Klopp was happy with how his team dismantled Man Utd last night
A lot would have hoped but few could have predicted the way Klopp’s players went about their gameplan at Anfield last night. It took a little while to get into the rhythm but once the first goal went in the victory never looked in doubt. Well, with hindsight at least.
Into the second half, United began to get a toe into the game but Jurgen quickly put a stop to that by bringing Sturridge out of the game and introducing Allen to help shore up the middle of the field and grapple the match back. The result was a second goal, and a potentially pivotal one in terms of the entire tie, less than 20 minutes later.
Speaking at his press conference following the match (via Liverpoolfc.com), Klopp spoke glowingly about how well his team had performed. He said: “It was good, from the first second until the last.
“There were a few minutes in the second half where we lost a little bit of control, so we changed the system and again needed a few minutes to adapt to the new system.
“Then we were back in the game and in control again. It’s not too important how you play against Manchester United, it’s always difficult to avoid chances. [But] there wasn’t really a lot, so that’s one of the best things about this game.
“Our game in the first half, we had more chances and could have scored more goals. But that’s how it is in football. We forced one goal with a perfect pass in the box.
“In the second half, scoring the second goal was very important. We did it and it was absolutely deserved.
“It was a great performance from the first until last second. It is only the first leg, we know that, but we needed to win and we did. That’s great.
“Now one week until the next game – we know it is not easy but we are in a good position and we want to go to the next round. For that, we have to play like this again in Manchester.”
The Reds now have a free weekend and Klopp will be given time to assess the situation fully before deciding how to approach the second leg next week.
Are you confident of seeing United off at Old Trafford next Thursday, and who was your key player for us last night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
