Liverpool defeated Sheffield United 3-1 Thursday night to move back to top spot, but Mohamed Salah was not happy after being substituted.
Klopp admitted that substituting key players like Mohamed Salah in the win improved Liverpool’s performance. Despite Darwin Nunez giving the Reds an early lead, they were drawn level when Conor Bradley scored an own goal.
Klopp shook things up by replacing Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch with Harvey Elliott and Andy Robertson on the hour mark.
Salah was visibly upset as he was substituted off, but Klopp’s tactical decision proved beneficial as Liverpool improved in the final 30 minutes. Dominic Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez were also brought off for Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo, who helped refresh the team’s energy.
With just 13 minutes remaining, Alexis Mac Allister scored a fantastic strike to put Liverpool back in front. Then, Gakpo sealed the victory by scoring a late goal, bringing the match to an impressive end.
Following the game, Klopp confessed to TNT Sports: “Our general game until I think we made the changes was not great, he told TNT Sports. That’s what we have to admit.
“It’s tricky, we had such a low block [from Sheffield United] but you have to do better. I’m really pleased for Cody [Gakpo] who came on and was incredibly good on the ball, scored a wonderful goal. Robbo [Andy Robertson] good, Harvey [Elliott] good, Curtis [Jones] good.
“They were really helpful and that’s how it is; you have to change games from the bench when needed and so I’m really happy with that.”
The win for Liverpool moves them back to the top of the Premier League table, two points above second-place Arsenal and three ahead of Manchester City in third. And captain Virgil van Dijk believes the victory is gigantic in the three-way race for the title this season.
“You don’t want to have any dropped points, you don’t want to have any sort of slip ups,” Van Dijk told TNT Sports. “What we can influence is only our performances and try to win and that’s the main focus. We can watch other teams at this stage but there’s no point.”
Liverpool are next in action when they travel to Manchester United in another important game on Sunday – three weeks since losing to their arch-rivals 4-3 in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Goalscorer Mac Allister told TNT Sports: “I don’t know if it’s revenge, but for sure it will be an important game for us because if we want to win something we have to win every game and that’s the aim.”
