Liverpool snatched a late win over Everton in the first Merseyside derby of the season. A late 95th minute goal from Sadio Mane was enough to decide the tie where the Reds had the better of the chances in the second half.
The win at Goodison Park closed the gap to Chelsea to six points but more than that, Jurgen Klopp would have been pleased with the performance of the side. The Reds weren’t at their best in the game but they battled hard to pick up the three points.
Klopp did speak to the media after the 1-0 win and shared what he told the players during half-time.
“We didn’t play simply and quick enough in the first half.
“We showed the boys at half-time, it was two-and-a-half minutes or something, playing the ball then losing it when (Adam Lallana) Adam lost it, counter-attack, coming back and then in the end, (Nathaniel Clyne) Clyney is free in the box, cross and (Divock Origi) Div could have scored. That’s the way we want to play and for this our positioning needed to be better in the second half.”
The German also highlighted that Liverpool fought hard for the ball in each moment and that was what pleased him. Klopp wasn’t sure that the Reds were the better team in the game even though they did not play their brand of football in the first half.
Klopp even stated that the players learned a lot from the game and that was important for them. The former Borussia Dortmund manager was speaking about a few players playing the ball a little too quickly but was corrected in the second half.
“We learned it in the game and that’s what I really loved tonight – that we did it so much better in the second half, that we learned from the first half. That’s really important, but in the end you need to fight for every single ball – and that’s what we did too”, Klopp was quoted by the club’s website.
An enjoyable second win in the Merseyside derby
The first taste of the Merseyside derby for Klopp was last year when his side defeated the Toffees in a 4-0 rout at Anfield. When asked if this win was bigger than the earlier win, Klopp didn’t want to compare the two results but ultimately stated that this win meant more as his side didn’t suffer from any injuries.
“Of course the first derby at Anfield was different but I would actually prefer tonight because nobody is injured after the game. Better 1-0 and all players fit than 4-0 and one player out for the next I don’t know how long it was – too long.”
There was one flashpoint when Ross Barkley scythed down Jordan Henderson in the second half and got away with just a yellow card. Replays showed the challenge deserved a Red and it was a surprise why the Everton star was not sent off.
Klopp didn’t attack either player or the referee but did state that both Henderson and Barkley were extremely lucky.
“I saw it was a really harsh, harsh challenge but you saw it all so I don’t have to say anything about this. I think Ross is lucky and Hendo is lucky, nothing else happened.”
One player that really shone for the side was Ragnar Klavan. The Estonian was played ahead of Joel Matip, who was still nursing an injury, and the former Augsburg defender kept Romelu Lukaku in his pocket.
Jurgen Klopp was happy with the performance and expected all his players to step up when called into the first team.
“Just because a player doesn’t play from the beginning that doesn’t mean he is a bad player. They need to be ready for the moment and they were obviously ready.”
Sturridge make a mark
Daniel Sturridge also did his bit in the match as his scuffed shot came off the post, leading to the Mane’s winner. Klopp had spoken about playing the Englishman and giving him a few minutes a few days before the derby and the German was pleased as punch on the impact of the 27-year-old.
Although the German was not sure if Sturridge could make an impact in the game after just a couple of training sessions, but was pleased that he could bring on a fresh player in such a crunch game.
“Because it’s not usual or normal that after two sessions a player can really help you, but he helped us a lot tonight in a very difficult game.”
The win certainly is a big boost to Liverpool’s title hopes but for the likes of Simon Mignolet, Klavan and Sturridge, it could lead to more playing time in the upcoming year. The Reds have to keep their squad happy and fit and wins like these will help the side out as they look to stay in the hunt for the Premier League title.
