Chris Shields hailed the class of Eetu Vertainen after the Finnish striker produced some late heroics in Monday's Big Two derby.
Vertainen scored a sensational 90th-minute winner to earn Linfield a dramatic 2-1 victory in East Belfast, the 23-year-old dispatching a superb left-foot volley into the top corner of Aaron McCarey's net.
It was a brilliant goal amid a tense derby showdown in East Belfast, and one that continues Linfield's impressive unbeaten Premiership run which now stretches to 10 games.
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"It was a brilliant finish. And if you wanted it to fall to one man it would be him," Shields told the BBC.
"We see it day in day out in training and how technical he is. We can see how lazy he can be, but he knows where the net is.
"He has had his family over from Finland to see him it, so it is a special moment for him."
Substitute Chris McKee delivered the pass that sent Vertainen clear, and Shields added: "Chris McKee is probably disappointed not to start, but to have the composure to see the run and deliver that sort of pass is brilliant. It shows how good these young players are.
"We have shown we have a good squad with the players who came on today."
Shields converted a 40th-minute penalty to give Linfield the lead at the Oval - it came after Paddy McClean brought down Vertainen inside the box.
The Glens were level after the break, Jay Donnelly scoring from a superb looping header from McClean's cross.
The game was edging towards stalemate until Vertainen's moment of magic.
The win moved Linfield up to second spot in the Premiership, with five other games ongoing in the top flight.
Despite the surge up the table, Shields insists the champions won't be getting ahead of themselves.
"We can't get ahead of ourselves. It is still only December," he said.
"But it keeps us on this good run. When Glentoran came to Windsor at the start of the year it might have looked like we might not come back from that.
"But it shows you the character we have."
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