Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that the Reds’ players celebrated wildly with goalscorer Naby Keita in the dressing room after Friday’s win over Southampton.
The 24-year-old grabbed his first goal for the club in the 3-1 win at St Mary’s Stadium, and he was apparently the recipient of jubilant celebrations after the game.
“I don’t know exactly why [they didn’t celebrate], it’s for sure nothing to do with Naby,” Klopp said, as per the Daily Express. “They were really happy for him in the dressing room, he had multiple hugs!
“But in the moment they probably didn’t think if it was in or whatever. I didn’t see it back, but that’s probably the reason. And the other thing is it was 1-1 and we wanted to win so the boys obviously decided not to celebrate it like crazy because there was still a job to do.”
OPINION
Klopp’s explanation for why the Liverpool players didn’t celebrate too profusely with Keita on the pitch after his equaliser on Friday makes perfect sense. His goal was only the equaliser, after all, it wasn’t the strike that put the Reds ahead like Mohamed Salah’s later goal. The match was still there to be won and that, coupled with the confusion regarding whether the ball had quite gone over the line or not, is probably what led to the muted celebrations for the Guinea international’s strike. However, it’s clear that after the game the Liverpool players were delighted that Keita finally got off the mark. He’s had a really tough time this campaign as he’s struggled to adapt to English football, but it felt like a seminal moment for him on Friday. It’s nice to hear that his teammates realised the gravity of the moment and celebrated with him after the game. Their actions will only have increased his happiness and will hopefully lead to better performances moving forward.
