LFC 3-0 Crystal Palace: Extended highlights
Sadio Mane’s 100th goal for the club, which arrived a couple of minutes before half-time, set the Reds on their way to a battling victory on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah then struck to make it 2-0 in the 78th minute, after Alisson Becker had made a number of vital interventions to keep his team ahead.
And Naby Keita’s sensational volley from distance late on wrapped up a win that puts Klopp’s side top of the Premier League with 13 points from five games.
Read an update on the fitness of Thiago Alcantara here and scroll down for a transcript of Klopp’s post-match press conference…
On whether Salah’s goal offered a reminder that he is among the best forwards in Europe…
No, we were not here today for sending any kind of signs to the outside world. We were here to fight a real strong Crystal Palace team, that was really a tough one. We could have scored from other situations but didn’t so we needed our set-pieces. That Mo scored should not be a massive surprise. Sadio scored for the ninth time in a row against Crystal Palace, which is exceptional, and he scored his 100th goal for Liverpool in all competitions, which is exceptional. Naby Keita scored the most wonderful goal of all three, so that’s all important for us. But I told the boys after the game that this was one of the most hard-fought 3-0s I ever saw. We had to give absolutely everything. So, I’m really pleased, I’m really pleased. In a season, when you are Liverpool, you win football games from time to time. When you win, usually you are really good or brilliant. Today we were not brilliant but we were good. We accepted the battle Crystal Palace was here for and that’s why I am really happy about the result, really happy about the performance. This Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday rhythm is just the most tricky one in the Premier League and so that we came through that now in the moment is very important, with all the changes we had to make and one we didn’t want to make but that worked out really well with Millie on right-back. So, it was not brilliant, but really good and I liked that.
On Mane’s contribution to Liverpool since joining in 2016…
He did, he did [contribute so much]. People obviously forget but around these 100 goals he worked incredibly hard, defended for us the wing, pressed high, counter-pressed, created goals, set up chances, all that kind of stuff. So the 100 goals are just one number, there are so many other numbers which are similarly important, but I’m really happy for him that he could reach that today. Yeah, a massive achievement. In the glorious history of this club only 18 players – if that is right – scored 100 goals, that says a lot. Nowadays players are usually not that long in clubs so I am really happy that I could work now already for five years with Sad and he’s just a top player.
On what it says about the depth of his squad that he could make six changes for the game and pick up a 3-0 win…
I don’t know what it says exactly, but we had to do the changes, that was clear. This morning after breakfast, Trent didn’t feel right. We actually planned to start him but Millie did an incredible job and I am pretty sure he enjoyed that game today, that’s good. The whole last line all of a sudden are new, never played together, and on top of that Thiago of course. But I think the midfield played only once together before, so interesting as well, and the front three, they knew each other, let me say it like this. So for that it was really good but we had to do it. You saw the intensity of the game, we had to pay for that as well. In the second half we were not that clear anymore – we scored the goals, yes, but we were not clear anymore to the end of the second half. Crystal Palace really put an extra shift in, brought more offensive players on, chipped balls in behind our full-backs, we had to run a lot. You cannot press these balls, obviously, you have to run a lot. We defended it either with skill or luck and Ali, but we did it and for the moment I am really happy. The only little bit this time is overshadowed by is Thiago, but we hope that is not that serious. He felt his calf and now we hope really it is not that serious.
On whether Ibrahima Konate – who made his competitive debut for the Reds – has required an adaptation process…
Yes, definitely, that’s very important. I think we all saw what kind of potential the boy has – it’s incredible. Physicality, technique, game understanding, it’s all there, but when as a young boy you are already skilled like Ibou is then you rely sometimes on these skills and the Premier League teaches you harsh lessons. Today was a good example with Crystal Palace playing with first Benteke and then Edouard, Zaha all the time cutting inside, Ayew around… these are proper strikers and he did really well. Of course, when you play your first game then maybe it is not so nice when you play in a completely new last line, but together with Virg and Millie on this side it worked really well – and Kostas played a top game as well. There is a lot more to come from him, he is still young and yes, of course, they all have had to adapt to the way we play and to the league as well, of course. It is a special league here. He is in a really good way and I am really happy about the process.
On whether he plans to rotate his squad more this season…
I think we did in the past but maybe if you ask me like this then maybe not often enough, I don’t know. You want to line up the best possible team and there are different factors; one is who played together. Today it was ‘rhythm or freshness?’ and we decided for freshness. Otherwise we could have played one or another again, but we didn’t want that. Joel is not injured or anything, we just left him completely out of the squad so we don’t get into danger of bringing him on or whatever. Trent, we planned to bring him [in] but that was sorted as well, so that’s it. We will rotate, we always rotated, but you see in the last line in the last years we couldn’t rotate really because there were always a maximum of two fit [centre-backs] very often – and the third one was already a midfielder. In midfield, hopefully we have the numbers to do [it] and we need that because, as I said before the game, this is the engine room of the team and we need to make the changes there. Up front, we have different opportunities as well, so that’s good. How often we do it, I didn’t make a plan already for the season, but as often as necessary and possible.