Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Cool-headed Klopp insists massive lead ‘not relevant’
JURGEN Klopp has dismissed Liverpool’s 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League as “not relevant” after his side mai nta i ned thei r relentless march towards the title with a 4-0 thrashing of Leicester.
Despite a one-sided first half at the King Power Stadium, Liverpool had only Roberto Firmino’s header to show for their dominance, but three goals in eight second-half minutes underlined their superiority against a second-placed Foxes side they made look second rate.
A James Milner penalty was followed by Firmino’s second of the night, and his fourth in three games following his goals in the Club World Cup, with Trent Alexander-Arnold wrapping up the victory with the goal his exceptional performance deserved.
However, when asked about the 13-point cushion, Klopp said: “The only thing that changes in the question is that the number is different.
“It was 10, 11, now 13. But we actually don’t feel it, we don’t think it and we didn’t mention it once before the game because it’s just not interesting. We all know that.
“I can write the stories by myself. The first story is that never before in the history of British football has a team had a bigger lead and lost the lead. That sounds, in my ear, negative, so why should we think about something like that?
“We are focused on the next games – Wolves, Sheffield United, Everton, Tottenham, Manchester United – the next five games. It doesn’t sound like anything is decided in my ears.”
Alexander-Arnold suggested it was “probably our best game of the season”, yet Klopp did not agree with his right wing-back.
On whether Liverpool have played better this season, Klopp added: “Oh yes, I would say so.
“We played an exceptional game against Manchester City, a super game against Arsenal. I’m not sure it was better, just different.
“Tonight was exactly the performance we needed. We had no real problems in because the boys were 100% in the game. They played a really good football game, really, really good. Completely focused.”
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers conceded Liverpool were now “going to be very, very hard to stop” in their bid for the title.
Rodgers said: “They are a fantastic team with confidence high after not losing many games over an 18-month period.”
The last two matches have served as a chastening experience for Rodgers’ side, who were beaten 3-1 at Manchester City on Saturday before suffering a first home defeat in emphatic fashion to Liverpool.