Liverpool 2-0 Sheffield United: Jürgen Klopp's reaction
Jürgen Klopp declared Liverpool’s performance on Thursday night ‘as good as anything’ to limit a threatening Sheffield United side and claim a 2-0 victory.
The Reds restored their 13-point advantage at the top of the Premier League with goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Anfield.
Salah broke the deadlock in the fourth minute of play before his forward partner added the second shortly after the hour mark.
The result guaranteed Klopp's side will go unbeaten for an entire year in the top flight.
Read on for a summary of Klopp's post-match press conference...
On his thoughts on the performance...
What I saw was a really good football game. I saw a game which we played in exactly the way you have to play against Sheffield United. We saw a lot of games and a few people here, probably Sheffield United journalists or usually write about them, I don't think there were a lot of games like this in the last year, 2019. That was the biggest and the best thing what the boys did tonight – that they didn't let them get anything of the game, which is really difficult with the way they defend. But we did really well. Our passing was really good, we broke lines, our positioning was exceptional. The discipline in these things offensively was exceptional. Because of the way they set it up, it's difficult to counter-press because they pass pretty much the first ball immediately into one of the two strikers. But still it was really good how we reacted then – the centre-halves were spot on, Hendo around that was outstanding. These other moments they had and we didn't let them happen until pretty much after 75, 80 minutes when we started kind of passing sloppy. Then you saw they were not broke after 80 minutes without possession, they were still waiting for these situations. We could get concentrated again and controlled the game probably over the line and very, very well deserved.
On going a year unbeaten in the Premier League and the room for improvement his side have left...
We know that there is space for improvement. How you deal with it now in the headlines, I couldn't care less because we don't see it as a threat for other teams. We just care about us. We can do things better and we have to. But I saw some things which we did already much better than the last game, for example, which helps and helps tonight a lot. In the dressing room there was no party or something. There are two reasons. It's really an intense period of the year, so it's not like somebody wants to go out tonight and have a few drinks. So they are all happy when they are in a bed and so am I, by the way. And because this or this player wants to do better and he knows he has to do better in this or this situation. But for tonight, our all-over performance was just as good as anything. It was just really, really good and that makes me quite happy, to be honest.
On his team selection for Sunday's Merseyside derby in the FA Cup...
So what I will not do, I will not tell Carlo Ancelotti the line-up. But I will do what I think is right to do. Some things I can decide by myself, I will. And some things the medical department will tell me. So that means I don't know in this moment what the line-up will be, but it will be the best possible [one] for us in this moment. For this game, I know that and I'm pretty sure that Carlo will not make a lot of changes. They started already really, really well, but now having the opportunity to win at Anfield which didn't happen for a few years, that's another big chance [for them]. But we will have fresh legs and what we need is support. They played yesterday, we played today, the only advantage we have is Anfield. We need support from the first second. We will see how it will be. It was a tough game tonight and we have to make sure we make the right decisions. Hopefully I can do that.
On Jordan Henderson's recent displays...
First of all, hopefully it stays like this. Yes, he's exceptional. Yes, he's outstanding. Gini and Hendo, because they had the biggest number of games, what they have played there is just incredible, absolutely incredible. I don't take that for granted one second. If anybody who is with us doesn't see the quality of Jordan Henderson, I can't help. Is Hendo the perfect player? No. Do I know anybody who is? No. Is he unbelievably important to us? Yes. He didn't like the position, No.6, when he saw how good Fabinho is! I asked him, two or three weeks ago, when he played already exceptional in the position, 'You don't like the position, right?'. He was laughing. Before that he played centre-half. I don't know exactly what Gareth Southgate is now doing with him, which position he will play there, but there are a few options obviously.
You see it in life that character and mentality helps always and in this case especially. For me it's only difficult to speak about one person positive because I always feel I have to mention all the others as well. I don't take it for granted for one second. We have 13 adult players. And go through this period and after tonight we have 12. Takumi coming in makes it 13 again. Nat Phillips – if you want to count him with 22 years as an adult player with no Premier League experience – makes it at least for one or two weeks 14. That's what we have to make sure. That's why I said whichever line-up I will chose for Sunday – and I don't know it in this moment – anybody in a Liverpool shirt, if you want to go through then throw your soul on the pitch because we need your voice, 100 per cent.
On Chris Wilder and Sheffield United...
I said it before, I really couldn't respect it more. It shouldn't sound disrespectful when I say I didn't know about Chris Wilder before. I have enough to do with knowing everything about our opponents. Then if you are in the Championship then I see some games but not all of them. I heard about the special set-up and tactics, stuff like that, but only one or two games. That's what I want to say, it's just exceptional, it was an unbelievable thing. For Chris it's important, like it is for me very important, that there's no perfection. He knows that there's no perfection. We played tonight in a way where they struggled, that's how it is. We did really well, it's not easy and we didn't do it as good at Sheffield. There's no perfect system, we don't have it, Chris doesn't have it. It's just a system that helps the team to win as many games as possible and they did that exceptionally well. Some really, really good players in the team as well. Before the game I watched a little bit where they came from and stuff like this. It's just a wonderful story that they have players that played I don't know how long in lower leagues and when they made that way together with Chris and the team, that's outstanding. How I said, I couldn't respect it more.