Jurgen Klopp’s take on Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Spurs
Jurgen Klopp has provided his analysis of the highs and lows of a frenzied Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur that ended in a 4-3 win for Liverpool.
The Reds took a 15th-minute three-goal lead at Anfield on Sunday with goals from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah (penalty).
But Spurs came out and eventually erased the hosts’ lead as Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and then Richarlison responded in extra time for the away team.
However, Liverpool and Diogo Jota had the last laugh as the No.20 landed past the Kop and picked up a victory that lifted Klopp’s men to fifth in the table.
In the post-match press conference, the coach assessed the competition saying: “Yes, you’ve all seen it – the start to the game was absolutely outstanding again, definitely one of the best we’ve had. have played this season. “With a 3-0 down against a fairly defensive Tottenham formation and the way we scored the goals, the way we played in attack and defense was absolutely outstanding.
“Then the problem of taking a 3-0 lead so early; We are not the first team to be wrong. It shouldn’t happen, it happened anyway. Not straight away, but Tottenham’s first goal is the first moment where we don’t defend properly, where we don’t counter-press properly, like the gaps are good or whatever. That’s why we end up behind with the long ball, there’s no offside and Virg slips, which of course can happen – we shouldn’t end up in such a situation. “They scored their goal, credit to Tottenham, they are brilliant in these situations. The half-time was like that, I told the boys the positive things, but of course already that we just have to pick up the rhythm again because if we play the way we started the game , they can’t really defend us.
“It is difficult with the five in the back with our players in between, if we were flexible there it would have been difficult for them. Unfortunately we couldn’t pick up the rhythm properly anymore; it wasn’t bad, it was more of a draw than it should have been. Well, then don’t give in. This was the situation.
“Once again, all thanks to Tottenham, they just need someone like these moments. They had more moments, the bar and stuff like that. The frantic [feeling] you create in these situations when they don’t arrive is always difficult to deal with: the team that is 3-1 down starts to believe it even more, the team that played super and 3-1 ahead stays, starts to doubt a bit and suddenly the game is open.
“[They] scored a second and then, more or less at the last minute, the free kick from that side. There is a situation before, he [the referee] calls a foul on Mo, we are alone in front of goal, their defender slips but we are not allowed to continue playing. Ball coming back, there’s a foul, a free kick on goal.
“In the meantime, all the Tottenham forwards were on the pitch, so could we have defended ourselves better? Probably yes, but it’s really difficult. The ball is in the air, it’s so difficult – this mess – to resolve correctly. “3-3, it’s not great, but it’s what we have. But then Diogo Jota had another idea and finished it for us. This is obviously the best part of the whole afternoon.