The Reds are on the brink of ending a 30-year wait to be crowned champions, needing just two more points – and could even clinch the prize on Thursday evening should Manchester City fail to defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The manager was left delighted by his side’s display as Palace were overturned, with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s sublime free-kick setting them on their way.
Mohamed Salah’s cool finish added a second ahead of the break, before Fabinho’s long-range piledriver and Sadio Mane’s clinical break capped a fine evening’s work.
Read on for a summary of what Klopp told journalists during his post-match press conference…
On his side's performance...
We showed a lot, if not everything, what helped us into the position we are in now. There are obviously different ways of football, different ways you can play this game but you don't have to compare it, so it's not too important. What I saw tonight, I wanted to have that before this part of the season and I said to the boys, 'I want to see actually the best behind-closed-doors football ever'. I'm not sure if it was the best football but it was, for sure, the best counter-pressing behind closed doors ever. The attitude we showed tonight, the passion we showed was exceptional and we played some outstanding football. The goals we scored were exceptional. In my job you usually have to calm things down and say, 'No, no that was not that good and we can improve'. And we can improve, I know that, but that's not important tonight. Tonight is only important that we gave this sign and that we showed our supporters the respect they deserve, that we can play like they are here, even when they are not here. Yes, they can push us to incredible things and without them it's nothing like it is when they are here. And I never missed them more than tonight because imagine this game would have had 55,000 people in the stadium and the emotions which would have then been in the stadium – that would've been incredible. But we cannot have that in the moment and so it was important that we showed our respect to people and that is what the boys did tonight. I loved it.
On whether he will watch Man City's game at Chelsea...
I watch the game tomorrow night, not to prepare a celebration – I watch the game because we play against City a week later. So I have to watch it, especially against Chelsea, who we play as well. This game is a really important game to watch for plenty of reasons. Whatever happens tomorrow night, we have no influence on it, so I'm not too interested, to be honest. But I am pretty sure anyway that the game next week against Man City is a must-watch for each football fan on this planet because whatever will be decided or not, two really, really good teams face each other and that will be pretty interesting, to be honest.
On whether he will do anything tomorrow night to connect the team to watch the City game...
Look, I am not involved in things like this – I have nothing to do with these things. I watch the game tomorrow night to know what City is doing and to know what Chelsea is doing, but we play them having kind of an idea at least. That's why I watch and I really have nothing to do with any other things and we don’t plan things like that. We wanted to play this game tonight, we wanted to have this result – I'm not sure if I wanted that before the game, I would have taken each result that gives us three points. But I loved the performance from tonight and all the rest will happen when it happens. I'm really not too interested in that. How I said, this night could have been better with people in the stadium, with my family in the stadium, that would've been really nice because it was an important game, it was an important step for us, 100 per cent. It was a sensational football game and I really would have wished for all people that are usually here that they could have been here, but they couldn't and so we made their night anyway if you want. So they watched the game at home and I hope I see one time how the people reacted when we scored the goals. That would be really nice because that’s why we are doing it and no other reason.
On whether he felt he had to give a speech to the players before the game to produce such a performance…
I am not sure if I have to, but I do! The boys themselves love the way we play and they know that made us successful and they want to do these things. We had a lot of good games in the last couple of years, but I cannot remember a 4-0 after 80 minutes or so when, if a player from the other team wins the ball, there are four players chasing like it is the only ball. I really like that and that is us. That is us; there are different ways to play football, but this is us – you want to have the ball, you can have it, but we want to have it back. And when we have the ball, we do some good stuff with it. That is us. I don’t want to be too positive about it, but I don’t find any negatives in this game, to be honest. If I would now try to search negatives, I can’t remember [any]. Yes, we missed chances, but that’s football. We could have scored more, yes, but that’s football. The way we played tonight was really exceptional.
On not allowing Crystal Palace a single touch inside the Liverpool box…
You shouldn’t underestimate how much this team wants it. You should not. This team really wants it; they want to fulfil the wishes of the people at home. We all have a common dream, but we have to work for it and we have to work our way for it. We cannot play like other teams, but we can play pretty good stuff – and that’s what the boys did tonight. When we spoke after the game, it was a clean sheet but usually with a clean sheet Ali is massively involved – in this clean sheet, his involvement was not too big. He deserves it anyway. The game was exceptional. Talking football, from so many points of view it was exceptional. It is so difficult against a 4-5-1, [but] how we pushed them back and found spaces. The free-kick of Trent, of course, exceptional, but we had many, many situations where Crystal Palace had to make a foul around the box. There were no harsh fouls or whatever, it was just little things, but it was a free-kick. Then the second goal, a wonderful pass from Fabinho and a sensational finish from Mo. The third goal was then Fabinho; yes, he showed us already against Manchester City he can do that, but we never gave up. Then the fourth goal, what a pass from Mo and Sadio finished the situation off. Exceptional. There were so, so many good things even when we didn’t score, especially when the kids came on when we made the subs, how they were involved immediately… and could have scored as well, crazy! This game will last a while in my mind, this is for us what we want to be and what we have to show against each and everybody.
On not playing another game until next Thursday…
It’s incredibly difficult, that’s how it is. It was clear we had the first two games in pretty much three days which is difficult – and other teams had to do it as well. Then eight days off, nobody wants that but because of situation of [Man] City, how many games they have played and the competitions they are in – and the FA still wants to have their games at the weekend – there was not a big chance for the Premier League to do it differently. After that it will be really, really tough with four games in nine days – and I am not sure if the last three games are already set. It is like it is, so we need to find solutions and we need all the boys. That’s why I am so happy at how the boys contributed tonight when they came on – even the boys not on the pitch, exceptional in training so that helps and we will need them all, they will all play and they will all have game time, which is nice. We cannot change just like we want with eight, nine, 10 players or whatever, we have to dig in and to get through that – and I hope we will.