Sadio Mane thanks Liverpool fans for easing pain of AFCON exit

Sadio Mane celebrates scoring during the Premier League game between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on February 11, 2017
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Liverpool forward Sadio Mane thanks supporters for easing the pain of being blamed for Senegal's recent exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sadio Mane has paid tribute to Liverpool supporters for standing by the players following their recent tough run of form.

The 24-year-old was absent for the majority of the Reds' dismal streak, which saw them win just one of 10 games in all competitions to exit both domestic cups and slip well off the title pace.

Mane was to thank for putting Liverpool's season back on track last time out, scoring twice in the space of 138 seconds against Tottenham Hotspur to earn his side a straightforward 2-0 victory at Anfield.

Following his impressive showing at the weekend, Mane was quick to thank Liverpool fans for helping to nurse his own personal heartbreak, having missed the decisive penalty in Senegal's quarter-final defeat to Cameroon two weeks prior.

"I want to thank all the supporters for what they have done for me," he told the Liverpool 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. [When away with Cameroon] it was difficult because the results were not so good.

"When we weren't playing or training, I was watching the Liverpool matches and wishing the best for my teammates. 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 has 11 goals and four assists in 22 Premier League appearances this season, putting him joint-seventh in the top scorers chart despite spending a month away.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp watches on during his side's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 15, 2017
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Chelsea25193352183460
2Manchester CityMan City25164551292252
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs25148346182850
4Arsenal25155554282650
5Liverpool25147454302449
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd25139338211748
7Everton25118640271341
8West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2510783431337
9Stoke CityStoke258893036-632
10West Ham UnitedWest Ham2595113443-932
11Southampton2586112831-330
12Burnley2593132736-930
13Watford2586112942-1330
14Bournemouth2575133549-1426
15Swansea CitySwansea2573153154-2324
16Middlesbrough25410111927-822
17Leicester CityLeicester2556142443-1921
18Hull City2555152249-2720
19Crystal Palace2554163246-1419
20Sunderland2554162446-2219