Arsenal vs Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp calls victory over the Gunners 'really special'

Jurgen Klopp was a happy man after seeing Liverpool register a crucial 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the Premier League. Goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino at the start of the second half proved too much for the Gunners at Emirates Stadium. The first half was more or less a tight battle with not that much to separate between the two sides. But two quickfire goals at the start of the second half were enough for the visitors to head back to Merseyside with three precious points. The result means Liverpool are only one point behind table toppers Manchester City and are now well and truly in the hunt for the title challenge.

Arsenal seemed to be on top before the break and Liverpool were in complete control in the second half. Asked whether it was a game of two halves, Klopp said in his post-match press conference, “Yeah, we had a better start in the game obviously, directly with the corners, two or three corners we had in a row and then we made a few mistakes. So both teams obviously had possession spells but in our possession spells we didn’t really create because we didn’t have enough bodies between the lines. We played a bit too much around the formation then, trying to find the gaps to pass the ball through. On the other side when Arsenal had the ball then we didn’t defend enough front-footed. We knew with the way they do it in open-play situations means you have to be patient until a specific moment and then you have to be there and when Diogo goes, we have to follow.”

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We needed maybe a wake-up call: Klopp

“Actually, the lines in general were too deep so it was like you said, but I was quite happy when it [the first half] was over because then we could adjust a little bit in half-time. But we needed maybe still a wake-up call or the alarm bell from Thiago, increasing the excitement level a lot! Ali could save us in that moment and from there we did a lot of things better. The first goal is a good example: I think it was Thiago stepping in with the ball, changing the direction in the right way, pass the ball through [and] all of a sudden there was the gap. I don’t think in the first half we had one of these moments; we had all these balls, giving them to the striker, foot on the ball, defending in the back and these kind of things. So we needed to move more in the front line, what we did there, and Diogo then obviously finished it brilliantly off.”

Klopp then opened up about Liverpool’s recent difficult fixture schedule. “I think we had six games more than Arsenal [since the Carabao Cup semi-final], you can see that as well… we constantly travel, we go here, we go there, we are in the hotel and stuff like this. Since we met last time we had six games more than them I think, 13 and seven if I am right. Thirteen games is really mad and it will not stop. Actually, I don’t complain, we don’t complain, it’s just how it is. We wake up in a different hotel and somebody tells you where the restaurant is and you try to remember the number of your room, that’s our life in the moment. That’s why I am so happy today obviously because coming here to Arsenal in that moment, against this team, winning 2-0, that’s really special. That’s really special,” he added.