Jürgen Klopp stated that Liverpool proved their ability to stay competitive in the title race by making a strong comeback against Manchester City. However, he was puzzled by the decision not to give his team a penalty in stoppage time at Anfield.
The manager of Liverpool gave credit to his team for their strong performance in the second half despite dealing with injuries. He believes it was their best performance against Pep Guardiola’s champions and shows they will give City and Arsenal a tough competition this season. Alexis Mac Allister scored a penalty to bring Liverpool level after John Stones had given City the lead in the first half.
Klopp strongly believed that his team deserved another penalty and the opportunity to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League. However, his hopes were dashed when Jérémy Doku made a high tackle on Mac Allister in the last moments of the game. Both the referee, Michael Oliver, and the VAR, Stuart Attwell, were unmoved by Liverpool’s protests, much to the surprise of their manager.
Klopp stated that the current occurrence on every area of the field is undoubtedly a violation, resulting in a yellow card. Even though the player made contact with the ball, this was only possible due to the positioning of his foot. Without the presence of the ball, a grave injury could have occurred. In the eyes of all soccer enthusiasts globally, this warrants a penalty.
The manager for Liverpool stated afterwards that he had moved on from the incident and was more pleased with his team’s performance, which solidified their potential to win the title. Klopp also questioned the reasoning behind the VAR official’s decision to deem the call not “clear and obvious”. He joked, “What must one have eaten for lunch to think it wasn’t obvious?” Despite the situation, Klopp stated he was not upset and was content with how his team played.
“I am enthusiastic about the potential of using one of the many opportunities we generated. Although we were fortunate when Doku hit the post in the 89th minute, we played an outstanding game of football. What matters most to us, beyond the outcome, is that we are in a good position. We are prepared to go the distance and will see what we gain from it. The boys put in immense effort to be in this position.”
Arsenal is performing exceptionally well currently, City remains consistent, and for our team, it may be a bit of a surprise that we were able to overcome all challenges. It’s quite impressive considering the busy schedule we have and the state of our squad.
Today, I witnessed the most impressive 53 minutes of our game against Manchester City. Our performance was exceptional and it was crucial for us to recognize and acknowledge our abilities. Playing at our highest level against City and successfully creating opportunities- through counterattacks, fast decision-making, and long-range shots- is a testament to our skills. The way we played through their midfield was one of the most memorable coaching moments in my career.
Guardiola acknowledged that his team had to withstand a difficult challenge, likening it to a “tsunami,” when Liverpool scored an equalizing goal from a penalty caused by an underwhelming backpass from Nathan Aké. City’s key goalkeeper, Ederson, was hurt while committing the foul on Darwin Núñez that led to the penalty being awarded.
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“The City manager stated, ‘I am unsure of his current condition, but it appears to be concerning.’ We discussed at half-time the importance of defending in this particular stadium, but unfortunately, we ended up giving away a penalty. For a period of 15 to 20 minutes after that, it felt like a wave, it was quite overwhelming. However, with the substitution of Mateo [Kovacic], we were able to regain control and possess the ball once more. We made an effort to keep playing.”
Kovacic came onto the field to replace Kevin De Bruyne. Although De Bruyne contributed to the cleverly executed corner that lead to Stones scoring, he was unusually careless with the ball. De Bruyne showed his frustration at being substituted through a verbal exchange with Guardiola and the coaching staff. However, Guardiola stated that it was beneficial for De Bruyne to be upset because the decision to substitute him was made with the team’s needs in mind. The team was not able to maintain possession and after the substitution, their performance improved.
“Kevin is crucial for our team, we cannot afford to be without him. Although he was active in the first half, we lost control of the game after conceding a goal. Our main goal was to regain our rhythm and performance.”
Source: theguardian.com
