Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp believes that Arsenal were the better team in their Sunday defeat at the Emirates and charged his team to sit up as the title race draws to a close.
“Right from the start it didn’t really look like our day but maybe we could have turned it into our day,” Klopp began. “Second half, the start was really good. Again, it is just proof, evidence, whatever you want, what momentum makes.
“First half, Arsenal started well, that’s clear. We didn’t play enough football, we needed to get used a little bit to each other, like the right-side triangle – [it was] tricky to find, let me say it like that.
“Actually, second half we were there, we now understood how the game goes. We now had the momentum after the late equaliser in the first half, but then we concede a second goal – and it was a very strange goal.
“Arsenal deserve the three points, there is no doubt about that: they scored three and we had one shot on target, so that’s obviously the one stat that shows the most. We should have had more of that, we could have had more of that, but because of the story of the game it didn’t happen.”
Liverpool are still top of the table but the dropped points have seen them hand Manchester City another lifeline in their title defence. Klopp was also asked about City’s charge.
“Look, if you want to find a specialist who becomes champion in England then I am probably not the right person to ask because most of the time we finished second, so I’m sorry to say that,” his response began.
“Since the final whistle I didn’t think a second about the amount of games of Manchester City and who they will play and how they will play. Not for a second.
“We always expect City to win all of the games, to be 100 per cent honest, we don’t even have to watch them – even when they are 1-0 down and then it’s 3-1 or whatever, it’s always like this. It’s all fine. For us, nothing really changed.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been criticised in the media by former footballers working as pundits for various broadcasters over the way they celebrated their victory against Liverpool.
Former Arsenal player Ian Wright, who is also a pundit, hit back at his colleagues in defence of his former club.
“The negativity towards my manager, man, what has he done apart from celebrating a goal and celebrating his team?” Wright said. “Because he’s celebrating? Are we forgetting what this team has achieved?
“Let these young players enjoy it. They’re playing some fantastic football, scoring brilliant goals, and most importantly, winning games. We haven’t had that feeling at the Emirates in a long time.”
