Eleven reasons for Reds to thank Klopp

JUST like that, Jurgen Klopp has one game left as Liverpool boss. His last away trip might have had little riding on it from a Reds perspective but the visitors’ star-studded line-up showed just how much the German has transformed the team. The XI he fielded in his first away game, at Tottenham in October 2015, was: Simon Mignolet; Nathaniel Clyne, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno; Lucas Leiva, Emre Can; James Milner, Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho; Divock Origi. Contrasting careers for some of those, but it is clear Klopp has improved every area at Liverpool.

ALL eyes were on the dugouts during the match, especially after contentious refereeing calls. Klopp knew a yellow card from referee Simon Hooper would earn him a touchline ban for his final game. He laughed with Sky before the match: ‘They gave me Simon Hooper… that’s obviously the biggest challenge they could find!’

ASTON VILLA are not short of celebrity fans — with heir to the throne Prince William here at the last home game. Last night it was Hollywood royalty, as Tom Hanks watched the action. Thought he might have been a Forrest fan.

SPEAKING of Hanks, one player who seems to be cast away at the moment is Darwin Nunez, who again was on the Liverpool substitutes’ bench. It followed a bizarre week in which he stormed off the Anfield pitch after the win over Tottenham and deleted all Liverpoolrelated photographs from his Instagram.

The Uruguay striker might have been well-placed to take out his notepad and keep a close eye on Ollie Watkins. The Villa forward, watched by Gareth Southgate, leads the line perfectly and is a danger from central areas or in the channels. Southgate was sitting next to Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, who will soon become a top-flight manager after successive promotions. He was not the only Tractor Boys staffer present — a member of the press team was also here, presumably to get used to Premier League matchdays.