The Reds secured three more Premier League points at Anfield on Wednesday night as second-half goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah saw off the visitors.
That decisive period followed an earlier disallowed goal for Darwin Nunez, with Klopp’s men moving up to sixth in the table and shutting out their opponents for the fourth league game in a row.
Read Klopp’s verdict on the encounter at his post-match press conference below…
On being pleased with how Liverpool pushed on to win the game after the disallowed goal at 0-0…
Yeah, absolutely. I thought the whole story of the game is an important one for us to take. I think we did a lot of good stuff in the first half, played the way we had to play. Didn’t create that many clear-cut chances, the best one was probably the header from Harvey which he missed. In the first half there were a few minutes where we looked a bit in a rush because it didn’t happen yet, but we calmed down again and found the football patience again and played in the right way.
Second half, around the disallowed goal already we increased the pressure and these kind of things. Direction was good, a couple of really good situations. I think you all saw the [disallowed] goal now a couple of times back and when you see it in slow-motion you see the contact then, but I still think it was a goal, but that’s not important anymore. Especially, players don’t have a replay and for them it’s a clear goal of course. Then you have to react. I was not worried but of course then you watch it, how the boys react – and the reaction was really good.
Then you force this second goal. I think Virg could have scored already with the header from the [free-kick] but then top situation from Diogo and really nice goal. And the second goal was exceptional play; a really good counter-attack, each pass was perfect. And then we controlled it again. So, it was a good performance from us and a really important one. And of course again a clean sheet, which is extremely helpful. These are all positives for us, all good.
On Van Dijk’s performance…
Yeah, we all need that and he needs that as well and it’s obviously a really good one, in a tough game for defenders. I thought we performed tonight, we played a really good game in general. But I really think the centre-halves and Fabinho together, how they covered that area, how they denied the counter-attacks, how they defended into midfield, which is very important against a team who play with one striker, I thought they did really well. In possession, we looked pretty good in a lot of moments, with Harvey, Stefan in the half-spaces, that worked well. Up front, we grew into the game; it’s not a game where immediately you create plenty of chances but we grew into the game, all the boys were really involved in all the dangerous stuff, worked extremely hard defensively as well. That’s why you win a football game.
On Nunez’s display...
I would say he is really getting there. Everybody can see he is just a handful, just a proper threat. Again, the [disallowed] goal he scored was a super reaction, a super finish. The runs he had, one again down the line; in the end cross doesn’t arrive but [it was] pretty similar to the Everton goal, if you want. Using his speed in both directions, offensively and defensively. He is really good. He is still a young boy and I think everyone can see he will get there, there is no doubt about it, but he is already for us super-important.
On whether tonight was a good way to go into Sunday’s Anfield clash with Manchester United...
In the best possible way, but in the end it’s still a different game and a big challenge, of course. I think Man United is the team in form in the moment, maybe together with Arsenal and City are [also] doing well. The teams up there are all in a pretty good moment and I didn’t see yet the line-up [for United’s Emirates FA Cup game with West Ham United] but maybe they changed quite a few? That means some of them will be a bit fresher than us, but it’s a home game and it’s Anfield. I thought Anfield proved a point tonight again, it was super, super-enjoyable. It felt like a proper unit, we were all together – I loved that. That’s what we need again on Sunday, but of course it will be difficult. Again, if you face United at the weekend whichever result you’ve had before, either way you have to strike back or whatever, but now we have to use it for our general situation. We have to build on the performance and on the result – and we try everything to do exactly that.