Klopp ecstatic as Reds rumble

JURGEN Klopp described a near perfect Liverpool performance as a “joy to watch” as Mohamed Salah scored for a sixth straight game in a 4-1 thrashing of West Ham at Anfield yesterday.

Klopp’s men moved into second in the Premier League by edging a point ahead of bitter rival Manchester United, which hosted fourth-placed Chelsea overnight, as Emre Can, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were also on target.

“I don’t think as a manager you can expect a game like this, you can hope for it but it’s very rare you get it. We got it. It was a joy to watch,” Klopp said.

“It was intense, it was aggressive, it was angry, it was full of desire.

“I saw everything I wish to see in a game of football and it’s not often you see that.”

Salah also drew level with Harry Kane on 23 Premier League goals in an outstanding debut season at Liverpool in the battle for the golden boot.

At the other end of the table, promoted Huddersfield and Brighton moved clear of the bottom three. West Brom is now seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the table as Huddersfield struck twice in eight minutes at the start of the second period through Rajiv van La Parra and Steve Mounie to win 2-1 at the Hawthorns.

Brighton moved up to 12th thanks to Glenn Murray’s double and late goals from Anthony Knockaert and Jurgen Locadia to end Swansea’s 10-match unbeaten run in a 4-1 thrashing that drops the Welsh side back into the relegation zone.

Dwight Gayle also scored twice, but Newcastle failed to back up its stunning win over Manchester United as it blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Bournemouth. Southampton had a 1-1 draw at Burnley, whose wait since December 12 for a Premier League win continues.

Earlier, Stoke boss Paul Lambert hailed Jack Butland as the “best goalkeeper in Britain” despite an own goal from the England international costing his side the chance to move out of the bottom three in a 1-1 draw at Leicester.

The visitors, who remain 19th, led through Xherdan Shaqiri’s long-range strike until Butland fumbled Marc Albrighton’s cross into his own net 20 minutes from time.

Watford moved into the top half of the table as captain Troy Deeney’s strike 11 minutes from time edged a low-quality encounter 1-0 over Everton.