Despite going on to beat Southampton 4-0 at Anfield, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to their opponents.
At half-time the game was still 0-0 but it forced the German to change things around for the second-half.
“They had too many shots on target and we had to change in the second half,” he said in his post-match press conference. “Even when it was 4-0 Southampton did not stop and I have so much respect for that.”
Within two minutes of the restart, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had put the Reds in front, before captain, Jordan Henderson, made it two on the hour. Before Liverpool had broken the deadlock, however, Southampton had a penalty claim waved away.
“It was a crucial moment,” Klopp admitted. “It does not mean it would have been over but the game would have been going in a different direction.”
Mo Salah’s late double gave the scoreline a more one-sided look allowing Klopp’s side to continue their incredible run in 2019/20. The manager acknowledged the effort of his opponents as well as the reason why Liverpool deserved the win in the end.
“The readiness to improve in the game and learn from the game [is what we had to do to win]. The set-up of Southampton I could not give more credit to. What a strange result in the end. It’s deserved because we score the goal but what a team.”