Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his team’s second-half transformation in Saturday’s resounding 4-0 win over south coast club Southampton at Anfield.
The Premier League leaders were far from their fluent best during a chaotic first half against the Saints and were lucky to not go in at the half time a goal behind, with Danny Ings, Shane Long and Nathan Redmond guilty of squandering presentable opportunities at the Kop end.
However, it was a different story after the interval, English midfielder with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain settling any kind of nerves in the stadium with a 47th-minute strike before club captain Jordan Henderson doubled their lead and two goals from Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah sealed a 24th win in 25 Premier League games this campaign.
Klopp’s side now holds a 22-point lead over 2nd placed Manchester City but the German manager was impressed with Southampton’s display and accepts the result could have been a lot different had they taken advantage of their early chances.
While speaking to reporters after the game the 52-year-old explained how he was impressed with Southampton’s turn in fortunes, “First and foremost, I really have to say, wow, Southampton – what a team that is. I have been in football for so long and have never seen a turnaround like that. When I saw them playing at home against Chelsea months ago, I was really worried. That kind of turnaround is just exceptional. The set-up they have is constantly causing you problems. Their defense is really good and then their counterattacks are exceptional. [Danny] Ings and [Shane] Long, what they do there upfront, how they are supported by the midfield and the wingers, is just exceptional. That’s why we had the problems in the first half because we lost the balls at the wrong moment.”
