Klopp keeps cautious despite Deutsch double
BERLIN — Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool is far from certain of a Champions League group stage berth despite its 2-1 first-leg playoff win at Hoffenheim on Tuesday night.
The result in southwest Germany leaves Liverpool in pole position ahead of the return leg at Anfield next Wednesday.
After Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved a firsthalf penalty, 18-year-old defender Trent Alexander-Arnold curled in a freekick to give Liverpool the lead.
Ex-England international James Milner made sure of victory by curling in a cross that dropped inside the far post after deflecting off Havard Nordtveit for an own goal in he 75th minute.
Hoffenheim pulled a goal back late on when substitute Mark Uth beat the offside trap to give the Bundesliga side hope.
“I am happy with the performance, we’d have liked to have won 2-0 and the goal they scored just before the end isn’t so favorable for us,” said Reds boss Klopp.
“We could have scored one or two more goals and we need Anfield in the return leg. “This thing isn’t over yet.” Liverpool’s disgruntled attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho sat out the match with a back injury.
The Brazilian is desperate to leave Anfield for Barcelona after handing in a transfer request.
Belgium goalkeeper Mignolet saved an early first-half penalty to deny host Hoffenheim, which finished fourth in last season’s Bundesliga, an early lead in Sinsheim.
When Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren brought down former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry, Hoffenheim’s ex-Leicester City striker Andrej Kramaric squandered the resulting spotkick, weakly firing his 11thminute effort at Mignolet.
At the other end, Liverpool’s Egypt striker Mohamed Salah, who netted in his Premier League debut for the Reds in the 3-3 draw at Watford last weekend, fired just wide after sprinting clear and beating Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
Rookie fullback AlexanderArnold gave Liverpool the lead when his floated freekick beat Baumann in the 35th minute.
Hoffenheim could have gone into the break all square, but striker Sandro Wagner blasted a close-in drive off the post after Mignolet blocked a Gnabry shot.
Liverpool should have made it 2-0 straight after the break when Baumann saved Roberto Firmin’s shot from pointblank range after Sadio Mane’s clever cross.
Substitute Milner put the matter beyond doubt when he snapped up Firmino’s pass to the wing from a quickly taken freekick.
He fired home off his left boot with 15 minutes left as the shot clipped Nordtveit and went into the net.