LONDON • The four-point lead Liverpool have at the top of the Premier League even after a 2-1 defeat by rivals Manchester City on Thursday was still impressive given their lack of title-winning experience, according to manager Jurgen Klopp.
The match in Manchester was billed by many as an early title decider, where a Liverpool victory would have given them a 10-point lead at the top with 17 games to go, having played City home and away.
However, goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane, either side of a Roberto Firmino equaliser, ended Liverpool's unbeaten Premier League start and moved City to 50 points and within touching distance of top spot.
"I have so much faith in (my) players you cannot imagine," Klopp said.
"If somebody would have said after both games against Man City that we would have had a four-point lead, I would have paid good money for this, as I thought it was not possible.
"If we would have won the title five times in the last 10 years, then things would be different. We don't have the experience like this. We are still in a very good position so I am happy for this.
"I knew that City could beat us, that is not new. They beat us 5-0 last year. It did not have anything to do with mental strength on one side or the other. It was just unlucky."
Klopp was also unhappy with one decision that did not go his side's way, when City captain Vincent Kompany received only a yellow card for a lunge at Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.
"Situations like this happen. A player goes to ground, and he took the risk. If Mo is on his feet, not jumping, then we all know what happen. Mo can go through," he said.
"Kompany saw him, hit him, and you can make your own opinion."
Despite the loss, former Liverpool captains Graeme Souness and Jamie Carragher believe the Merseyside club still have the advantage in the Premier League title race.
"Liverpool are in great shape," Souness told Sky Sports. "Ask both managers what position you'd rather be in right now.
"You're going to take the four points sitting top of the league, especially with the run-in that Liverpool have."
Having played Arsenal and City back-to-back, Liverpool do not play another top-six side until Feb 24 when they travel to Manchester United.
L10Â
January matches Liverpool have lost out of 25 (W8 D7 L10) in all competitions under Jurgen Klopp.
Carragher also echoed Souness' sentiments and alluded to Liverpool's recent form against teams outside the top six.
"The form they have shown, certainly against sides outside the top six, they have got a lot of those games coming," the former defender said.
"Four points clear is still a really good position to be in. Liverpool just need to relax, get some wins under their belt, maybe improve that lead if they can over the next month to six weeks."
Â
But now comes some hard work indeed. When Firmino had scored what Klopp hoped would finish as an equaliser, he had clutched a water bottle like it was the league trophy itself, but now the finish line must seem a long way off.
Liverpool next play Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday.
THE TIMES, LONDON, REUTERS
Watch FA Cup: Brighton face Man City in semis after beating Millwall on pens Semi-final draw: Man City v Brighton, Watford v Wolves; They'll play Manchester City in their first FA Cup semi
FA Cup semi-finals: Man City v Brighton, Watford v Wolves
Making a name for himself, Fandi's second son Ikhsan wants to step out of dad's shadow, succeed in Norway stint Ikhsan Fandi netted five goals in 12 internationals, more than any other Singapore
Making a name for himself, Fandi's second son Ikhsan wants to
Why can't I access the component methods from "outside" in ReactJS? Why is it not possible and is there any way to solve it? Consider the code: var Parent = React.createClass({ render: functi
Premier League clubs such as Man Utd and Chelsea to use big
Neymar banned for three Champions League matches over ref rant. By . AFP. They get four guys who don´t understand football to watch a slow motion replay in front of the TV," Neymar wrote in
Neymar banned for three Champions League matches over ref
More than just Ronaldo! Portugal could be ready to dominate after claiming first-ever Nations League. The Valencia man had swapped passes with Bernardo Silva to get into the position, with the
Portugal fail to show they are more than just Ronaldo - Egypt
Mar 30, 2012 · Scotland Yard is facing a racism scandal after a black man used his mobile phone to record police officers subjecting him to a tirade of abuse in which he was told: "The problem with you is you
Real Madrid put an end to a turbulent two weeks as Karim Benzema netted twice in a 4-1 win against Real Valladolid on Sunday night. Real boss Santi Solari came into the match under intense
SINGAPORE: Our Tampines Hub (OTH) will screen the Champions League showdown between football clubs Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday morning (Jun 2). The free live screening will be held
Our Tampines Hub a hotbed of passion as football fans throng
Kent Eriksen Cycles Seatposts are made-to-order and typically ship within 7 days of placement. Our seatposts come in a variety of colors and sizes.
Kent Eriksen Cycles
Anas Bani Yaseen's first-half header helped Jordan to a 1-0 upset over Australia in the opening match of Group B at the Asian Cup. Australia's bid to defend their Asian Cup crown began in
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Jordan inflict shock 1-0 defeat on Australia
Spalletti leaves Inter Milan with Conte set to take over Luciano Spalletti has left Inter Milan, the Serie A club announced on Thursday, with former Italy manager Antonio Conte set to be announced
Football: Spalletti leaves Inter Milan despite securing
Ministry of Football Private Limited May 21 at 7:27 PM · For the second time in eight months, Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Warriors FC have had their work pass privileges suspended by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for violating the Employment Act.
Singapore Premier League Live streaming e eventi TV
0 comments:
Post a Comment