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LIVERPOOL. — Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he was relieved after his team won their first English Premier League football match of 2023 by beating city rivals Everton 2-0 on Monday night and urged them to use the “statement” victory to reignite their season.
Mohamed Salah scored for the first time since Boxing Day and January signing Cody Gakpo bagged his first goal for the club as they snapped a four-game winless run and earned only their second win in eight games in all competitions.
“It was a massive relief,” Klopp said. “The performance was a statement for us that we can do this . . . It was the best game for a while.
“We have to carry on. To get out of our situation and to bring consistency, we need performances.”
Liverpool, last year’s runners-up, climbed to ninth with 32 points. They trail fourth-placed Newcastle United by nine before Saturday’s trip to St James’ Park.
Klopp said Liverpool had played like their true selves against Everton but that they had to keep delivering that level of performance.
“It felt like us, it looked like us,” Klopp said.
“It was a really important night. It gave us all the signs that was us tonight, and now we have to make sure it is us from now on.”
Klopp gave his players two days off to clear their heads after the dismal defeat at Wolves.
And the Liverpool manager was duly rewarded with a type of sparkling, high-energy performance which looked as though his team had been given a couple of months off.
This was more like it from Klopp’s team. Here was the team, for periods of the game at least, which came within two games of winning all four trophies last season.
While it helped their Merseyside rivals delivered an unbelievably-lame performance in their match under Sean Dyche, Liverpool could not have hoped for an easier game to halt their embarrassing slide towards mid table.
Jordan Pickford proved his attention to detail by printing a graphic on his water bottle detailing Liverpool’s four likely penalty takers.
But instead, Pickfoford was guilty of some completely bizarre goalkeeping to hand Salah his first goal of 2023.
The England keeper’s movement was a bit like when you are playing table football and you send the goalkeeper in completely the wrong direction.
Yet there was also a first goal for Gakpo, a player who has not exactly made a grand entrance since his £37million move from PSV Eindhoven.
Virtually everyone, other than Klopp, would have spent the money on central midfield as this is clearly an area which needs an overhaul.
But on Moday night, Fabinho overcame his shocking season with a decent performance, the recalled Jordan Henderson gave some calm in the central area and 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic once again proved what a terrific player he is certain to be and was the best player on the pitch.
There was also a 20-minute run-out for fit-again Diogo Jota who had not featured since mid-October.
Bobby Firmino, the team’s top scorer but injured since mid-November, was also handed a 10-minute cameo. Virgil Van Dijk, injured since January 2, was also on the bench.
So this potentially disastrous night against the team from the other side of Stanley Park was just one happy news story for everyone at Anfield.
Maybe Klopp’s team can now get some much-needed momentum after a run of four English Premier League matches without a win.
Equally, Everton boss Dyche will have been massively disappointed by his team who were surprisingly open at the back and both goals were down to some really weak, kamikaze defending. — AFP/The SunFFW
Online Reporter