Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has described his team’s comeback at Brighton and Hove Albion as a difficult game” in which they earned a fantastic result.
Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck put the Seagulls ahead in the third minute of the game and it took till the 27th minute for Liverpool to create a good-enough goalscoring chance which Luis Diaz took advantage of.
Mohamed Salah scored the winning goal to take his tally against Brighton to nine goals in 15 games and his season tally to three goals in two appearances.
Klopp’s press conference after the match focused on the toughness of it and how Roberto De Zerbi’s team made them fight. Liverpool are now leading the Premier League with two points after Manchester City and Arsenal drew their match.
Speaking about his team’s response to Brighton’s early goal, Klopp said: “It was, from my point of view, the best performance we had against Roberto [De Zerbi]’s Brighton. More possession, better possession. A really good rhythm in the game – besides the goal, we lose the ball.
“We can lose the ball high up the pitch, that doesn’t mean you have to concede, that was really well done. Great, great finish as well, as far as I saw it. I liked the reaction a lot but I saw as well in our finishing we were a bit in a rush. That was not the same level like all the rest.
“The front line had to work hard, had to be patient in the right moment. Wataru [Endo] and Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] in the right spaces and Dom [Szoboszlai] was the surprising act there, the chaser, the chaos creator, and that worked really well I thought.
“They had possession but not the possession they wanted and that helps. We scored a wonderful second goal, a wonderful third goal but was unfortunately slightly offside but still a good goal.
“We won the game, I think we all agree we deserved to win the game, so a really good afternoon.”
Klopp also sounded a note of warning unintentionally to the rest of the league with his declaration that Salah is back to his best after a lengthy injury layoff.
Answering journalists’ questions on Salah’s fitness and the few missed chances he had in the game, Klopp said: “Yes, playing-wise, absolutely. Imagine if Mo would have finished off all the situations in his career, that would have been crazy numbers, so it is absolutely fine.
“Mo as well, like others, was a bit in a rush in the finishing situations in the first half, the finishes were not like they can do it. But then being that calm in the decisive moment when you have to finish the biggest chance we had, it was the best football situation we played, that then makes a real goalscorer so I am absolutely happy with everything.
“He could play 90-something [minutes] and now we just have to keep going.”
