Jürgen Klopp said in his said this week that getting 3 points vs West Ham United was vital and the Reds responded by giving the boss exactly what he asked for, a 1-0 victory.
In his post-match presser, Klopp discussed Darwin Núñez's first Anfield goal, Alisson's massive penalty save and the squad's ability to win close fixtures as of late.
“It is important,” Klopp said. “He has scored, follow a couple of times in the last few games. He arrived 100 per cent, now even with numbers, which is fine. He felt a little bit in the muscles at half-time but it was all fine. After five minutes [of the second half] I was just a bit concerned about long sprints for him and balls where he stretches his legs. I thought, 'Come on, we cannot take that risk' and that's why we changed.”
“I think the first half was a really good first half, with a bad ending for us with the penalty”, Klopp said. “But then with a good ending because Ali could save the penalty., We had our moments, obviously, but in general, we didn't play enough to control the game. In the end, we needed Ali again.”
“Before now, we either win really high or not! But it's the second 1-0 in a row which is absolutely fine. It's a brilliant result”, Klopp said. “That we have space for improvement I think is clear, it was always the case and is tonight the case. But at this moment we have three points more than before and that feels massive.”
The boss is right. This win feels massive. Why? Because it seems Liverpool is finally turning around a trend that has been haunting them all season. Before if they won a big game, a loss or a disappointing draw would follow. This time coming off a big win, however, the club followed it up with another victory. Sure, it wasn't pretty, but Klopp nor anyone in the Reds' dressing room seems to care. This was exactly the kind of performance that Liverpool needed to start turning their season around. Now let's hope that's a trend that will continue.
