Jurgen Klopp believes that Liverpool deserved their narrow win in a “difficult” Merseyside derby on Monday night at Goodison Park. Furthermore, the Reds boss added that his side couldn’t handle Everton’s intensity at the start of the season.
The Reds returned to winning ways last week with a vital 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough, bouncing back from poor results against Bournemouth and West Ham United to keep pace with the teams around them. Meanwhile, Everton also registered an important win last week, as they beat Arsenal 2-1 to halt an alarming slump of form.
What followed was a scrappy game at Goodison Park, with the Toffees hassling Klopp’s men throughout the first half but without making a breakthrough themselves. Liverpool subsequently grew into the clash before scoring a winner befitting the quality of the derby deep in stoppage-time.
Daniel Sturridge’s deflected effort hit the post, with Sadio Mane tapping home into an empty net past the despairing dive of Joel Robles. Speaking after the game, Klopp felt his side deserved the last-gasp victory in what proved to be a very tough fixture.
“Enjoy isn’t the right word – it was very intense and a deserved win in a difficult game,” the Reds boss told Sky Sports post-match. “The best thing you can do on a night like this is win and you saw how happy our fans were. I can’t remember one chance for Everton.
“The plan of Everton was wild football. They were chasing us everywhere, it is really difficult to play against this. We couldn’t handle it at first. We will be better at reacting against this in a few months. We were much better in the second half, we could have scored earlier but actually I don’t care.
“We needed someone who could shoot and Daniel Sturridge did that. If you only win games when you are brilliant you won’t win many games. It was a battle and we were ready for it.”
Liverpool have scored 41 goals and conceded 20 in their 17 Premier League fixtures this season, creating 247 chances, as they sit second on 37 points, six behind leaders Chelsea.
Next up for them is a home clash with Stoke City, before taking on Manchester City at Anfield on New Year’s Eve.
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