Jurgen Klopp was in a good mood after Liverpool clinched a 2-0 win over Watford to ensure they can travel to Man City with a chance to leapfrog them at the top.
Here are four points from the boss after Saturday’s win:
Why did Jones come off?
Curtis Jones was the first to come off for Liverpool and gestured to his ankle when on the touchline but the manager was not of the view that it is anything serious as he provided a quick update.
“Not sure it’s a concern, he just wanted the strapping. He twisted his ankle but we wanted to change him anyway,” Klopp said.
“He got the strapping but obviously he came off, he could walk normal but I didn’t see him yet.
“Joel Matip looked like he had a golf ball [on his head], but it’s a bruise and he said he’s fine.”
‘I was just happy to win the game!’
The margins between Liverpool and Man City is tight indeed, with the Reds going top only for City to then strike early at Burnley.
It leaves it all delicately placed ahead of next Sunday’s meeting, but for the time being the manager is only focused on picking up another three points.
“You can’t give an inch but it’s nothing to do with being on top of the table, I did not think about that in the moment.
“I was just happy to win the game and now 72 points. To keep in the title race we have to win our football games otherwise, it will be really tricky.
“The next Premier League game is a big one, can’t hide from that.”
But first, Benfica.
It wasn’t pretty, but didn’t need to be
It’s not going to make the cut of Premier League Years in the future but at this stage of the season, it doesn’t have to be.
The dust is still there from the international break and Klopp as expected as much, but it’s a tick in the box and on to the next one.
“Today, we did not play the best football possible but it was good enough to be a deserved winner of a football game, that must sometimes be just enough.
“I was really happy today with all the staff, we came through.
“I did not expect for one second we will be flying today but we had good moments, less good moments when we needed Ali. Two goals, all good.”
Was it a penalty?
It happens in every game, that a defender takes out a member of the opposition side at a corner that is certainly not legal.
If often goes unpunished, but not against Jota and not at Anfield on Saturday and the manager agrees that it should be punished.
“I didn’t see it yet, but I can tell you how often I watch football games in my life and how often I said that must be a penalty.
“It should not be allowed if the ball is going there or not. Why do you wrestle in the 18-yard box?
“We all want to see goals and you can see more goals if we say you have to defend set-pieces ‘legally’.
“If you take somebody and take them down it is a penalty, for me.”
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