ReactionMan City draw, Konate fitness, title race and more: Every word from Jürgen Klopp's post-match press conference
Jürgen Klopp praised a Liverpool performance he deemed ‘exceptional’ after Sunday’s all-action 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty early in the second half secured a point for the Reds after John Stones had scored the opener midway through the first period of an eventful, absorbing clash.
Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott each saw goals ruled out for offside in the build-up, while Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku hit the woodwork as both sides spurned chances to grab a winner.
Liverpool also saw strong appeals for another spot-kick waved away deep into stoppage time when Doku made contact with Mac Allister in the area.
A contest of the highest quality would end all square, however, meaning Klopp’s team are now second on goal difference to Arsenal in the Premier League standings, with City one point behind.
Read every word from the manager’s post-match press conference below.
On whether games like today will make it harder to leave at the end of the season...
No, no, no. I obviously saw, especially in this stadium, a lot of football games; nothing to do with my decision. Obviously I didn’t explain well enough so far, so maybe at one point I will try it again but not today. These games, good games, great games, fantastic football games. I have said now to everybody: I met my Mrs directly after the game and she was completely buzzing, so it must be good fun to watch it from the stands as well. So, I am not sure if I really will miss some things when I am allowed to football games – and nobody told me yet that I have to be a manager to do that. All good, but it was a good game. I like where you are coming from.
On whether he thought Liverpool should have had a stoppage-time penalty...
Yes, but whatever I say now will not change that. I tried to explain it to a colleague of yours but he said, ‘Yes, but because of the high bar they set with the VAR and stuff like this…’ he was not surprised it was not a penalty. There is always an explanation, the only thing is I would now think in this room everybody thinks if he whistles a penalty it would not have been a scandal, let me say it like that. He hits him on the chest, does he touch the ball before? Yes. Does that make any difference in any position on the pitch if your leg is that high? You can kick the ball before and after that, the foot is here [the chest] and you go off. It is not a red card, obviously, but it is a clear foul. I had to speak so often about it and I really don’t care – I am already over it, it is absolutely fine. I would have loved to have got it, but nothing I say will change it – at least I learned that.
I would have loved to have used one of the massive chances we created; yes, we were lucky when Doku hit the post, but we played an exceptional football game. For us, besides the result, the most important information is we are right there. We go the distance, let’s see what we get for it, but the boys fought so hard for absolutely everything to be there. Arsenal in the moment are firing on all cylinders. Last night, yes, it was a bit late but they still played an incredible game. City is City, so for us it is probably a little bit like how did we get through all that and we are still there? It’s crazy. All these games we had with the squad situation we had. Today I saw the best 53 minutes we had against Manchester City, it was exceptional how we played. That’s important as well, that we learned that about ourselves, that we can do that. Now let’s keep going.
On whether he is frustrated by the VAR decision on the stoppage-time penalty incident...
We are used to that. Years ago we had a situation playing against City, halfway line and I love Vinny Kompany... halfway line, counter-attack, Mo Salah past Vinny Kompany, Vinny knocks him down, a clear red card. Not given. I don’t even know which season it was, but at the end of the season we don’t become champions for a point. In these high-intense games, against 10 men I would have loved to have seen it. If I mention what I do now – and I couldn’t care less what people think, to be honest, that’s at least the good thing about leaving after the season – people will say, ‘Yeah, but there were other situations as well, there was this and that…’ Yes, it’s true, but just imagine they would be all right. Just imagine the crazy situation where we have VAR and they are all right, you just have always the right decision. But no, we are constantly discussing about something.
Why would the guy in the VAR studio just think, ‘I think that’s not clear and obvious’? What must you have had for lunch if you think that is not clear and obvious? I am not angry or whatever, it is just the situation but it’s fine. I am so happy about the way we played today. The result is only one thing and if we win this game today then we are four points ahead of City, that is not a distance where you should just fall asleep. And maybe two points ahead of Arsenal; the way they play, they will not stop. For us it is important that after all the different ways we found, not always the greatest performance, just highest-intense fights to get the result like Nottingham Forest or whatever, that we can play like this as well. That’s the information we need, that we can create something like this today. Our situation is still awful. We have so many players not available it is crazy. I would say you can play that game with only the players who are not available today and that would be a good one as well. For once, I am not moaning. I mention it.
On how a three-team title race will be different...
I don’t think I have ever been involved in a title race with three teams. Germany was usually Bayern, but in one year we became champions it was Leverkusen. And here, there was only one team who became champions usually and we stepped in between one time. I don’t think there was a third time around. I don’t know. I literally don’t know if it changes something. We have 10 games to play, so obviously nothing is decided. There are plenty of games. The next one in the league is Brighton at home, traditionally it is not our favourite opponent. It is not that we think, ‘Thank God it’s Brighton.’ They play really good football and that is a tough game for us. At one point we play Tottenham here, we have to go to Aston Villa and stuff like this. City play Arsenal, play Tottenham and Aston Villa as well. So many teams are fighting, so much quality. The only thing I need for the moment, I would prefer to have 30 points between us and all the other things, but the realistic thing is are we really in that race from a performance point of view? Today I saw a team that is in the right position, so now let’s see what we can do.
On the last six weeks or so proving that Liverpool ‘can last the distance’ in the title race…
Yes, but we need the players back. All the stories we created with the kids and stuff are wonderful, wonderful, I couldn’t be happier about that, but of course we fight for the biggest prize in football. Today, Ibou Konate is out then we start all three of our other centre-halves and if one goes down and we play in the next six days two games with two centre-halves which play all the time. All these kind of things are really tricky but we came through it, and that’s why I said we played really good football in that time and we were lucky in moments: winning late, fighting hard, 99th minute and 118th minute and stuff like this. We don’t take that for granted but today the performance was really like, ‘One or two players back, we can change like we changed, oh yeah, that is cool’ and that is why I am really happy about that today. Plus, what that means for the next game I have no idea, I don’t even know a little bit about the situation [and] if anybody feels more than tired. I didn’t ask yet, but it is just good information for me, that we can play like that. I’m really happy about that and now let’s see what we can do from here.
On whether Konate’s injury is serious…
No, no. Ibou has a chance for United. A good chance.
On what he and Pep Guardiola said to each other after full-time…
First of all, this is private, even when it’s a football stadium, and nothing that would change the world: that we both respect each other a lot, and probably after the career will become somehow friends. He’s a golfer, I’m not a golfer, I play padel but he is Spanish so he might play padel as well, who knows? There will be something. If we meet we will have great talks about sensational football games, incredible stuff, but we said it now often enough and I think it’s really obvious as well: we respect each other a lot.
On how highly he rates Sunday’s match in terms of quality…
On the scale I rate football games there is no higher scale than playing the best football you can play against Man City, causing City the problems we caused them today. I was not here in the press conference but probably Pep saw it as well, that this was a different game to other games we played against them. Very often when we won it was counter-attack, quick-thinking, shots from distance. How we played through the midfield today, that was some of the best moments of my coaching career, to be honest, that we are able to do that against them. You see a situation when Luis Diaz against [Kyle] Walker, who is officially the fastest [player] in the Premier League, I think they said that recently, and Rodri and he gets out of that. It’s absolutely incredible! So, the boys really wanted it, a really good performance, massive heart, sensational atmosphere, one point. Let’s keep going.