Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp lauds ‘top performance’ after beating Leicester City
LONDON – Once again, Liverpool trailed, but once again they fought back, as Jurgen Klopp praised his players for not getting frustrated in their 3-1 League Cup third-round win over Leicester City on Wednesday.
The Reds fell to a goal to the Championship leaders after just three minutes at Anfield, as Kasey McAteer rounded off a rapid counter-attack to give the Foxes a flying start.
“That will probably be kind of a headline a little bit that we are again 1-0 down,” admitted Klopp, whose side have now won their fifth match after conceding first.
“Without playing outstandingly well, we created already massive chances, chances (that were) really difficult to miss but we did...
“The ball just did not go in the back of the net, I have no clue.
“And at half-time it was clear, you want to make sure that we don’t get frustrated because we didn’t score.
“And minute by minute, we grew into that game and it was a top performance.”
The Liverpool boss also gave credit to his opponents for giving his team a hard time.
“With all the quality of Leicester – super-coached team obviously, super set-up, you can pretty much see, feel and smell the confidence they have, so that made life difficult,” he added.
“But we kept going and improved during the game as a team clearly but individually as well.”
Liverpool laid seige to the visitors’ goal but were made to wait until after the break to draw level. The equaliser was made in the Netherlands as midfielder Ryan Gravenberch set up forward Cody Gakpo.
Klopp then turned to his bench to find a winner and found it through a stunning strike from summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai, who took aim from outside the box and smashed the ball into the top corner 20 minutes from time.
Diogo Jota’s backheel in off the far post in the 89th minute then made the game safe.
“Dom was a surprise with how fast he has fitted in, it was pretty much from the first minute,” said Klopp on Szoboszlai’s fast start to his Liverpool career.
“Top-class player with a lot of quality. He never stops.”
Leicester boss Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, hailed his players for their efforts.
“I’m very proud of the players,” he said. “To come into this stadium against this opponent and play in the way we want to play, I think they showed they are very brave.
“From the start to the end, we continued in the way we want to play. They make me very proud tonight.”
The win was Liverpool’s seventh in a row and the record nine-time winners of the League Cup will next travel to Bournemouth in the fourth round.
The Cherries were 2-0 winners at Championship side Stoke City thanks to two second-half goals in three minutes. - AFP, REUTERS
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