Klopp says Liverpool ‘lucky’ as Salah nets winner
Jurgen Klopp conceded that Liverpool rode their luck as Sadio Mane escaped a second yellow card before Mohamed Salah struck his 37th goal of the season to grind out a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace yesterday.
Luka Milivojevic drove relegation-threatened Palace into a 13th minute lead from the penalty spot.
Mane levelled four minutes after the break, but, having already been booked for diving, was later given a huge let off by referee Kevin Friend when he deliberately handled the ball just outside his own penalty area.
Klopp quickly replaced the Senegalese and Liverpool took advantage when, despite having one of the quieter games of an incredible debut season at the club, Salah provided the match winner.
While Klopp insisted he believed Mane’s first yellow was unfair, even the German was surprised a second booking was not forthcoming when he handled just after the hour mark.
“For Sadio it was not a perfect day and he made the wrong decision to put his hand on the ball,” Klopp said.
“I thought that was it, ‘Au Revoir, see you later’, but then it became even more strange.
“In that moment we are lucky, but in my opinion it would have been his first [deserved] yellow card of the game.”
Victory edges Liverpool ever closer to sealing a place in the top four and qualification for the Uefa Champions League next season.
However, they will need a much-improved performance if they are to progress to the semi-finals of this season’s Champions League when they host runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City in the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
“The dirty three points are very often the most important,” said Klopp, who lamented his side’s lack of preparation for the lunchtime kick-off with various members of his squad only returning to training on Thursday after their international duties.
“Nobody should be worried about our mood. Our boys are really on fire.”
The result leaves Liverpool third in the table, 10 points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea, who entertain fourth-placed Tottenham today.
Elsewhere yesterday, David Moyes paid tribute to West Ham United’s fans after his side boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation with a comfortable 3-0 win over Southampton.
A Joao Mario goal and a double from Marko Arnautovic fired West Ham to victory at a London Stadium that was in marked contrast to three weeks earlier when fans had invaded the pitch in protst during their loss to Burnley.
“We think we’re good enough to be clear of the bottom three. Recent results haven’t been good but we played well,” Moyes told the BBC.
“The supporters were great, they have been great here bar a few. The players gave them something to shout about today.”
The result leaves West Ham five points clear of 18th-placed Southampton, who are two points adrift of safety with seven games to play.
Ayoze Perez’s strike 10 minutes from time moved Newcastle United seven points clear of the bottom three as they defeated relegation rivals Huddersfield Town 1-0.
Bottom side West Bromwich Albion slipped to their eighth successive loss as goals from Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood consigned them to a 2-1 loss at home to Burnley.
Late goals from Vicente Iborra and Jamie Vardy gave Leicester City a 2-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion, while Jermain Defoe’s stoppage time strike earned Bournemouth a share of the spoils at Watford in a 2-2 draw.