Jürgen Klopp stated that Liverpool demonstrated their endurance in the race for the title, as evidenced by their strong comeback against Manchester City. However, he was confused by the decision not to grant his team a penalty in stoppage time at Anfield.
The coach of Liverpool praised his team for their impressive second-half performance despite dealing with injuries. He believes it was the best display he has seen against the champions, Pep Guardiola’s team, and a sign that they will compete closely with City and Arsenal this season. Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister scored a penalty to secure a point after John Stones had scored the first goal for the visitors in the first half.
Klopp persisted that his team deserved a second penalty and the opportunity to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League. However, in the dying moments of the game, Jérémy Doku made a high challenge on Mac Allister but neither the referee, Michael Oliver, nor the VAR, Stuart Attwell, were convinced by Liverpool’s pleas, much to the disbelief of their manager.
Klopp stated that in any position on the field, this situation would be considered a foul and warrant a yellow card. Despite contacting the ball, the player’s positioning alone indicates a potential harmful collision. Without the ball, it would have caused serious injury. This should be an obvious penalty for all soccer fans worldwide.
The coach of Liverpool stated he had moved on from the incident and was more encouraged by his team’s performance, which showed their potential to win the title. Klopp also asked why the person in charge of VAR would not see the situation as obvious and questioned what they must have eaten for lunch. He clarified that he was not upset, just acknowledging the circumstance. He expressed his satisfaction with the team’s gameplay.
I am enthusiastic about utilizing one of our many opportunities that we were able to create in the game. We were fortunate that Doku’s shot hit the post in the 89th minute, but overall, we played exceptionally well. The result is not the only important aspect, but what matters is that we are on par with our performance. We put up a great effort and we will continue to strive until the end. Let’s wait and see what we ultimately achieve. The team showed immense determination and fought hard for every single thing to be in this position.
“Arsenal is currently performing exceptionally well, City remains consistent, and for us it’s a bit of a wonder how we managed to come out of it all. Despite the many games we’ve played and our squad’s situation, we’re still holding on. It’s truly incredible.”
Today, I witnessed 53 minutes of exceptional play from our team against Manchester City. It was noteworthy how we performed, and it was also valuable for us to discover this about ourselves. There is no greater measure of success than showcasing our best football against City, and generating the opportunities that we did – using counterattacks, quick decision-making, and shots from afar. Our ability to dominate their midfield was one of the most successful coaching moments I have experienced in my career.
Guardiola acknowledged that his squad had to weather a difficult situation after Liverpool tied the game with a penalty caused by Nathan Aké’s mistake in passing back to the goalkeeper. Ederson, a key player for City, was also injured while committing the foul on Darwin Núñez that led to the penalty.
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I am unsure of his condition, but it seems concerning,” stated the manager of City. “We discussed during halftime the importance of defending in this stadium, but unfortunately, we ended up giving away a penalty. After that, there was a period of 15 to 20 minutes that felt overwhelming, but when Mateo Kovacic came on, we had the skill to possess the ball once more. We made an effort to maintain our style of play.”
Kovacic was introduced for Kevin De Bruyne who, aside from the cleverly worked corner routine that produced Stones’s opener, was uncharacteristically wasteful on the ball. The City midfielder was clearly unhappy at being substituted, exchanging words with Guardiola and his coaching staff. But the City manager insisted: “It’s good if he’s upset. The decision was taken because I knew what we were missing. We were not keeping the ball and after [the substitution] we did better.
“We cannot reword.”
Source: theguardian.com
