Jordan Henderson has offered Mason Mount further support following his agonising missed penalty in the FA Cup final.
The 23-year-old Chelsea star saw his spot-kick saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker during sudden death, allowing Reds hero Konstantinos Tsimikas to score and bring the trophy to Merseyside. Post-match, Henderson went over to the devastated Mount - fresh from losing his sixth Wembley final of his short career - and consoled him, receiving acclaim for his gesture.
"That is always a big thing for me," Henderson explained to Sky Sports. "You've got to be respectful to the opponent, especially with players you play with your national team. You know how good they are and that they are good people. Especially in penalty shootouts, it's never nice for people to miss.
"I knew he'd be feeling really down and to be honest, he probably didn't want me going over there thinking back, but I just wanted to give him a little bit of support because he's a top player, a great lad and he's still very young. He's got the world at his feet and I'm sure he'll bounce back and when he gets the opportunity again, he'll step up and put the ball in the back of the net."
Mount has enjoyed a strong season despite the Blues' mixed fortunes, scoring 13 goals and registering 16 assists in all competitions. Manager Thomas Tuchel has stuck by him, too, insisting that the Stamford Bridge ace's penalty miss will "change nothing."
"You know my opinion about Mason. You see his record and the importance of the game, which he plays. He plays consistently for us," Tuchel affirmed to reporters. "He's a key figure in this squad and in this club, also because of where he comes from. He's a super nice guy and we don't doubt him now because he misses a penalty."
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The abuse which Mount has been subject to on social media for his miss brought out a more negative post-match reaction from Tuchel, who added: "Nothing I can say will stop these guys doing it. I don't understand social media anyway. It has a huge impact and I don't get it. I'm not on social media and it keeps me healthy, more healthy than I would be on it.
"It's very thin ice for everybody who is in such a spotlight to be out there. Abuse is not acceptable, be it here or on social media. If someone thinks he has the right to write it, we will not be able to stop him — but maybe we can investigate."
