In order to build on its triumph over Manchester City over the weekend, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp lauded his team’s ability to grind out three points against West Ham United on Wednesday.
After a rocky start to the season, Liverpool has risen into seventh place thanks to Darwin Nunez’s header, his first at Anfield.
Although the triumph over West Ham was less dramatic than the adrenaline-pumping victory over second-placed champion City on Sunday, it was just as crucial for keeping the momentum going.
Nunez made headlines, but Alisson, whose long clearance against City on Sunday led to Mohamed Salah’s winning goal, saved a critical penalty shot from Jarrod Bowen, who had been fouled by Joe Gomez, just before halftime.
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Tomas Soucek’s opportunity to equalize was also denied by a key late block by James Milner.
“At the end of the day, we needed Ali, Millie’s big toe, and a few other things. Overall, I believe the three points were earned,” Klopp told the press.
“It is a really crucial and challenging time for all teams, therefore you have to grind out results since the next fight is waiting for you in three days,” one player said (at Nottingham Forest).
That is the scenario, and everything is well at the time.
EXCELLENT NUNEZ
Nunez, a Uruguayan who joined Liverpool in June for an initial fee of 75 million euros ($73.30 million), had his greatest half in a red shirt, scoring with a powerful header that smacked the crossbar.
“He was exceptional. Even at age 22, he has enormous talent. He came from Portugal but didn’t stay there long, so soon after that he was in Uruguay, according to Klopp.
He has a great deal of talent, and we are quite enthusiastic about him.
Alisson cautioned that there was still a lot of hard work to be done even though Liverpool seemed to have turned a corner.
The Brazilian stated, “We just stick together; it was something we spoke about a lot, to stick together at this terrible time, difficult moment.
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“Now that things are happening, the results are appearing, but we shouldn’t get overly enthused about it. The season is lengthy and difficult for everyone, so we must remain grounded, stick together, and keep working.
Regarding his spot kick save, he was a little more excited.
It was a good rescue, but I won’t say too much about it. In football, everyone pays attention to everyone else: the goalkeepers study the forwards, and vice versa for the other way around. I won’t go into too much detail about what I do.
