Jurgen Klopp was delighted with the performance of his Liverpool players as they deservedly beat Everton 2-0 in Monday night’s Merseyside derby.
Liverpool went into Monday night’s derby without a win in four Premier League games. Their last victory in the league came against Leicester City on December 30.
Everton meanwhile headed into this fixture after beating league leaders Arsenal 1-0 at Goodison Park last weekend. But Sean Dyche’s team were unable to get to that same level in the derby as they were second best against Liverpool.
The Toffees could have easily found themselves ahead though as James Tarkowski’s header bounced away off the post.
Their opponents made the most of this reprieve as they quickly broke away on the counter-attack. Darwin Nunez raced away from his marker and expertly set up Mohamed Salah, who tapped the ball home past Jordan Pickford.
Liverpool were then able to double their advantage shortly after the interval. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross towards the back post found Cody Gakpo, who netted from close range to score his first goal for the club.
Klopp’s were able to see out the game to pick up a well-deserved victory. If they beat Newcastle this weekend, they will be just six points adrift of the top four with a game in hand.
Speaking post-match, Klopp praised Liverpool youngster Stefan Bajcetic and suggested that his team were a “real unit” against Everton.
“The atmosphere was outstanding, I am in love with my crowd and what they did tonight, it was special and was extremely helpful – the boys paid it back. It was a real derby and we played a game we wanted to play, not a game Everton wanted to,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“We kept the ball, working the sides and stayed patient. We got in behind their line. I saw a real unit tonight, everyone was really fighting and we scored from two sensational counter-attacks. Tonight we were there and that has to be the sign for us of what we have to do. We probably had 70% possession and scored from two counters, which makes it special.
“Last week the first ball came in, deflection and goal. Yes, it was the biggest difference from other games but the performance of the full game was the best for a while. We will take wins when you don’t play well but much better to get three points when you deserve it and today we deserved it.
“A massive relief. You never know when you are going to do it next. Whatever the crowd asked me I would have done except for getting rid of my clothes.
“I really think – and you don’t want to be in difficult situations – the way you behave defines the future. This club has been through worse things but we are the club that can show who can deal with difficult moments. I enjoyed each second of the game.”
On the performance of Stefan Bajcetic: “I saw a lot of good performances tonight but Stefan showed up. We are really happy with him, a top boy, really smart and calm. He played in a new position, at eight, and I asked him afterwards if he liked it and he said yes. It is a nice story.”
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