did that against Tottenham.”