Liverpool 4-0 Newcastle: Jürgen Klopp's reaction
Jürgen Klopp reflected on a ‘pretty perfect day’ for Liverpool following their 4-0 victory over Newcastle United at Anfield.
The Reds led 1-0 at half-time on Boxing Day thanks to Dejan Lovren’s powerful early strike, and Mohamed Salah’s penalty doubled their advantage in the opening stages of the second half.
Xherdan Shaqiri made it three by rounding off a slick team move with 11 minutes remaining, before substitute Fabinho completed the scoring with his first Liverpool goal.
Klopp’s side, who have registered 16 wins and three draws at the halfway stage of the Premier League season, now sit six points clear at the top of the table.
Read on for a summary of the boss’ post-match press conference…
On Liverpool’s performance and the result…
It was difficult. It is always difficult. I liked the start offensively, but I didn’t like the start defensively – the protection was not as it should have been. We were not as compact as we should have been. They had the first corner, half-counters and stuff like that, so it looked like kind of an open game. When we had the ball, after the first 15 minutes, we were good – one-twos, good finishes. We lost the formation a little bit, we were too wide offensively. If we could play the ball in behind it was good, but if they could clear it with a header then we were not there to win the ball back formation-wise. 1-0, a fantastic goal, quick in mind; again it was off a set-piece, which is brilliant. A fantastic cross and then a good reaction from pretty much everybody in the box, then a fantastic finish from Dejan. I was really happy about half-time [so that] we could adjust a few things and go back to the way we actually wanted to play. That made life easier, especially after we scored with the penalty in minute 47 – pretty early in the second half. Then we controlled the game, which was good. We scored wonderful goals again, set-pieces fantastic. Even Ali could show – apart from all his football-play skills – what his actual job is and saves the clean sheet. A pretty perfect day for us; not a perfect performance, but a really good performance. Result-wise and a lot of parts of the performance, really good.
Watch: The best of the win at Anfield
On Liverpool’s ‘control’ of the game…
We’ve played three times in a row now against a team with five at the back, but all of them organised it differently. That makes it pretty difficult. Today for example, Newcastle had two strikers but they were pretty deep and what we did in the first half, we protected them with the two sixes instead of with the two centre-halves, so that means they cut off four players. We had six players offensively, that’s why we didn’t win the balls back as quick as we should. That’s football. If you are 2-0 up then you have to control the game, that’s how it always is. In the past we became, I wouldn’t say sloppy, but we lost concentration. That doesn’t help, obviously. Now we are much more awake, we control it in a better way, we switch sides, we still prepare and create – not as many as maybe would be possible, but still enough – and we score goals. If you are Newcastle and you come here and are three-nil down, that is not a trigger for a big fightback. We were too strong for that today and it then makes life a bit easier for these few seconds or minutes in the game, but that’s all. Until we were there, it was really intense and we had to put in everything we’ve got.
On whether he was aware of the scores elsewhere during the game…
Actually, no, I thought it [the crowd’s reaction] was down to us – I thought ‘wow, that’s really nice, thank you very much’ and then I heard after the game that it was because of another result. Obviously nobody told our crowd that Tottenham won 5-0! It’s no problem really, it’s absolutely fine. The atmosphere, especially for Boxing Day [with] people coming from all over and around the world to watch that game, it was really good but of course it was exceptional then in that moment. But I thought it was because of us.
On the six-point lead and the situation at the top having changed quickly in the Reds’ favour…
Yes, but it means nothing. We play Arsenal and City [in our next two games], so it’s good that we have six or seven points more than other teams. But that’s pretty much all. What we wanted to do all the time [was] create a situation, a basis for the rest of the season and now the first part of the season is over. What we said as well is that we want to create our own history. We are the first Liverpool team in the Premier League to be unbeaten in 19 matches – a little history and a nice step. [We have] conceded seven goals – all really, really good numbers. A good situation, that’s clear, but 19 games to go. We play City, we play Arsenal, we play Tottenham, we play all of them again and again and maybe in different competitions. So it’s very difficult, there’s a long way to go and we all know that. I had no idea how any other teams were playing, I didn’t even know where they were playing so afterwards I got the results and I can say it didn’t do a lot with me, if it did anything, to be honest. It’s just information. We have to win our games, we have to be focused, we need to be really in the mood with having tunnel vision. That’s really important and then we will see where it leads us.