Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Sadio Mané ‘exceptional’ in Liverpool's rout of Watford, says Jürgen Klopp – video

Klopp says Liverpool played ‘football as it should look’ in win against Watford

This article is more than 5 years old

Resounding 5-0 victory ‘was exactly the game we wanted’
‘We want to play like this every day,’ says manager

Jürgen Klopp said Liverpool delivered “a good example of how football should look” as they dismantled Watford with their biggest victory of the season to send a title warning to Manchester City.

Liverpool maintained their advantage over the reigning champions courtesy of an emphatic performance at Anfield, where Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk both scored twice and Divock Origi was also on the scoresheet. Trent Alexander-Arnold, omitted from Sunday’s goalless draw with Manchester United for fitness reasons, returned to the starting lineup with a hat-trick of assists. City remain a point behind having beaten West Ham 1-0 through a controversial Sergio Agüero penalty.

“It was exactly the game we wanted,” said Klopp. “In a game when you win 5-0 and everybody performs on a really high level, and still you have to say both your centre-halves had an outstanding defensive game, the goalkeeper had to make two outstanding saves, then you see the quality of the opponent. All the rest in the game was exceptional.

“The crosses were the most obvious thing because they were really brilliant [but also] the positioning in the box, heading, the runs, the direction, the desire, the composure. I’m really happy for the boys because they deserve it so much. We draw against Bayern and United and everybody talks about things I don’t understand.

“We want to play like this every day. That is sometimes possible, sometimes not, but you have to be stable and the boys were always stable and really fluent offensively. It is a good example of how football should look. Let’s try to do it again and again.”

Quick Guide

Premier League title race: the remaining fixtures

Show

Manchester City (86 points)

24 Apr Man Utd (a)
28 Apr Burnley (a)
4 May Leicester (h)
12 May Brighton (a)

Liverpool (85 points)

21 Apr Cardiff (a) 
26 Apr Huddersfield (h)
5 May Newcastle (a) 
12 May Wolves (h)

Was this helpful?

The Liverpool manager admitted he missed Mané’s audacious second goal as a player moved into his eye-line. “It was a back-heel, I heard, but I didn’t see it,” he said. “I loved the first one as well, jumping that high. How he played in that new position was exceptional. You need in that position someone who can play in small spaces, who can give you runs in behind, who adapts to defensive situation. We have other players who can play that but not with the speed of Sadio.”

Most viewed

Most viewed