After Liverpool won their fifth straight Premier League game, Jurgen Klopp showered his team with accolades.
The Reds defeated West Ham United 3-1 to maintain their two-point deficit to league-leading Manchester City. Mo Salah’s goal from the penalty spot in the 16th minute was cancelled out three minutes before halftime by Jarrod Bowen’s header.
Liverpool significantly improved in the second half. Darwin Nunez’s deft volley restored the lead after 60 minutes, and replacement Diogo Jota completed the victory in the 85th.
The Reds are unbeaten so far in the 2023–24 season, with their lone loss coming in the opening-day 1–1 tie at Chelsea. Despite anticipating a “difficult game” against the Europa Conference League champion West Ham team, Klopp was pleased with many of his players’ performances.
At the news conference following the game, Klopp said: “Yeah, it was [as] expected: a difficult, difficult game. The first half had several excellent moments, but we did not have enough control to entirely prevent them, which is already quite difficult. But I genuinely believed that we performed well in each phase. Clearly, we lost several balls that we shouldn’t have lost, but right after that, we scored our goal on a fantastic counterattack. We had some excellent counterattacks in particular, and if you want, we were kind of pleading for the equalizer at that point. I wasn’t fully taken aback when they scored; I didn’t think, “How can it happen?. Clearly, we need to have provided stronger defense. The most crucial thing, however, is to remain competitive, which is exactly what we accomplished in the second half. We had far greater control over it, properly challenged them, really put them on the ropes, and scored some amazing goals.
Of course, the second one is now a really special one. Incredible. When I talk about the aim, everyone looks at me with [big] eyes, although I have only ever noticed it once. I’m eager to see it returned in its proper form. Third goal, another excellent set-piece; we all understand how significant it is. On the flip side, West Ham’s set pieces were well-defended by us; once more, everyone should be aware of their superior quality.
“I don’t know if Macca lost the first or second ball, but he then started playing seriously and was present.” Dom was similarly active and continued to play until quite late hours. Until the very end, in fact. Joel Matip dominated Antonio with an outstanding effort. It is a crucial part of the game. They chip the ball there, and I’m not sure how frequently we suffered in the past when he had ball control. He just had it once or twice today, and havoc ensued right away. Matip performed that extremely well. Lucho and Darwin following Thursday. Everyone is aware that Mo, Top, Top, and Top are engaged in offensive and defensive activities.
I don’t want to leave anyone out. Good job, Curtis, Virg, Robbo. The boys that came on again had a tremendously beneficial impact, which is the most crucial aspect. Yes, Diogo scored the goal, but I thought Cody should have come on because that looked fantastic. Aside from the three points, this is undoubtedly the most significant lesson we may take away. We must employ each one of them in order to deal with the circumstance. There are too many games, and the schedule from Thursday to Sunday is challenging. And I’m incredibly delighted today.
