Reds’ spirit & two-leg semi-final – 3 key things from Klopp’s post-Leicester press conference

December 22, 2021
Joanna Durkan

Liverpool dug deep and got their rewards against Leicester and Jurgen Klopp was delighted with what he saw from his side after they progressed to the last four of the League Cup.

Here are three key points from the manager after Liverpool’s thrilling penalty shootout win:

What’s not to love?

It was a task of persistence for the Reds as they dragged themselves back from a two-goal deficit in the second half to level the scores and then win on penalties.

With 10 changes heading into the clash and 16 Reds utilised throughout the night, it was a group effort and the manager loved what he saw.

“I’m really, really happy with the performance, spirit, mentality, and in a lot of moments with the football…the boys were just outstanding.”

What a team he has created.

Does it have to be two legs?

It’s still a two-legged affair for the League Cup, as it stands at least, and for Liverpool, it’s Arsenal they need to overcome to reach the final

It adds two more fixtures to the hectic schedule in early January and it’s not quite what Klopp what choose if he had control over such matters.

“The only thing I do with my messages is create headlines, they never arrive at the right places,” ?Klopp said.

“We have a Premier League meeting [on Thursday], I’m not sure if the EFL are involved, I haven’t spoken about player welfare [only] this year, it’s been six years or maybe longer.

“I would prefer only one semi-final. We play at Arsenal, I’m fine with that. Let’s see who is better and go for it. I can’t see any changes.”

Kelleher appreciation

Caoimhin Kelleher rose to the fore when Liverpool needed him, coming up with a crucial late save before twice denying Leicester from the penalty spot.

He helped provide the foundations for the Reds to go on a progress to the semi-final and Klopp was very complimentary post-match.

“He is an outstanding goalkeeper,” Klopp said. “With his feet, game understanding and John [Achterberg] and Jack [Robinson] over the years have done an incredible job with the boy.

“Saved our life, he was really helpful tonight.”