Liverpool 1-0 Ajax: Jürgen Klopp's reaction
Jürgen Klopp acclaimed a ‘massive result and performance in the circumstances’ as Liverpool booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over AFC Ajax.
The Reds secured a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament as Group D winners with a game to spare following a hard-fought encounter at Anfield.
Curtis Jones’ second-half strike was enough to settle the outcome when he reacted smartly to steer in Neco Williams’ cross over the head of visiting goalkeeper Andre Onana on 58 minutes.
Liverpool were forced to make a change between their own posts with Alisson Becker ruled out as a precaution due to a tight hamstring, with Klopp electing to hand youngster Caoimhin Kelleher a first European start.
The manager’s faith was rewarded as the 22-year-old produced an assured display and produced an excellent stop to thwart Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s point-blank range header at the death and prevent Ajax from taking a share of the points.
Read on for a transcript of Klopp’s post-match press conference…
On the result and Liverpool’s display…
Massive, massive. No surprise it was an open game – it was an open game. I am absolutely over the moon with the attitude and the character we showed tonight. That’s what it was all about, it is not the moment of the year for us, not to play bump, bump, bump football, especially not with an opponent like Ajax. We had football moments, great football moments, could have scored early and defended well, which is a big part of football. We had counter-attacking chances and football chances in the second half, scored a wonderful goal and had to defend with all we have. That’s how it is in this part of the group stage. For Ajax, they were in the game and they must have thought it was all or nothing pretty much, that’s how they changed and had all their strikers, I think, on the pitch in the end. So, I am very, very, very happy about the result and the performance in the circumstances we are in. Great.
On Jones’ goal…
It was a good cross from Neco because it is not a cross directed to the goalie. For the goalie, it is a tricky situation to go there. Usually, in the end it is a goal kick because no player reacts to these balls, but they are very important – balls behind the last line. Curtis, wow… I have to watch it back, I had not the best position in the stadium to see that goal exactly – there were a lot of Ajax players in between me and the goal, but I saw when it was in the net and that’s enough information for me.
On the decision to select Kelleher in goal and his performance…
Top. Top, top, top. It is a situation, which I have to say, it was easy to decide for Caoimhin because he just deserves it, but it was difficult to decide against Adrian because he did really well for us: a lot of clean sheets, what a season last year, Super Cup final and all these kind of things. He did a really good job, but tonight we needed the package of Caoimhin – and he is a top talent anyway, but a really good shot stopper and a top footballer, so I like that. We needed that for the pressing of Ajax, we needed his chips from him into the half-spaces and these kind of things. That was really good, but of course in the end it is all about saving, keeping the ball out of the net, and he did that at least twice in an exceptional manner. I am pretty sure he will either sleep really well tonight or not at all, but he will enjoy both.
On his post-match comment that this stands as one of Liverpool’s best Champions League nights during his tenure…
They [other Champions League games] were all great but it was all in different circumstances, that’s how it is. We had supporters in. If someone thinks now that I like that more than a game with our supporters in, that is of course not the case. But we don’t have supporters in the stadium and then the difficult situation that we are in, winning that game 1-0, making a lot of changes… Robbo [got] a massive knock on his ankle in the first half, needed strapping and needed another strapping at half-time. Hendo [took] a proper knock in his back, Gini played game number... I don’t want to say it because I just hope that it can carry on. The kids played exceptional, the front three defended like devils from all directions. That’s all so important and the two centre-halves were there when we needed them. It’s not now that we played the best football ever, it’s about ‘this is the situation you are in, that’s what you make of it’. In the end, we are top of the group after matchday five. We have never been that before, so that’s really good and for us unbelievably good.
On the seriousness of the knocks sustained by Jordan Henderson and Andy Robertson…
We have now two days more than we had last week until the next game. I don’t know, things like this show up the next day slightly different. In the moment I am rather positive about it but I don’t know. But that’s a problem of the next few days and not tonight.