Klopp acknowledges Newcastle ´made life hard´ for Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp praised Newcastle United for making “life hard” for Liverpool in a 3-1 win for the Reds, while explaining his decision to remove Mohamed Salah in the second half.

Jonjo Shelvey silenced the Anfield crowd on Thursday with his opener, but Diogo Jota equalised soon after – Liverpool finding the net for a club-record 32nd game across all competitions.

Salah then put Klopp’s side into the ascendancy, matching Jamie Vardy’s Premier League record of scoring or assisting in 15 consecutive games, before Trent Alexander-Arnold confirmed victory with a ferocious strike.

With the win, the Reds became the first side to 2,000 victories in the English top flight, while they moved within a point of leaders Manchester City and three points clear of third-placed Chelsea.

It could have been very different after Shelvey’s opener, though, even if Klopp expected a tough task.

“We used in preparations more Bournemouth than Newcastle for analysis,” Klopp told BT Sport. “We won 2-1 last time Eddie Howe was here with Bournemouth after they scored another goal. We expected similar things. They made life hard for us.

“Being 1-0 down changed the mood a bit. We were rushing in moments. We scored really good goals. I’m really pleased in this period of the year when you just have to get through games.”

On Salah’s recent form and the decision to remove the Egypt international with 16 minutes of normal time remaining, he added: “That’s quite amazing. His assists are as important [as the goals]. 

“Today was right to take him off a bit earlier. We play in three days again.”

The first player to score in Anfield league games in succession against Newcastle pic.twitter.com/9KcnAlpVQf

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 16, 2021

Klopp also revealed he had not anticipated rivals Everton’s welcome draw at Chelsea, while he praised Liverpool’s fighting spirit to come from behind and win.

“I didn’t expect Chelsea would drop points, it is pretty rare. I don’t know five or six players of the Everton line up, so to get a point at Chelsea is massive,” Klopp told BBC’s Match of the Day.

“You have to react [to the goal]. I am really pleased, but I expect it as well; it is not that we celebrate we came back. We worked hard, not only brilliant football – of course, some good football – we were very dominant, it is not so easy to play against such a deep block.

“We have already a few games in our legs, I love how the boys dug in really deep and got a very deserved result.”

The first team in English history to record 2,000 victories in the top-flight pic.twitter.com/tf982XhTES

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 16, 2021

Liverpool travel to face Tottenham on Sunday having been without Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones against Newcastle after the trio returned suspected positive coronavirus tests.

COVID-19 has prompted the postponement of several other fixtures, meaning Klopp is uncertain of what the future holds.

“It’s a really tricky situation,” he said. “Nobody knows exactly how we’ll be tomorrow.

“We will go to the training centre until people tell us otherwise. I’ve never had three players on matchday [have to pull out]. 

“The most important thing is because the boys are vaccinated they will not feel it really. That’s good. We have to wait for them.

“If we should stop the league, I have no real answer for it. If you stop it for two weeks and we come back, I really don’t know what to do. I saw the Everton line-up today, I don’t know half of the players.”