KLOPP JOY AS LIVERPOOL CLOSE IN ON EURO PRIZE

LIVERPOOL’S stars vowed not to let Champions League qualification slip yesterday as Jurgen Klopp claimed they emphatically answered mounting critics. Klopp’s squad came together inside their dressing room at the London Stadium to focus their minds after demolishing West Ham. Philippe Coutinho scored twice after setting up the returning Daniel Sturridge for the opener and Divock Origi put the seal on the victory. A win against Middlesbrough next weekend will confirm Liverpool’s top-four spot for only the second time in eight seasons — and a return to Europe’s premier competition. ‘Obviously, today was a good sign,’ said Klopp. ‘The first thing the players said in the dressing room was: “One more time, one more game”. ‘We drew the last game (against Southampton) and maybe people said: “Yeah, they can’t deal with pressure”. ‘Part of our life is to ignore the bad part of pressure and use the good parts. I thought we did really well. ‘These players have done so well this season. That’s why we are in the situation that we are.’ An Arsenal defeat at home against Sunderland tomorrow night would also rubber-stamp Liverpool’s Champions League place. They will watch that game on television, with Klopp hopeful of Roberto Firmino proving his fitness ahead of Middlesbrough. Daniel Sturridge is likely to lead the line again if the Brazilian does not make it after scoring his third Premier League goal this season. ‘Unfortunately, Daniel’s not been available that often but he was brilliant,’ added Klopp. ‘He’s had his best training week and he had a fantastic game. ‘We will stay focused. We know about the difficulty of the next game. Nobody underestimates Middlesbrough. They’ve had a hard season.’ West Ham, meanwhile, faced the ignominy of completing their ‘lap of appreciation’ to a near-empty stadium, with boss Slaven Bilic left angry at a lack of effort. ‘We wanted to put in a similar performance to the Spurs game and we didn’t,’ he said. ‘We wanted to avoid that factor of complacency but clearly it was there. ‘We were nowhere near close enough to them. Give them time and space then sooner or later they will kill you.’