VAN WON’T BLOW A GASKET
<M<IP B@:B# <M<IP >F8C# Virgil’s cool as Klopp rants
VIRGIL VAN DIJK served up some soothing Roma therapy to stressed-out boss Jurgen Klopp.
The laid-back Dutchman revealed Klopp was furious after seeing his side toss away a two-goal lead to the Premier League’s bottom side.
Liverpool’s angry boss had steam coming out of his ears – the last thing he needed with tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final clash with Roma to think about.
Klopp had a moan about everything – the referee, the dry pitch and the fact that, the way he saw it, West Brom only score from set pieces.
He also raged about his side being denied a penalty when Danny Ings went down under a Craig Dawson challenge and the fact there was no red card for Ahmed Hegazi for giving Ings a sharp dig in the ribs.
Honest
Defender Van Dijk revealed it wasn’t just Klopp who got one or two things off his chest in the dressing room post-mortem.
“There is no need to stress at all,” he said. “We are disappointed to draw here. I don’t worry at all.
“He was upset. Everyone gets upset. The way we conceded those goals is something to be angry about.
“We need to be honest with ourselves and everyone was. We need to do better. You have to tell each other the truth. You cannot be nice and happy when we want to achieve so much as a team and as a club.
“A draw here is not good enough but there is no reason to panic. It is a massive opportunity to get a good result against Roma that could help us reach the final. We should be fine.”
It looked plain-sailing for Liverpool when Ings rammed them in front after just four minutes – his first goal in 930 days after two horrific knee injuries put his career on hold. Ings must have almost forgotten what it’s like to hit the net, unlike Mo Salah, who put them further in front in the 72nd minute.
That’s his 41st in all competitions and the watching Roma scouts must be having sleepless nights about facing their former star.
No one could see an Albion fightback at that point and when Jake Livermore pulled one back with 10 minutes left a draw still seemed fanciful.
But when The Baggies were awarded a dubious free kick, they pounced.
Chris Brunt’s delivery was superb and Salomon Rondon steamed in to head it home.
Klopp said: “It should have been a penalty and Hegazi on Ings? That is a red card.
“You see it, I see it, but that’s not important. It is only important what three or four gentlemen with a whistle say about it. So we cannot change a thing.
“Now we prepare for Roma. They have set pieces as well but they don’t play only set pieces. Their boys play sometimes on the ground and then you can play football.”
Credit should go to West Brom but the trouble is they’ve rediscovered their mojo way too late.
Stand-in boss Darren Moore has done a marvellous job rejuvenating the shattered spirit but it’s come too late.
Moore said: “Everybody around here is giving everything. Being 2-0 up, they probably thought the game was done, but make no bones about it, we wanted to win.”