Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has applauded his team for securing a “dominant” 2-0 win in what he viewed as one of their most captivating matches against their fierce rivals Manchester United at Anfield this Sunday.
Dutch center-back Virgil van Dijk’s headed the hosts in front in the 14th minute of the game and Mohamed Salah sealed the three points and the win for Liverpool sending the Reds 16 points clear at the summit of the Premier League with a game in hand.
Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino had a goal disallowed following a VAR review midway through the first half as well as Gini Wijnaldum but the result was made safe when Salah chased down Alisson’s long ball and the Egyptian held off Daniel James and completed a scintillating counter-attack shooting the ball past David De Gea in United’s goal.
Following the win over Manchester United, the 52-year-old Klopp admitted that the game was one of the best derby’s that Liverpool played although he did not like the last five minutes or so in the first half, “It was a really good game, one of the best derbies we have played for sure. Very dominant in most periods of the game. I didn’t like it too much in the first half, the last five or seven minutes. Nothing happened really, just we weren’t as dominant as before. And obviously the last 10-15, maybe, of the game. Okay, [it was] an exception.”
The German manager further explained that about the second half of the game, “The start to the second half was absolutely brutal, We jumped in and had three, four chances at least. Didn’t score and then it’s how it always is… the opponent has the chance to come back. We had to defend and the organization was okay. We defended with a lot of passion, a big heart and stuff like this. Carried as well by the atmosphere, which was great”
