Liverpool can be very proud of the Newcastle’s results and achievements.
Jurgen Klopp said a “football school” could study him from the opposition’s perspective as he claimed the expected Premier League goalscoring record has been broken.
After all, four goals is rarely such a big deficit. But Liverpool knew they had to get out of sight before that happened. The two-goal cushion was restored in the 86th minute. Newcastle briefly got themselves back into the game when Sven Botman headed home a corner, a second goal that went completely against the grain of the play.
Speaking to the BBC, Klopp took some responsibility for this, realizing that once substitutions are made it will become more difficult to defend the formation. But it could have been prevented.
Klopp said he realized too late what would happen to his assistant Peter Kravitz. It’s not easy to do numbers because of the changes, but Pete Kravitz sat next to me and stood up [and yelled] “Fire!” – It’s going. So not only did I wake up twice, but it was a great game.”And this last part needs attention. Liverpool almost conceded to Newcastle at times but make no mistake. This was a one-sided affair.
For Klopp, the secret lies, of course, in the intensity of his squad. He praised the players’ ability to navigate the busy period and credited the Anfield crowd:”It’s very intense. But if you want to win a game of football there is no substitute for intense football and the boys did it thanks to a good atmosphere. God, it’s amazing what Enfield can produce. So, I started the new year well,” he said.
