Liverpool had to settle for a 1-1 draw at West Ham United tonight, and they were very fortunate to even get that single point, given how the one goal that they did score was clearly offsides. After the game, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted Sadio Mane’s score shouldn’t have counted.
“Obviously, our goal was offside. I didn’t know that in the game and at half-time nobody told me, I didn’t ask,” the German said.
“After the game, our analysts told me immediately. They scored a goal, we scored an offside goal.”
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Klopp added that he felt the one point was earned:
“Apart from that, it’s a game where if Divock [Origi] scores the late goal then that would be a lucky moment. But the point is absolutely deserved.”
The result meant that Manchester City gained more ground on the Reds in the league title chase, as the gap at the top of the table narrowed to just two points. This development has of course led to plenty of speculation and chatter about Liverpool eventually seeing their lead in the league slip away for good.
Football fans everywhere are now rehashing the opportunities for titles blown by Liverpool teams of the past. Jurgen Klopp, during his post match news conference, said he’s confident his side won’t cave into the pressure.
“Yes, I’m confident about that [we won’t crack],” he said. “I think since five, six, seven, eight weeks we talk about a two-horse race now and Tottenham came from behind.”
“They had a very difficult situation and deal with it brilliantly. I have to say, all credit to Pochettino and his team how they did it, winning games late with a lot of injury problems as well. For me, they are 100 percent in the race. So that’s the situation.”
“If you want to be top of the table at the end of the season then you have to deal with much tougher situations than we had today. That’s the truth. Of course, you need players fit and available, that helps a bit.
“We have to fight. It’s not about pressure, it’s about enjoying the situation you are in. We have 62 points, lost one game in the full season so far, which is very positive.”
Klopp also told the media that he could read some sad vibes in their body language.
“But I see your faces already, you feel a bit sorry for us — you don’t have to, we are fine, everything is good,” he added.
“Tonight was just a tough game. But if you have a day like that with the things that happened yesterday and then you get a point at West Ham, for me that’s absolutely fine.”
There is a long way to go yet in the league title race, but Liverpool has shown their issues related to depth in the past couple games.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.