Klopp’s Reds have hope

LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp hopes the fact this season is far from normal will give his side a chance of reeling in Premier League defending champions Manchester City at the top of table.

A comfortable 3-0 victory over Brentford secured a first league win since mid-December and closed the gap to 11 points with a match in hand.

Klopp concedes in any other year that sort of lead would be unassailable but in a campaign being stretched by Covid-19, injuries and match postponements, he believes there remains a glimmer of optimism.

“We don’t have to convince anyone outside to believe. If they want to believe they can believe,” said Klopp.

“If you are with us, you will enjoy the ride and we will go for everything. We are ready to go as much as we can.

“This is not the situation to talk about a title fight, it’s 11 points now with one game in hand.

“In a normal world nothing happens anymore but what is normal nowadays? We try to do our part, there is nothing else to do.”

Having been frustrated by the visitors for 44 minutes, midfielder Fabinho nodded home from a corner just before the interval for his third goal in a week to break the deadlock.

Alex OxladeChamberlain scored his first league goal at Anfield since July 2020 and Takumi Minamino, on his 27th birthday, added the third.

After a first Premier League clean sheet in five attempts the only cloud was a late injury to Oxlade-Chamberlain which may see Klopp’s attacking options limited further with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane still at the African Cup of Nations.

Fabinho got the opener.