Diogo leads Klopp demolition squad
RALPH HASENHUTTL cried when he beat Jurgen Klopp for the first time last season. This time, the Saints boss had a different reason to weep. Diogo Jota scored two and further goals from Thiago Alcantara andvirgil van Dijk enhanced Liverpool’s standing as the entertainers.
Southampton were lucky it wasn’t a whole lot worse.
Klopp, who wants Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to report late for the Africa Cup of Nations, believes the lessons of last season have made him a better boss. He
at Anfield
said: “It’s good that we are scoring so many goals but if we win 1-0, I am happy.
“I learned a lot last season. It is easy to look back and know it was wrong to play midfielders in defence.”
Southampton’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool at St Mary’s in January remains the only time Hasenhuttl has avoided defeat at the hands of Klopp in seven attempts.
It took just 112 seconds for Jota to put Liverpool ahead and he could have claimed the match ball by half-time.
He scored again in the
32nd minute when Mo
Salah rolled a cross into his path to do the business from three yards.
And then, five minutes later, Alcantara went dancing into Southampton’s box before unleashing a shot that took a deflection off Lyanco’s knee and flew into the net.
Jota almost had his treble but Salah could not find him with a simple pass.
Liverpool did score again after 51 minutes thanks to a sweet Van Dijk volley.
Hasenhuttl said: “We tried to surprise them by changing our normal shape – but I think we ended up surprising ourselves. It was my mistake. I take it on myself.”