Jonjo Shelvey apologised to Swansea's supporters after presenting his former club Liverpool with two goals on a night on which he also scored and set up an equaliser for his own team.
The immutable law of the ex was evident in spades as the midfielder put Swansea ahead inside two minutes, gave away two goals with dreadfully misplaced passes, then laid on Michu’s second-half leveller in a 2-2 draw that put Liverpool top of the Premier League.
Shelvey, 21, admitted he had wanted the ground to open and swallow him up. “I just want to say sorry to the Swansea fans for two bad mistakes,” he said. “Then I showed a bit of character, getting on the ball and setting the goal up. It’s a bit of a relief but I feel I’ve given Liverpool a draw really.
“I just can’t stop thinking about the two mistakes. You want to go into a hole where no one can see you but it’s happened to great players in their time. It’s a horrible feeling – you don’t wish it on anybody, even your worst enemy.”
Both managers praised him for his response to mortifying adversity. Michael Laudrup, who paid €7 million to sign the Londoner last summer, said: "It was a difficult first half for him. One minute he was up and the next he was down, making one bad pass after another. He knew only he could bring himself back into the game and I thought his reaction was fantastic. What he did wasn't easy. He's a young guy and he will come out of this much stronger mentally.
“At half-time I said to him: ‘Hey, you’ve got another 45 minutes. Come on, I’ve no problem here, nobody makes mistakes on purpose. Go out there and turn it around.
“For me, the most important things was his reaction in the second half. He pulled himself together and got back on track. That says a lot about his character.”
Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool's manager, said: "Jonjo, bless him, is a terrific boy. He made a brave decision to leave Liverpool FC. He's a terrific young player and I was disappointed when he left."
Liverpool are awaiting the results of a scan on a shoulder injury that forced the midfielder Philippe Coutinho off in the second half. Guardian Service
