Klopp praises ‘mature’ performance from Reds
BRIGHTON 0 LIVERPOOL 1 Salah 50 (pen)
Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool’s “most mature performance of the season” after they got their title challenge back on track by grinding out an unconvincing win at Brighton.
Klopp’s table-topping Reds have stuttered since the turn of the year, losing their unbeaten Premier League record to champions Manchester City, before limping out of the FA Cup at Wolves.
The Merseyside club were far from their best at the Amex Stadium, but Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty was enough to restore their seven-point lead over secondplaced City.
Klopp admitted his side can perform better, but dismissed the lack of entertainment against stubborn opposition by saying they “are not the Harlem Globetrotters”.
“It was not the best performance of the season in a few departments, but from a maturity point of view, I would say it is the most mature performance in the season,” he said.
“We are not Circus Roncalli, we are not the Harlem Globetrotters. We have to deliver results.
“On a good day, everybody can win football games, on an average day not a lot of teams can win football games, and on bad days only a few can win football games.
“Today was not a bad day, but it was a difficult day for us.
“It was just a difficult day because we have to say that Brighton is doing really well.”
Egypt forward Salah, who retained his African Player of the Year title earlier this week, smashed home his 14th league goal of the season from the spot in the 49th-minute after he was felled by Pascal Gross.
The strike was enough to put more daylight between the division’s top two teams, although Pep Guardiola’s City can close the gap back to four points when they face Wolves tomorrow.
Klopp felt it was important to “climb back on the horse” following the recent blip as the Reds chase a first title in 29 years.
“Not because (the defeat) was to Manchester City, it’s just important,” added the German.
“If you fall from the horse as a rider, the best thing you can do is go immediately back on it. Do you use that saying as well in England? You have more horses anyway than we, we probably stole it from you.
“It’s cool, it’s good and it’s important, but we didn’t make a fuss of the two defeats.”
A listless Liverpool spent plenty of energy pointing, gesticulating and shifting the ball around from deep in a low-key first-half. The Reds lacked any kind of pace or potency before the break, and deserved no more than to turn around with the game still goalless.
Liverpool’s best chance of the first half came when Xherdan Shaqiri’s header brushed the base of a post.
Roberto Firmino would surely have scored had he connected with Andy Robertson’s low cross, but that proved a paltry first-half return for the league leaders.
An unmarked Glenn Murray headed high over the bar in Brighton’s sole chance of the half, but the regimented Seagulls would have been satisfied enough at the interval.
Liverpool needed just four minutes to break the deadlock after the restart, but the opener came courtesy of clumsy home defending rather than stunning attacking play.
Salah outsmarted Pascal Gross on the turn in the box, drew a cheap foul from the usually-unflappable German and then buried the cast-iron penalty.
Liverpool had designs on immediate domination after Salah’s cool spot-kick, but Brighton so nearly stole that thunder. Itching to make amends for conceding the penalty, Gross popped up in the other box to put in a neat strike – only for Fabinho to pull off a fine block.
Jurgen Locadia’s long-range drive drew a solid save from Alisson as Brighton continued to press without reward.
Brighton boss Chris Hughton had no complaints about the award of the decisive spot-kick, but felt Liverpool received some favourable decisions from referee Kevin Friend, in front of a record 30,682 crowd at the Amex Stadium.
“I just thought on the balance of decisions – no malice to the referee, he’s trying to do the best job he can – but I thought that it favoured Liverpool on the balance of decisions he made,” said Hughton.
Sometimes you feel things go against you, and I feel like it’s one of the those days today.
“In the end, I am really delighted that we ran them as close as we did.”