Liverpool v Man City: Jurgen Klopp casts surprise verdict after ‘statement’ performance against Guardiola
Jurgen Klopp has claimed Liverpool’s second-half performance was the best his side have ever played against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, hailing the display as a “statement” ahead of the Premier League run in.
Liverpool were largely outplayed in the first half at Anfield and fell behind after John Stones steered in a clever corner kick routine after 23 minutes.
Klopp’s side equalised five minutes after half time, when Alexis Mac Allister converted a penalty after Darwin Nunez was brought down in the box.
The two sides continued to exchange blows in the second half, with Phil Foden striking the crossbar before Jeremy Doku hit the post with just minutes left on the clock.
Doku was then at the centre of a highly controversial moment just seconds from the final whistle, when he appeared to strike Mac Allister with a raised boot while contesting a ball in the City penalty area.
Although the incident was checked by VAR, no penalty was awarded and the match ended in a draw, with Liverpool now level on points with Premier League leaders Arsenal and a point ahead of reigning champions City.
Having enjoyed a number of special clashes with Guardiola during his time in England, Klopp – who announced in January that he will step down from his post at the end of the season – claimed Liverpool’s second half performance was the best he had seen against Man City during his Anfield tenure.
He told Sky Sports: “It was a really good football game – and I’ve seen a few.
“That second half [was the] best performance in the second half we ever played against Man City. Definitely.
“We never dominated them as much. We never had them there [for the taking so much]. We never made so many good decisions. We never were so brave. It’s unbelievable.
“The game the boys played in the second half was absolutely exceptional and that’s why I’m really happy with the whole performance.
“First 10 minutes, maybe we need a bit [of time to get going], but after that we were fully there and what a game, what an atmosphere, what an afternoon.
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“And the result is alright, it’s not what we wanted obviously and I think, yes, they have obviously hit the post, which is quite a good chance and we were a bit lucky there.
“But with our chances and the penalty situation in the last second more or less.”
Asked about the penalty claim on the stroke of full time, Klopp argued a foul would have been awarded in any other area of the pitch – claiming all “football people” would agree.
Suggested to him that Doku’s raised boot did not meet the high bar for a penalty to be awarded: “Isn’t [VAR] there for just making the right decision and not thinking about how high the bar is?
“This situation, in all positions on the pitch, is a 100 per cent foul. It’s a 100 per cent foul and it’s a yellow card.
“For all football people on the planet, it’s a penalty. If you think it’s not one, maybe you’re not a football fan.”
Klopp claimed that Liverpool’s performance showed they are “ready to fight” until the end of the season, praising the second-half display as a “statement.”
He explained: “So many things we overcame this season already, but today we showed we are ready to fight as long as the race goes. I love that the most.
“As I said before the game, some media made a title decider of it. It’s obviously not the title decider, so probably nobody starts opening the champagne bottles because there’s a long way to go for all of us.
“But there’s a performance which really showed, OK, if you can play football like this against Man City, that’s a statement. And I love that.
“You get a point for it, fine. Keep going.”
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