Shocked Klopp humbled by Hull
THEY serenaded their new manager all afternoon to the tune of Glad All Over but, soon, Hull’s fans may need a different anthem. How about the theme from The Great Escape?
In the space of six weeks, the atmosphere inside the KCOM Stadium has changed completely, with locals taking delight in telling the world that ‘we’ve got Marco Silva’, and so they should after he masterminded the most impressive result of his brief tenure.
Few gave Silva any chance of keeping Hull afloat when he arrived in January but, after goals from Alfred N’Diaye and Oumar Niasse incinerated the remains of Liverpool’s title challenge, no longer does this appear to be a hopeless case. Here is a team that is gaining momentum.
Yet if things are good for Silva, Jurgen Klopp looks shell-shocked that Liverpool’s campaign is falling asunder. Since beating Manchester City on New Year’s Eve, they have won just one of their subsequent 10 games to leave Klopp, whether he likes it or not, dealing with his first Anfield crisis.
The Liverpool boss said: ‘A week ago, I spoke about expectations and said we were still allowed to have a positive look on the situation because we are still fourth in the league.
‘But, after a game like this, we have to take all the criticism because we expect more from ourselves — and we have to show more than we did today, and it is my responsibility to make it possible.’
On the stroke of half-time, a litany of errors presented the hosts with an opportunity they gleefully grasped and made Liverpool’s task all the more complex.
Everything started when Liverpool started playing the ball out from the back. Emre Can was culpable with a loose touch then a pass that went straight out of play; Kamil Grosicki took the resulting corner, Simon Mignolet flapped and N’Diaye inflicted maximum punishment.
A long ball over the top allowed Niasse, who is on loan from Everton, to scuttle forward and, keeping his cool, he slid a finish under Mignolet to spark delirium in the stands on 84 minutes. Mission impossible might yet be achievable.